In January 2011, thousands of Gold’s Gym members from across the country enrolled in the 12-week Gold’s Gym Challenge. The event is one of the world’s largest body transformation programs and encourages individuals to lead healthier lifestyles through proper exercise and nutrition. Today, these members are looking for new wardrobes.
During the three month timeframe, contestants worked with local Gold’s Gym trainers and on their own to shed an estimated 144,225 pounds and 79,135 inches as they competed for cash prizes totaling $75,000. Of the thousands of members who participated, 10 were recently rewarded for their dramatic transformations and inspirational stories with cash and national recognition.
Gold’s Gym International (GGI) and the Gold’s Gym Franchisee Association (GGFA) announced the winners of this year’s Gold’s Gym Challenge. The list included 10 “category” winners and two “grand champions” chosen from the group of 10. The $75,000 prize pool was provided in part by sponsors Met-RX, Matrix Fitness, ABC Financial and ISO Sport Nutrition.
“The Gold’s Gym Challenge represents the best of what Gold’s Gym is all about: life-changing results,” said Jim Snow, the president of GGI. “The commitment and dedication displayed by these Challengers was incredible and their stories were truly motivating. We hope this Challenge is just the beginning of a new healthy lifestyle for all of our participants, and that it inspires others in their community the same way it inspired us.”
Gyms from around the country submitted their best male and female success stories in the following categories: ages 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-plus. A national panel of judges convened in the offices of the GGFA in Atlanta for several days, reviewing hundreds of applicants based on four criteria: before and after photos, amount of weight lost, percentage of body weight lost, and a personal essay.
What the following winners were able to accomplish is nothing short of incredible (age groups in parenthesis.) No gimmicks, no fad diets, no magic pills . . . just pure commitment combined with proper exercise and diet:
• Shane Begley, Simi Valley, Calif. (18-29)
• Ladonna Bramwell, Bountiful, Utah (18-29)
• Phil Krantz, Chantilly, Va. (30-39)
• Tami Johnson, Palisade, Colo. (30-39)
• Warren Austin, Grand Junction, Colo. (40-49)
• Angie Berry, East Wenatchee, Wash. (40-49)
• Stanton Akana, Lindon, Utah (50-59)
• Greta Landis, East Berlin, Pa. (50-59)
• George Linderborn, Pasadena, Md. (60+)
• Constance Bramwell, Bountiful, Utah (60+)
Overall male winner Warren Austin from Grand Junction, Colo. lost an amazing 55 pounds (from 226 to 171), 24.4 percent body fat and 21 inches off his waist in just 12 weeks.
“I joined the local Clifton Gold’s Gym location as my last resort to getting my life back,” said Austin. “I worked with trainers who understood my circumstances and took the time to educate me on what I needed to do. Within 12 weeks, I lost more than 50 pounds. I can’t express enough gratitude for the motivation, support and encouragement I continue to receive from Gold’s Gym”
Overall female winner Ladonna Bramwell from Bountiful, Utah lost 55 pounds (from 224 to 169), 11.4 percent body fat and 11.5 inches off her waist in the same amount of time.
“I had never really taken my workouts or dieting seriously and, likewise, wasn’t seeing the results,” said Bramwell, “When the opportunity to enroll in the Challenge came around, my mom encouraged our family to sign up. All four of us collectively lost nearly 200 pounds with two of us placing at the top of our age groups. The past three months has shown me that by sticking true to a healthy diet and consistent workouts, you really can achieve your weight loss goals.”
Out of the hundreds of locations participating, GGI and the GGFA recognized the best overall “Teams” for their collective weight loss efforts and remarkable transformations. These “Teams” had the highest numbers of finalists in the competition. The top five Gold’s Gym Teams were:
• 1st place: Wenatchee, Wash.
• 2nd place: Clifton, Colo.
• 3rd place: Utah
• 4th place: Los Angeles, Calif.
• 5th place: Capital District, N.Y.
“Our annual, nationwide challenge is more than just a weight loss program for our members,” said Mike Epstein, the president of the GGFA. “The Challenge is about practicing commitment, working hard, achieving goals, and inspiring both yourself and others. Each of our winners exemplified this throughout the contest and it shows in their remarkable results and refreshed attitude, motivation, and positive outlook on life. Their new lifestyles are admirable, and we look forward to helping all who engaged in this program to continue to walk the healthy path.”
