Arnold Schwarzenegger
Former Chairman President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports
8 time Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Legend

"I applaud you for taking such an active role in promoting fitness for the State of Florida Police with the "Police Chief Challenge".
Sincerely yours,
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Tim Carroll
"Mass Casualties,"  2005 Fitness Challenge, Northeastern winner
 The reason I joined the team this year was mainly for motivation to get myself back into shape. My workouts had been going down hill for the past few years and I really lacked motivation to go to the gym.  This competition was the perfect opportunity to get myself into the  best shape of my life, and it really paid off.
 
 The challenge motivated me more than I ever thought it would, whether it was getting up for a 5 am run before work or going to the gym after a long night of fighting fires and saving lives. Knowing that my
 teammates were counting on me was enough to keep me going.
 
 Although my workout intensity increased tremendously, I owe about 80% of my success to Diet. Chicken, Fish, Brown rice, etc. I would say my diet was the cleanest it has ever been, and that also increased my
 energy level. For supplements I took Creatine, Protein, Amino acids, and a multi-vitamin.
 
 My workouts included 30-60 min of cardio 4 days a week, high intensity weight training 5-6 days a week, and plyometric training 3 days a  week.
 
 Thanks for the motivation

Mike Peck
2005 Fitness Challenge, Northeastern winner

First, let me say that I think you are doing a great job promoting fitness for Firefighters and Police Officers. In three months, my body has totally changed. Without such a challenge I'm not sure I would have had the motivation to make this transformation. There is no doubt in my mind that a physically fit firefighter is a "better" firefighter. Fighting fires is not as draining to my body since completing your challenge. Keep up the good work. So many people will benefit by taking your challenge. This is how I changed my diet. It wasn't easy at first, but after a few weeks it became routine. First, I quit drinking coffee and soda. Quitting coffee was not easy at first. But, after a few days I became used to no caffeine. This was important, I didn't want to rely on caffeine to wake me up anymore. For the three months I only drank water and skim milk. Second, I ate 5-7 small meals a day instead of 2-3 large meals. At every meal I made sure I ate a big portion of protein (usually chicken or lean beef) and a "clean" carb (plain potato or brown rice) and a vegetable. Third, I drank protein shakes for at least two of my meals every day. Finally for one of my meals per week I would eat whatever I wanted...pizza, ice cream...you name it. The funny thing was, however, after eating this "pig out" meal, I would feel like crap. I couldn't wait to get back to eating healthy. But, I still felt like I needed it for a break and something to look forward to. Thsi is how I trained. I worked out six days a week. I took one day completely off, and did not train on that day. On Day One I trained upper body, two exercises per body part. Day Two I did cardio- 20 minutes jogging on a treadmill. I put the setting on hills, but maintained a constant speed. Day Three was lower body- two exercises for each body part. After legs I did abs- 5 sets of 2 different types of varied ab exercises. Day 4- cardio again, Day 5 upper again, Day 6 cardio again, and Day 7 rest. The next week would start over beginning with lower body and abs. Every week I would try to increase the weight on exercises slightly. This proved successful as I increased my strength weekly. I did 6-12 reps on each exercise for 5 sets, each body part, increasing the weight for each set. By the time the three months was over I felt like I could run the Boston Marathon. I was truly in the best shape of my life... at age 35!!! Some of the things I learned is that working out is only half the process. I've worked out before and had some good results, but combining a good workout routine with good eating makes all the difference in the world. Also, even though I only did cardio for 20 minutes 3 times a week, I know that benefited me tremendously. I feel a huge difference in my stanima on the fire ground. I think this is partly due to the fact that I ran hills on the treadmill, and not just flat. This made the 20 minutes a true cardio workout.

Jon DeLena
Team Enduring Freedom"

"Jim,Thanks for the opportunity for myself and my team, "TEAM ENDURING FREEDOM", to compete in the challenge...I took great pride in helping the members of our team with their diet and training regimen. I saw each team member swell with pride as they began to see results....the concept of a "team" challenge was definitely beneficial. Nobody wanted to risk letting the rest of the team down...which is much like the team concept which we as cops and firefighters experience every day on the job. The 12 weeks were a success for our team and hopefully inspired others that we work with to take the steps necessary to live a healthier lifestyle."

