Employees torch body fat for health and prizes

In last week’s column I explained how Antonio's Training and Schell Brothers offer an annual fitness contest to help employees get in shape. Now, I'd like to introduce this year’s winners. Although most everyone did a great job, the two winners were too difficult to beat, and their results are truly inspirational. 

The contest was determined by overall body fat lost instead of weight. This way the participants had to make lifestyle changes that forced them to improve their health instead of doing crash diets just to see a number on a scale. Since the winners were determined by the overall body fat lost instead of pounds, everyone had a chance to win regardless of whether they were big or small, making the contest fair for everyone.

First place - Mark Moore

Coming in at first place was Mark Moore. Mark was an interesting transformation because he was a former Division I football player for the University of Delaware. He started the contest with a good base but felt he couldn't get the weight off to get back to his best shape. He was able to dramatically improve during our 12-week body transformation. He started the contest at 210 pounds and 13.9 percent body fat, lost 22 pounds and finished at a shredded 5.4 percent body fat. In total, Mark dropped nearly 60 percent of his starting body fat, making him extremely difficult to beat. To give you an idea how low this is, we have tested more than 3,000 people, and Mark is the second-lowest we have ever seen but with much more muscle than the average person. Mark completely transformed himself and became faster, stronger and reached the best shape of his life. He is now eligible for a reward of $500 a month if he can maintain this incredible shape.

Second place - Nate Torrijos

Nate was the average guy who seemed shocked at the lifestyle changes necessary to complete my program. He seemed overwhelmed at the beginning of the transformation but his apprehension was quickly replaced with laser focus, showing great mental toughness and determination. As time passed, Nate just kept getting better and lost 31 pounds of pure fat and gained 1 pound of muscle, dropping his body fat to 10.7 percent. This accomplishment not only earned Nate the possibility of $200 a month for the next year if he can maintain his shape, but it completely changed him from the inside out. At the end of the contest, Nate had lost a total of over 54 percent of his starting body fat. He became capable of intense workouts that he would not have been able to do at the beginning. 

Both Mark and Nate participated in my 12-week body transformation to achieve their final results. Even though they worked hard and won the contest, they still have to maintain to continue reaping the benefits or they will lose the prize money. To do this, they will be tested at the beginning of each month in the Bod Pod - a state-of-the-art body fat testing machine - and they must pass a strict requirement, staying within 2 percent of where they were when they finished. If for any reason they slide above the 2 percent cushion, they are automatically disqualified and the next runner-up gets a chance to test to see if they can take the top spot. The good news is both Mark and Nate already passed the first test for June and there are only 11 more to go. 

To see a more detailed account of this contest and my 12-week transformation, check out our YouTube documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGsXQvdi0Y on my YouTube channel antoniotraining1. Good luck, guys. You did an awesome job, but stay focused; there are several other people waiting for their chance to move into your place.