REAL LIFE

911 FITNESS

By: Maria Kang

Four S.W.A.T. team members joined forces to take on the 911 Fitness Challenge. With determination and the help of Max Muscle supplements, they made incredible gains.


Being a part of the elite S.W.A.T. (special weapons and tactics) team brings a certain prestige to the job. Not only do you have to pass tough written, oral and psychological testing, but you must also pass rigorous physical tests to complete tactical operations. As a unit you work with your squad to accomplish targeted missions, so it wasn’t a long shot when the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department banded together to enter a fitness challenge after Lieutenant Mike Radford saw a flyer for the “911 Fitness Challenge.”

On January 9, 2008, Lieutenant Mike Radford along with Sergeant Mario Moreno, Sergeant Erik Neuman and Detective Richard Gonzales began a 12-week challenge to transform their athletic physiques to rock-solid, award winning bodies. Like any mission, their team, Triple “S” 1, made their rules, made a plan and made a pact to not stray from the collective goal.

Their number one rule was simple: Don’t cheat. Staying on top of one’s diet was made simple through their process of accountability. Whenever they met, they took a look at each other’s lunch bags. They connected the overall S.W.A.T. mindset by understanding that one person is accountable to an entire unit. Whenever one is failing, they all failed as a team.

Their 12-week diet plan was first created by Rochelle Moreno, Mike’s wife and NPC competitor. They consumed 6-7 meals throughout the day, which included lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Their program also included some daily “cheat” snacks that had additional good fats and natural sugars, such as peanut butter and fruits, to be consumed in between meals or post-weight training. The team was instructed to adjust their meals according to their hunger.

For example, if they needed to consume more food, vegetables and protein were the first food source to increase.  They could not consume sugar, eat excess carbohydrates or use anything but water in their protein shakes. In addition to their strict diet, as the weeks progressed, they also began cycling their carbohydrates to create additional shocks to their metabolism. Rochelle conducted weekly checks and logged their progress throughout the challenge.

In addition to Rochelle’s help, the Triple “S” 1 team also sought Kenny Tali, owner of the Walnut Creek Max Muscle store in California, for additional guidance. “Kenny played a key role in helping us reach our goals. He not only provided us with a nutritional plan, but also helped us choose the right supplementation to get us through our intense workout regimen. He is truly an expert in the fitness arena,” expresses Mario.

To enhance their workouts and complete their seamless diet, the team utilized several supplements to accomplish their end mission. For protein, they drank High 5 protein and Max Gourmet protein shakes. For workouts they used Tren-xtreme, a muscle activator, NO Explode and Cell Mass. For fat burning and recovery, they utilized Lipo-6 and Max Glutamine. For their daily vitamins and good fats they consumed Max EFA’s and Max’s multivitamin, ProVite.

After 12 weeks, all the teammates were amazed by their results. Their lean physiques restored a newfound confidence in their lives and profession. “I have always taken pride in staying in shape but with the recent birth of my third child, my fitness was taking a back seat to other priorities,” admits Lieutenant Mike. “I watched for the next 90 days progress and gains that I had never seen before. It feels pretty good to honestly say that I’m almost 40 and in the best shape of my life.”

Prior to the contest, the team worked out three times a week, ate whatever they wanted and didn’t limit themselves. However, throughout the 12 weeks, their level of discipline and workout intensity was maximized by their desire to win and not let each other down. “It’s a hundred times easier to have teammates when you are undergoing a fitness challenge for there is a physical and emotional connection. Most of all, it was very taxing on the mind,” acknowledges Mario. “It was great knowing that someone else understood how it felt to be fatigued, hungry or even accountable to a larger whole.”

What is the 911 Challenge?
The 911 Fitness Challenge is a weight loss contest for the public safety population to lose fat and gain muscle as a team. This approach promotes teamwork and camaraderie. Four winning teams with the greatest improvement will win $5,000 from each region. The regions include Southeast, Central, Western and Northeast.

Eligibility requires team members to be active or retired police, firefighters, paramedics, EMS, military, corrections, nurses, physicians and the spouses for any of these occupations that fall under the 911 responder category. A new challenge begins January 5. For more information, visit www.911fitness.com. MS&F