Fitness Challenge 1: The Results Are In!

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For 12 weeks, 6 Express readers are competing for $5,000 and a one-year membership to Gold’s Gym. The challenger with the most points at the end of 12 weeks wins!

This week our contestants faced their first Fitness Challenge, in which they worked to burn as many calories as they could during one week of Gold’s Gym workouts. The more calories they cut, the more points they earned!

Meaghan: 8,032.5 calories burned
Trainer: Jenny - Gold’s Gym: Ballston
Jenny encouraged Meaghan to push herself harder with interval training. By challenging both her aerobic and anaerobic systems simultaneously, Meaghan was improving her body’s ability to burn more calories, and this strategy worked well! Meaghan was able to burn over 8,000 calories in one week, and she lost 2 pounds!
Strategy: Sprint past your comfort zone for results.

Kim: 6,186 calories burned
Trainer: Tasha - Gold’s Gym: Capitol Hill
Kim & Tasha scheduled as many calorie-burning GGX classes and circuit-training workouts as Kim could fit into her week. Kim gravitated toward her favorite GGX class, Body Attack, along with the RPM cycling class. She succeeded in burning over 6,000 calories and losing a pound this week.
Strategy: Combine classes with circuit training.

Larry: 5,334 calories burned
Trainer: Chris - Gold’s Gym: Midtown
Chris encouraged Larry to focus on burning calories rather than weight loss, which set his mind on something more immediate. This approach seems to have paid off, and gotten Larry over his plateau. Larry lost 3 pounds in addition to burning over 5,300 calories.
Strategy: Change focus to break through your plateau.

Greg: 5,236 calories burned
Trainer: Michael - Gold’s Gym: Rockville Town Square
Circuit Training allows you to exercise more with spending less time in the gym. You can concentrate on the larger muscle groups while still elevating your heart rate. Michael believes this to be the best and fastest way to get into shape. It certainly did the trick for Greg; he lost another 3 pounds this week!
Strategy: Consistency vs. Duration

Jamie: 4,650 calories burned
Trainer: Erin - Gold’s Gym: Merrifield
Erin encouraged Jamie to keep it simple with circuit training, so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed this week. Circuit training builds muscle endurance while burning lots of calories. Jamie has been able to experiment with different equipment and found that she really enjoys the rowing machine. It gives her a great all-over workout in a short amount of time, and she sure is seeing the results. Jamie lost another 2 pounds this week!
Strategy: Keep it simple.

Anthony: 2,652 calories burned
Trainer: Cameron - Gold’s Gym: Fairfax Station
Anthony cut much of his challenge calories in the RPM/Cycle GGX classes this week. He lost 1% body fat this week, but did not lose any weight, which indicates to Cameron that Anthony’s body is changing composition. Cameron’s advice this week is to concentrate on nutrition and not to get discouraged.
Strategy: Keep your eyes on the prize.

Points are awarded weekly for weight loss and competitive challenges. In the event of no weight loss, or a less than 1% weight gain, contestants receive 0 points. Over 1% weight gain, contestants lose points proportional to their percentage of weight gain.