The #MFChallenge3rd (2019) Results Are Out! Meet The Winners…

#MFChallenge3rd (2019) Winners – 100-Day Transformation Challenge

 

 

*Don’t spoil the fun by scrolling til the end just to see the winners. Read their stories from start to finish. It’s worth it. Trust me.

 


 

“Can you really transform with only 3 days per week of training?”

 

“Can you really build muscle and lose fat with only 5-7 exercises per workout?”

 

“Can you really get shredded without doing any cardio?”

 

“Can you really have six-pack abs eating the foods you love and without meal prepping?”

 

“Can you achieve the body of your dreams while still eating RICE  and drinking alcohol?”

 

These are the questions I always get when I recommend Minimalist Fitness Program to someone who’s not familiar with my methods. Since they’re so used to the “work hard and be the hardest person working in the room” approach, it’s understandable that their first reaction would be full of doubts and skepticisms…

 

“No way! I’m training 5-6 days a week, doing lots of cardio, and meal prepping for 7 days a week with very slow results and now you’re asking me to do less and expect faster gains?! Are you nuts?!”

 

After I show them a lot of results from my method and making them realize that what they’ve been doing haven’t gotten them to where they wanted, they calm down and slowly listen. Usually, the conversation ends when they ask the final question, which is…

 

“Can I really achieve the body that I want without killing myself in the gym and in the kitchen?”

 

The answer is a resounding YES! And the #MFChallenge3rd results will prove you that 100%. Stick til the end and the winners will tell you exactly how they did it.

 

Before I reveal the results and the 5 winners, let me just take you back to where it all started. Reading everything below will help you understand my judgment in picking the 5 winners.

 

What is the #MFChallenge and how it all started… 

 

Last September 2017, I created a 3-month transformation challenge that’s exclusive to the Minimalist Fitness Private Facebook Group members. It was named #MFChallenge, and it is now a yearly event for us members. 

 

The goal of this challenge is to transform yourself in the next 100 days following the Minimalist Fitness Program. This means that you do not have to live in the gym and grind your ass off and make fitness your overall focus (you can of course, but you don’t have to). All you need to do is enjoy your life, train 3x a week using the workout routines in the book, eat the foods you love while tracking them, and just focus on what matters.

 

Sounds fun, right?

 

What made this event even more fun and motivating is that 5 winners will be selected at the end of the challenge, and they will take home a total of 35,000 pesos in cash! These are the prizes:

 

1st prize – 15,000php
2nd prize – 10,000php
3rd prize – 5,000php
4th and 5th prizes – 2,500php each

 

To join, they only need to:

 

1. Buy Minimalist Fitness program
2. Submit a BEFORE photo entry following my instructions

 

So if you’re in the Minimalist Fitness Facebook Group, you’re automatically included.

 

The instructions were simple: Read the book, apply the knowledge, and commit for the duration of the challenge.

 


#MFChallenge Judging Criteria

 

 In the past, the winners will be judged by:

 

    1. Progress: How well they’ve improved – this is the highest 
    2. End Result: Final look
    3. Difficulty of the Transformation: Cut, bulk, recomp, getting to <10% body fat, etc.

 

These 3 were my only criteria for judging. But since our family has grown bigger now (3000+ members) and with more members joining the challenge, I’ve added some more to the list to make it easier for me to pick the winners.

 

The new criteria:

 

  1. Progress: How well they’ve improved – this is the highest 
  2. End Result: Final look
  3. Difficulty of the Transformation: Cut, bulk, recomp, getting to <10% body fat, etc.
  4. History: This includes your best physique in the past, how much muscle mass you were carrying at your best, experience with dieting/cutting, drug usage, etc.
  5. Votes from Other judges I’ve Selected: This ranges from acquaintances, friends, bodybuilders that I follow, and to anyone whom I think is fit and qualified to give their opinions regarding the matter

 

As you can see, the #MFChallenge is not like a bodybuilding show where overall look and package get you the prize. It’s a transformation challenge, so progress and/or improvement will always be the biggest factor.

 

With the criteria I’ve set, I can’t just base my judgment on each challenger’s before and after entries. I have to dig deeper — and I have my ways of doing that which I can’t tell but asking for a testimonial and more photos are some of them.

 


#MFChallenge Rules

 

– Challengers/members must have the Minimalist Fitness program and they can use it however they want.

