Do you ever find yourself sitting at home watching WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown and think to yourself, “That’s what I want to do with my life?” High Riser James Haes has. He grew up in Galloway, New Jersey and is the youngest of four. James grew up admiring his dad’s patience as he was responsible for keeping the kids on top of their studies, as well as out of mischief. Haes was able to play baseball all his life until high school, because his school unfortunately didn’t have any sports teams. By 19 years old, Haes had joined his first gym and fell in love with professional wrestling. He told Rise Bar, “I was sitting home watching WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown and I knew that is what I wanted to do with my life. That was my inspiration to not only get in shape, but to get healthy overall.”
James admitted that he fell into the category of people who wake up every day with no motivation, no goal, and no aspiration. But somewhere along his journey, he started to go to sleep, waiting for night to pass, so that he can arise for each new day to get to the gym and work toward his goals. He said, “My desire to become a professional wrestler is my main motivation. It isn't my desire to be famous, but to be able to influence people on a global scale, and help everyone see that if you are lucky enough to find something you love, go for it, no matter how old you are or impossible it sounds. When I started working out I was 210 pounds, and it wasn’t muscle. I would start sweating when I bent down to tie my shoes. That is the inspiration.”
As of May 2014, Haes will be spending 3 months in Canada, training with Lance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy, with an ultimate goal of making it into the WWE. He says that he finds risepiration in his own “family, friends, and even random people around him, who are changing their lives, doing good, and staying positive. That is what life is about.” His athletic role model is professional WWE wrestler John Cena. Haes believes more people should be like him, not only because of his professional history, but also his extensive donation history to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
When he finds a minute to breath away from lifting weights, James said he enjoys cooking and eating. For him, learning about nutrition lead to better cooking skills. “I didn’t even know how to cook chicken breast before I started learning some culinary skills,” he told us. He also confessed a few secrets to Rise Bar about his love for TV drama, The OC and Gossip Girl are his two favorite shows, ever. And get ready for this one, Taylor Swift songs can also be found on his gym playlist, try out a few of those the next time you’re getting your lift on.
James is also in the process of obtaining a journalism degree, and he and one of his best friends, John, have teamed up and created a blog titled, “Mind, Body, and Swole.” He says, “The goal is to take the intimidation out of the gym, motivate, and educate people. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder, you just have to be willing to learn. Visit http://mindbodyandswole.wordpress.com/ for recipes, nutrition and workout tips, supplement reviews, and more. We are your average guys, who changed their lives, and want to make the process as easy as possible for people that want to do the same.”