 

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R.Patrick Gillis
The Extinguishers
Ft. Lauderdale Fire/Rescue

"Your 911 fitness contest challenged me and the other four members of "The Extinguishers" team from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department to get off of our butts and get healthy.  Most of us have been on diets and exercise programs before. We have never been on a program that caused us to cover so many areas at once.  Your 911 fitness program urged us to lose weight in a healthy manner.  With the diet and weight lifting program designed for us according to your guidelines by Keith Gillis, Certified Personal Trainer, owner of the Muscle Zone Gym, and past winner of the Fla. Super Natural Body Building Competition, we are all the healthier, and more fit than we have been in years. Due to the low fat diet, regular aerobic workouts, and weight lifting our total cholesterol has gone down and our good cholesterol has gone up.   My blood pressure and cholesterol had gone up to the point that my doctor was going to put me on medication for both.  I asked him to do another check after 10 weeks into the 911 fitness competition dieting and workouts. He was very pleased, my blood pressure is now averaging 115/75 and my cholesterol was lower than ever. My other team members also experienced dramatic beneficial effects on their vital statistics. When I went in for my annual physical last week my Doctor could not stop talking about how pleased he was with my change for the better. The 30+ lb. weight loss and added muscle got his attention, especially since he has always promoted physical fitness for better health.   Thanks Jim, the best thing that happened to me in years was getting the notification of the 911 fitness contest in my email. It was just the shove I needed to get back into shape.  I plan to continue to build on my new level of fitness for the rest of my life which I think will be longer and healthier now."  

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James F. Giordano
THE LAW DAWGS
Leon County Sheriff's Office

"Jim, just wanted to send you a quick e-mail. So far up to this point I have lost 43 lbs and dropped my pants size almost 6 sizes. When people see me that I have not seen in a month or so they do a double take. I am going to have to get measured again so that I can get all new uniforms. If I did not use 7 keepers to hold up my gun belt it would look as if I was a gun slinger from the cowboy days with a low slung hip holster. This program has been a life changer for not only me, my wife but for the countless other people at my Department (Leon County Sheriff's Office). When they have seen the results that I, along with the other LAW DAWGS team members have had, I have been handing out copies of my diet like fliers to a party. Just last night some of my friends at the Tallahassee Police Dept. got their copies of the diet too. Looking forward to the re-weigh in Jax."

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Patricia Addison
Miami-Dade Police
Cops Challenge #2 Winner

"I want to thank 911 FITNESS & Associates for presenting the Cops Challenge #2 fitness contest. Words are actually very inadequate for how I feel about the contest and all that it has meant to me personally. I am 52 years old, weighed almost 200 pounds and have Rheumatoid Arthritis for over ten years. I have been on some of the strongest medications available and have had seven (7) operations, including a total joint replacement in my foot. I was depressed because of my deteriorating health situation. After my Team, 'Fit, Fun happy Guns', won the $ 5,000.00 Grand Prize, we made a donation to the Police Officer's Assistance Trust and a presentation at our Directors staff meeting. The Training Bureau posted a large congratulations banner along with the summary and a the huge 'winner's check' on the gym wall. I have now lost 22 pounds and am still getting up at 3:00 am each day to be at the Training Bureau to workout before work. My co-workers are saying, "Who are you? You are not the same person we used to know." My Arthritis has gone into remission and I have actually stopped all medication, with only some minor joint pain in my hand left. I have taken up running as well as bike events. I simply love eating every two to three hours…that is the greatest thing going for me. Now I am never hungry. There are simply not enough words to really express how I feel about the changes that are happening to me as a result of the contest. Again, I thank you with all my heart."

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After

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CHRISTOPHER VEVERKA
FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL

"I would really like to thank Jim and all the members of the 911 FITNESS Staff for their courtesy and assistance during the Cops Challenge. Especially I would like to thank our team leader Gifford Ramsey for getting me involved in this event. During these eight weeks I lost 21 pounds and 5.3% total body fat. I feel more energized and healthy than I have since finishing the Highway Patrol Academy more than fifteen years ago. I had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol several years ago and I have been on medication for both for several years. Midway through the competition, I had a doctor's appointment with my Cardiologist and my blood pressure was down in the normal range and my cholesterol was down to an amazing 117. My doctor thought that it was mistake until he saw me. All my friends have really noticed a difference in my energy level and even just in my personality in general. I would really recommend 911 FITNESS to any Law Enforcement officers and their families, just for the morale boost alone. Thanks again guys! I am now looking forward to an improved lifestyle from now on."

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After

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WILLIAM HOUSTON
MIAMI-DADE POLICE

"I feel that the Cops Challenge program allowed me to develop program that opened a lot of doors in the fitness arena. The program also gave me the ability to explore many new avenues of fitness not otherwise known to me."