 

– Challengers/members must belong in the Minimalist Fitness Private Facebook Group, where they can ask me questions whenever they want. The more persistent you are, the luckier you get, and that’s what the winners did.

 

– The 1st and 2nd placers won’t be able to join the next succeeding #MFChallenges anymore. We want to give chance to others.

 

– Since this is a transformation challenge and not a show, Anabolic Steroids and/or SARMs aren’t allowed. I have very little ways to find out though so this is more of an honesty/integrity basis.

 

Equality and respect are two of the values we practice in our community and I’m expecting everyone in the group to act in accordance with these. Shame on whoever cheats.

 


#MFChallenge Timeline

 

#MFChallenge2017

 

The 1st challenge started September ’17 and ended December ’17. Since we only had a few members that time, around 50+ members only made it until the end. Nonetheless, our very first event as a family was a success and the winners were awesome. — Click here to view the #MFChallenge2017 results

 

#MFChallengeSE (2018)

 

It was January 2018 when we got over to 500 members. As a celebration for hitting that milestone, I created another #MFChallenge as I thought it’s a good idea to have one since everyone is fired up for summer. I named this one — #MFChallengeSE (SE stands for Summer Edition), and instead of 3 months, I changed the challenge’s duration to 100 days. (January 21, 2018 — May 1, 2018). This was our 2nd challenge.

The 2018 challenge really set the bar higher as the champ (Kevin), along with the 4 winners, showcased their incredible physiques along with the 4 winners, showing doubters that it’s really possible to achieve results doing it the Minimalist Fitness way (and naturally). — Click here to see the #MFChallenge2018 results

 

#MFChallenge3rd (2019, latest)

 

And now, a few weeks ago (May 1, 2019), the recent #MFChallenge3rd ended. Out of 300+ entries submitted, only around 200 made it ’til the end. Several others decided to quit and give up, but many still persevered and pushed through. After 100 days of doing the Minimalist Fitness Program and following its laid-out principles, these 200+ challengers transformed themselves by getting into the best shape of their lives.

 

I will spoil a little fun and give you a clue:

 

They lost weight, gained muscles, boosted their strength, and inspired the people around them.

 

Even better, they did it without fad diets or crazy workout routines. In fact, they did with only three workouts per week and eating all the foods that they love!

 

Each person simply decided to make a change, applied all the principles they learned in the book, and stayed consistent throughout the challenge.

 

Now after weeks of reviewing all entries and asking many people for help, I finally came up with this year’s 5 winners, and I’m going to introduce them one by one in just a moment.

 


 

And that was how the #MFChallenge began and continued. The good news is, this challenge/contest is now a yearly event for the Minimalist Fitness family. My reason for doing this is not just to motivate people and teach them the proven Minimalist Fitness principles, but to also give back to everyone who invested their time, money, and effort in learning everything that I teach. For me, there’s no better way to give back than this. 

 


The #MFChallenge3rd Results

 

*What I’ll be showing below is the top 20 challengers and their results. It will be followed by the 5 winners I’ve chosen starting from 5th place all the way to the 1st. Just click the image to see their before-after transformations.

 

 

 

 

 

You now have your top 5 picks? Take a moment to view each of them and make your choice.  

 

Hirap ba? I know.

 

 

My Judging Notes:

 

– Judging these entries was far more difficult now than it was last time since the number of contestants doubled. Apart from that, recent results were incredible amazing. If I could just make them all my 1st – 5th placers, I would.

 

– I asked all the challengers for testimonials right after the challenge and long before these results came out, so what you’ll be seeing below are their legit reviews of their overall MF journey. 

 

– I didn’t just judge their BEFORE and AFTER entries, but included their overall progress as most of them were sending me progress photos and videos from time to time. I included those in my overall judgment.

 

Basing my judgment only on their submitted entries would be unfair, as I saw a lot of milestone these men have achieved.

 

For those whom I haven’t been in contact with that much throughout the challenge, to be fair to them, I also asked them to submit some of their progress photos or videos, if they have one. That way, I can clearly see each and everyone’s whole development.

 

With that said, I will be showing not only their before-after entries, but their other progress photos as well so you could see where my decision came from.

