A client at Gold’s Gym in Redmond, Tom Johnston has won first place in his age group (60 and up) at both the local and national levels of an intense 12-week fitness contest called “The Challenge.”
Fourteen franchises or 28 gyms participated and Johnston was the overall champ among 750 males. More than 1,000 females also competed. Another client from the Redmond gym, Donna Vaughn, won third place in her age group (40-49) at the national level and was the overall female winner for the local franchise, which consists of Gold’s Gyms in Redmond, Issaquah and Bothell.
Johnston won $1,000 from the local franchise and $14,000 from the national Gold’s Gym office, but it wasn’t the money that nudged him to take “The Challenge.”
Dana Milkie, vice president of operations explained, “The Gold’s Gym Challenge is similar to (the reality TV show) ‘The Biggest Loser,’ but it’s not so much about weight loss as fitness.”
Johnston first started training with Ann Nichols at the Redmond gym a year and a half ago. At 5 feet 7 inches tall, he then weighed 254 pounds.
“I had a lot of back problems. I was at the doctor’s office one day … and he told me I was morbidly obese. That was kind of harsh,” Johnston said. But it made him realize that he had to take action for the sake of his health.
“I had three grandchildren that were getting hard to pick up. I was worried about becoming diabetic, dying young. Plus, I’ve got this idea that old guys can still have some appeal,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye.
Nichols pointed out, “When we started, he was exhausted at the end of a workout. It took him so long to finish and he’d say, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever gonna have the body of a 25-year-old guy,’ but the more he did it, the more energy he had and it took him half the time to finish.”
Johnston said his decision to enter “The Challenge,” was “kind of a lark. … I saw the sign and thought it would be fun to try.”
At that point, said Nichols, “We upped it,” with Johnston coming in to work out six days a week, twice a day. He did cardio exercises in the morning and lifted weights in the afternoon. She also designed a strict diet for him, with lots of protein and produce. He ate egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast every day. Lunches and dinners consisted of chicken breasts and raw vegetables such as broccoli or spinach. Nichols gave him the option of having one “cheat day” per week, but he chose not to stray from the nutritional plan.
Nichols described him as “a trainer’s dream. His willpower was unbelievable. It was so rewarding to work with him because you don’t often see this kind of commitment. I’ve done a couple of body building competitions … so I know what works, but not everyone is willing to take the knowledge I hold and stick with it.”
Johnston lost 59 pounds during “The Challenge” and has taken off another 20 pounds since then. More importantly, his body fat has gone from 51 percent to 25 percent. “My biggest fear is gaining it back,” he said. He vowed that working out and eating well will be permanent habits because he feels like a new man.
As an added perk, he’ll now get to travel to a promotional conference in Las Vegas and be featured as a national spokesperson for Gold’s Gym, inspiring others to get in shape.
The Redmond location of Gold’s Gym is at 7956 178th Ave. NE; (425) 883-9494.
