Building a culture of fitness one employee at a time

For nearly a decade, Schell Brothers and Antonio’s Training have partnered to offer employees an opportunity to get healthy by hosting an annual fitness contest and a chance to participate in my 12-week body transformation program. During this time, there have been numerous success stories and some amazing results, but, more importantly, fitness has become an integral part of the culture within the Schell Brothers company.

Knowledge is power

I can still see the deer-in-the-headlights look on the faces of the first group I ever trained in 2007 when I explained the dietary changes and the workout commitment they would have to make to be successful. At the time, they probably thought I was crazy, and many of them went back to old habits after the program was over, but over time they have learned to embrace healthy lifestyle changes and many of the basics have become routine procedures that can be seen throughout the company. People prioritize their workout, sometimes dropping by the gym in between work hours, and the company refrigerators are stocked with water and protein shakes.

The program

Busy people need structure to be successful, and that’s exactly what my 12-week program provides, but with 10 years of preaching the same philosophy, healthy eating and exercise options have been engrained in the psyche and culture of many of the people in the company. In addition, new participants have a massive support system of other employees who have done the program and can advise on what to expect and how to approach the challenges of balancing a busy schedule and making sure they get in their workouts.

318 pounds lost

This year, Antonio’s Training had the largest company participation ever with 22 individual employees signed up for our 12-week transformation and the company contest. The winners were determined by their overall body fat percentage change. Company members who excelled were rewarded accordingly. All participants were tested in our Bod Pod state-of-the-art body fat assessment machine, and the results blew the glass ceiling off what I had previously seen in a corporate contest. Of the 22 people who trained with us, 20 needed to lose weight and two needed to gain to reach their goals. For the 20, the total weight loss was an amazing 318 pounds or an average of 16 pounds per employee. In addition, these same people gained a total of 65 pounds of lean muscle or an average of 3 pounds each.

The winners

Despite the incredible results achieved by the company, every contest must have winners. This year’s top two were unstoppable. Coming in first was Mark Moore, who dropped an incredible 59.4 percent of his starting body fat, shedding 22 pounds and setting a contest body fat record of 5.4 percent of ripped muscle. Second place went to Nate Torrijos, who lost 54.6 percent of his starting body fat and 31 pounds to finish with a body fat of 10.7 percent. Other noteworthy accomplishments were Brian Triscuit with 44 percent and 27 pounds lost, Corey Jefferson with 42 percent and 26 pounds lost, and Cori Bane with 39 percent and 22 pounds lost.

Congratulations to all who took part in the company contest. You set the bar even higher for next year!