 


 

Now that you’ve seen the top 20 challengers, let’s move over to our 5 winners. But before that, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the contestants/challengers who mustered their courage to join and show their vulnerable side (their before photos) to me and to other people. As someone who was very insecure about his own body, I know that taking topless pictures when you’re not confident with how you look isn’t a pleasant feeling, let alone show it to others. 

 

Also, I want to congratulate everyone for giving it their best — for taking the time to read my book even though you’re not a reader; for going to the gym 3x a week even when you’re not feeling it; and for resisting a lot of urges and temptations to quit and binge eat like most of us used to.

 

Amidst all the kainan, inuman, and party this summer season, you still endured and stayed committed to the challenge.

 

For this, I salute all of you!

 

I just want to say that I am really proud of what you all have achieved (big and small), and more honored to have been given even the slightest credit for your results.

 

As someone who has a passion for teaching fitness to other people, there’s no greater feeling than being part of another person’s success and leaving a mark inside them. 

 

So, now, here are the 5 #MFChallenge3rd winners. I hope you find them motivation in their success and I also hope they inspire you to take action towards your goals ASAP.

 

 

 

 

 


Note: I want you to take inspiration from these people who showed great results following The Lazy Lifter’s methods, but remember, you are an individual, your results will vary depending on a lot of different factors.


 

 

 

5th place: Mark

 

Mark Ganal – 5th place

Starting weight: 67kg or 147lbs

End weight: 61.5kg or 135lbs

Total lost: 5.5kg or 12.1lbs

 

Mark has been lifting for over 8 years before pa nya nadiscover ang MF. He’s one of the lucky guys who enjoyed exercising ever since he was young. Unfortunately, his dedication didn’t get him to the physique he had always wanted. Umabot pa sya sa point na araw-araw sya sa gym pero wala syang makitang results, at tinanggap na lang nya na baka hanggang dito nalang yung katawan niya. Sounds familiar?

 

Before MF

 

Like many of us, Mark was also a firm believer of the “work hard” approach. He thought that the more you beat yourself up in the gym, the more results you’ll get — which in this case, he figured out that he had wasted many years of his life believing this!

 

Was he skeptic at first when he joined MF? Probably. But what has he got to lose trying it the Minimalist way? Nothing, dahil ilang years na syang walang napapala sa pag-ggym nya remember?

 

These are his photos the first few months on MF and during the MF Challenge:

 

 

 

 

First few months on MF and during the #MFChallenge3rd

 

 

 

 

 

 

His final result

 

 

 

 

 

From the words of Mark, his final review:

 

*Click and zoom to read Mark’s MF journey (inspiring)

 

Mark – 5th place

 

Congrats, Mark! 


 

 

 

 

 

4th place: Patrick

 

Patrick – 4th place

Starting weight: 75kg or 165lbs

Current weight: 69kg or 151.8lbs

Total lost: 6kg or 13.2lbs

 

Patrick’s one of the few less-active members in the MF group, so we were really surprised when he posted his final photo. It’s just wow. He wasn’t even posting or commenting until the final days of the challenge — inviting us for inuman, in celebration for completing the 100-day MF journey.

 

After picking him for the top 20, that was the only time we had a convo. I asked him for more photos and a testimonial, and he thanked me and other MF members for what he has achieved.

 

This was him before starting MF:

 

 

Before MF

 

 

 

And this was his first transformation post in the group..

 

Impressive first cut. He had the mass already

 

 

After this, he indulged for over a month so he can be a lot bulkier before the start of the challenge.

 

These were his photos on MF and during the MF Challenge:

 

 

 

 

 

 

His final result

 

 

Amazing results. If this was a bodybuilding/physique show, he definitely would’ve placed higher

 

His recent update in the MF group

 

 

 

 

His story and review of his whole MF journey:

 

*Click to read Patrick’s MF journey*

Patrick’s MF journey

 

Patrick – 4th place

Congrats, Patrick!


 

 

 

 

 

3rd place: Frenz (Bhordz)

 

Frenz – 3rd place

Starting weight: 62.5kg or 137.5lbs

Current weight: 55kg or 121lbs

Total lost: 7.5kg or 16.5lbs

 

Bhordz is one of the many MF members whom I became friends with dahil isa sya sa mga unang members ko na pursigido (at nagbabasa). Most of all, he’s one of the most helpful ones. Back then, I remember he was always updating me and asking me relevant questions — questions that will make you want to help him. And just recently, during our #MFAnniversary last August 2018, he volunteered to be our host and he did so well, making him one of my trusted and reliable members/friends.

