Delaware wrestling legends drop 48 pounds in 11 weeks

I recently had the privilege of training a former Delaware sports star and a legendary wrestling coach, but their relationship to me made this one of the most rewarding transformations I’ve ever seen. This is because the sports star is my younger brother Paul Antonio, and the coach is a close family friend and current Hodgson Vo-Tech Principal Jerry Lamey.

These two men are well known in Delaware in the sport of wrestling and have enjoyed a rich history of friendship and accomplishments over the years. Jerry recruited my brother Paul straight out of college to be his assistant wrestling coach. Paul was a three-time state champion and Division I collegiate wrestler, and together they transformed the Hodgson wrestling program into a state powerhouse, winning six state titles in a row at a school that previously had little success in the sport. Both went on to retire as coaches, but they still work closely together at Hodgson, where Jerry is the principal and Paul is the student advisor. They were ready to take on a new challenge together, this time for themselves.

A few months ago, Paul contacted me, saying he wanted to do my body transformation. I was very excited, but skeptical when he told me Jerry was on board too. I knew this would be an interesting journey, so I set them up with an appointment and we got started.

Whenever anyone tries to get in shape, there are always obstacles, most of which stem from family and work obligations that leave them little time for themselves. Jerry was the poster child for this scenario. He has five children, is the principal of a school and spends any free time he has traveling around the state attending school functions and sporting events, leaving him little to no time for himself. To make matters worse, both Jerry and Paul live in New Castle County, which meant they’d have to drive to see me every three weeks to be tested in the Bod Pod and get their upgrades. However, they attacked the program with the same energy they used while coaching six championship teams, and the results were incredible.

Last week ended their fitness journey with a combined weight loss of 48 pounds, even though they ended the transformation a week early to coincide with spring break. I have to say that even though I met with them every three weeks, I was amazed at the physical shape both of them achieved. My brother Paul started the program in moderately good shape but finished at 9.5 percent body fat and 17.5 pounds lighter. This puts him in the top five lowest-measuring people who have ever tested in the Bod Pod, and I have not seen him in this condition since his days of high school wrestling more than 25 years ago. At 41 years old, this is an incredible accomplishment.

Jerry’s results were nothing short of amazing. He lost 30.5 pounds in 11 weeks, dropped countless pants sizes and melted off 35 percent of the body fat he had before he started the challenge. What makes his transformation all the more impressive is the fact that with five kids and a school to run, he was able to make it work, showing once again that hard work and dedication pay off.

I’d like to congratulate both Paul and Jerry for a job well done! You both did excellent work once again!