For 60 days, the 20 finalists of FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge took to grueling circuit training routine to shed off unwanted weight, with many unable to execute a proper sit up or squat while their diets veered towards an overindulgence of starchy food and sweets prior to the health and fitness competition.
Fast forward to day 54: the 10 male and 10 female contestants of the 60-day health and fitness competition organized for the second year by the sexy denim brand were doing the exercise routines with such form, strength and confidence that anyone watching would think they have been working out for years.
Guided by CrossFit MNL coach Matt Makalintal, professional basketball player Chris Tiu (who designed the #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge workouts this year making sure these can be performed anywhere without any need for fancy equipment) along with restaurateur and The Fat Kid Inside’s Erwan Heussaff reprising his role as nutrition expert, the competitors’ progress were monitored through daily food diaries, selfies after each workout, and interactive group Viber “confessions.”
For the Big Workout, the contestants performed three rounds of nine exercises that combined what they learned weeks before from the gym, CrossFit sessions, and the track oval. Squat jumps, kettle bells, shoulder presses, low rows, planking, shuttle runs, box jumps, burpees, and sit-ups were executed for 45 seconds each, with a 15-second break in between stations.
“They’ve become so close. They work out together and see each other socially – all because of fitness,” Tiu observed, adding that the contestants have also become very responsible and disciplined with their diets and training routines.
Chosen from over 800 hopefuls who sent in their applications during a nationwide search last August, FREEGO’s #SuperShapeMe Fitness Challenge contestants for 2015, Cy Ortega and Xis Pingol emerged as grand winners during the November 21 grand event.
Besting nine other male competitors, Ortega dropped 38 lbs. from his starting weight of 240 lbs. to win the coveted all-expenses-paid trip for two to Coron, Palawan. He also won Freego’s complete Body Circuit collection, and a feature in Men’s Health Philippines magazine. Pingol, on the other hand, started at 222 lbs. and lost 27 lbs. to win over nine other female competitors. The feat also earned for her an all-expense-paid trip for two to Coron, Palawan, as well as Freego’s entire Super Shaper collection and a feature in Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine. Aside from the impressive weight loss, Ortega and Pingol were also judged according to their overall performance (or compliance with contest requirements) and online voting scores.
“I didn’t pursue winning, I just wanted to be healthy,” confesses the 26-year-old graphic designer Xis Pingol, who got the shock of her life when her name was announced as female grand winner. The youngest of three kids who is tasked to care for her aging parents, Xis had to battle being overweight for most of her life.
Asked how she survived the grueling cardio and strength-training workouts designed by Tiu, and Heussaff’s demanding “no carbs, no wheat, no processed foods” diet, Pingol says she was motivated by her parents. “I was also fighting for a healthy lifestyle. This wasn’t about competing against others; it was about competing with myself,” she says.
As a nurse and part-time event host, long and late hours are par for the course for Cy Ortega, who also found himself indulging in dessert and alcohol. Before the Batangas City native knew it, his weight had ballooned beyond his wildest dreams.
“My colleagues would call me names depending on the color of the scrubs we wore that day,” shares Ortega, saying he would be called Piglet when he wore pink, Jollibee when he was in red, Pooh when he wore yellow, or Barney when he was garbed in violet.
Still, such jokes were no match to the wake-up call of watching his father’s health deteriorate. “He had hypertension, heart and kidney failure, and he was only 65,” recalls Ortega. “I told myself I didn’t want that to happen to me.”
Driven by that promise as well as the enthusiasm of fellow competitors and dieters from all over the world who saw his progress on FREEGO’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, Ortega slowly shed his excess pounds, with the contest making him realize that he could push himself more. With a healthier lifestyle and a slimmer waistline, Ortega is no longer the butt of jokes, and is now called “sexy” and nicknamed Mr. Freego.