About Me

They say great stories are structured like sandwiches; they can come in layers, be seasoned, and flavored by variety. Personally, I think, to be a great bodybuilder, too much variety can actually hurt you because it can interfere with the lifestyle. Those of us who live it and love it know how much dedication, consistency, and repetition it requires to really become successful and see results. But, early on in life, I wasn't always a bodybuilder, and my background is probably the most interesting thing about me.

For starters, I'd like to address the topic of my name, "Patnelli." I'm sure some of you have already wondered, what's the deal with it?

Oftentimes when people first meet me, and they read or hear the full pronunciation they want to automatically assume it must originate from my African American heritage. The truth is, my first name is only as ethnic as the two people I'm named after. You see, it is actually a combination of my mother and father's first names; which are Patricia and Nelson. Since I was their first born child, at the time, it seemed fitting; and in retrospect, I agree. Although, when I first meet people, I tend to introduce myself as just "Pat," and people usually assume that it's short for "Patrick," and I don't always go out of my way to correct them to avoid the hassle of explaining it's origin. But, overtime it has grown on me; and I've noticed it has definitely helped me to stand out from other "Pat's" and ease into conversation when need arises.

And, since we're on the topic of names, my middle name "Christy" comes from my mothers Catholic upbringing, and is intended to be a derivative of "Christ." Now, all of this is easy to discuss and comprehend, especially since it's being done over the internet, and many of us are adults; but, as a child I received a lot of interesting feedback from my peers. And, the first day of school was always an interesting one because I wondered how the teacher would butcher my name. And, when they couldn't pronounce my first name, they would often automatically skip to my middle one, and that never made things easier. But all jokes aside, since I've heard so many different takes and incarnations of how to say my name, it no longer phases me when people say it the wrong way. In fact, I almost welcome it, just so I can correct them and get some sympathy points.

I'm crafty like that. I've always been. Even in my earliest pictures, it shows!