Emrey wins Schell before-and-after challenge

When Max Emrey signed up for this year’s Schell Brothers Biggest Loser competition, he expected nothing less than to win the contest. In fact, he told me so on day one, and by the time the contest was over, his self-fulfilling prophecy became a reality. Max placed first in the before-and-after division with a very impressive body transformation, but there was much more to his motivation than just looking good.

“I had never considered myself in shape growing up. In fact, I was on the chunky side, so I have always wanted to see what I could accomplish if I followed through with a fitness plan,” said Max. He had tried a lot of programs before, but he always ended up getting sidetracked and never finished to his full potential. Since Schell Brothers offers an annual contest in which employees can compete to see who gets into the best shape, Max figured there was no time better than the present, and he joined to compete against his peers.

In addition, Max elected to do our 12-week body transformation program to help guide him through the process. “I knew this program worked. I had seen many success stories here at Schell Brothers. It was just a matter of getting myself ready to accept the challenge,” said Max.

A challenge is exactly what we gave him for the next three months.

During this time, we put Max through an intense program that included weight training, body weight movements, proper cardio and diet basics. We changed his program every three weeks so his body never got used to the challenge. We added weight on weightlifting movements as he became stronger, and repetitions on body weight movements as his endurance improved.

By the time Max was halfway through the program, it was clear that he was a contender to win the contest. However, a small setback threatened to derail his success. An old knee injury began to bother him, so we shifted gears and adapted his program to allow him to recover for a week to make sure the knee was a non-issue. After a week of rest, Max was back in action, and the physical changes he was experiencing were now even more noticeable.

When Max finished the contest, his results were incredible. He dropped an impressive 6.7% body fat, 20 total pounds and looked completely different from when he started. His body is now ripped and muscular with six-pack abs, and he tested at a very lean 10% body fat. In addition, his confidence dramatically increased, and he’s very proud of his accomplishments.

When asked what advice he would offer to anyone willing to make a change, he said the most important part of his transformation was the diet. “I have been in the gym for 15 years, and I never had results like this. The structure of the program and the diet basics that were incorporated made all the difference,” he said.

The before-and-after contest is part of an annual Schell Brothers fitness competition that’s offered to any employee willing to participate. Max won first place by submitting before-and-after pictures displaying his results. He was awarded $3,500 for his achievements. Congratulations, Max, your results will surely inspire others to change their life by taking control of their health and fitness.