 

Unlike the usual winners who started on the heavier, softer side, he started as a skinny guy before niya nadiscover ang MF. This was his before pic.

 

 

Bhordz - 3rd place
His before MF pic. Isang hipan na lang

 

It’s funny, I still remember exactly how he looked like in this pic because I can relate to his struggle. You know, “lampayatot“.

 

And since he’s one of my earliest members, I’ve witnessed many of his successes and challenges: From gaining the first pounds on his bulk, to getting injured in the middle of the #MFChallenges and not finishing them as he wanted to. 

 

If you’re wondering, this is his 3rd year on MF and his 3rd time joining the #MFChallenge. These were his previous challenges’ entries:

 

#MFChallenge 2017 and 2018 entries

 

Impressive, yes? Hindi na kasi sya kasing payat noong nag-start palang sya.

 

His usual journey was always bulk bulk bulk! Never thinking na dadaan sya sa cutting phase so it’s an unfamiliar territory for him.

 

Here are some of his photos during his time on MF, and this year’s #MFChallenge3rd results:

 

 

 

March 2019

 

 

 

 

Oh and he has a before – after Tanita results as well.

 

 

These were from Feb – May. No pic of January but he started at 17% bf before the challenge, then ended at 6.5% on May 1.

 

 

I’m one of those who will tell you that any of these scales for measuring body fat % aren’t 100% accurate. Although of course, they will still give you a good idea how much you’re carrying.

 

Bhordz going from almost 17% body fat down to 6.5 % (even from Tanita) is incredible.

 

 

His review and full story plus more photos:

 

*Click to read Bhordz’s MF journey*

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats, Bhordz!


 

 

 

 

2nd place: Jozel

 

Jozel – 2nd place

Starting weight: 66kg or 145.2lbs

Current weight: 59kg or 129.8lbs

Total lost: 7kg or 15.4lbs

 

Jozel is a gym owner and instructor of a small gym in his hometown. The gym is called MF as well, which stands for Muscle Factory. Talk about coincidence, eh?

 

Jozel has been lifting for over 4 years now, and just discovered Minimalist Fitness  5-6 months ago. Like Mark (5th placer), fan din si Jozel ng 6-7x a week workout — “walang pahinga, dropsets, at kung ano ano pang imbentong exercise para pump na pump yung muscle” — according to him.

 

Eto yung katawan nya before nya madiscover yung MF, at noong 7x a week pa ang training nya:

 

 

Before MF

 

Hmmmm… not that impressive shall we say? Hindi sulit sa nilalaan nyang oras sa pagbubuhat.

 

When he discovered my FREE ebook last December 2018 and followed it, eto agad yung naging progress nya in 15 days:

 

15 days after using the FREE Lazy Lifter ebook

 

 

Good progress diba? And this was the time he got hooked and then bought MF to broaden his knowledge.

 

Eto na yung photos nya during MF and the #MFChallenge3rd journey:

 

 

First few weeks on MF

 

 

February 2019

 

 

End of Feb 2019

 

March 2019

 

I really can’t say anything aside from how amazed I am with Jozel’s transformation. Even though I was expecting this already (coz he was constantly updating us in the MF group), I still can’t help but feel proud of his achievement.

 

I remember telling Kevin (the 2018 champ) that I am vouching for Jozel to place in this challenge, and I was right.

 

 

His final result

 

 

 

 

April – May 2019

 

 

Bonus points kay Jozel…

 

This was the very first time he got his abs showing.

 

 

“..mas dumami ung clients ko kase ako mismo nabago ko yung sarili ko within 100 days. Dun naman sila nagtitiwala ikaw ng nakaya mong baguhim yung sarili mo. Syempre mas naniniwala na sila sa ngayun. Tapos confident na din akong maghubad ng damit , hindi tulad ng dating wala akong mapakitang ABS, tapos ako mismo nagtuturo ng abs workout pero yung abs ko dati ni hindi ko man nasilayan. Bilang isang Gym INSTRUCTOR kaylangan talaga fit ka at maipakita mo ung physique na gusto nila..”

 

 

If you want to read his full story, see more photos, and learn more tips from his journey, check his full review of his journey here:

 

Click to read Jozel’s MF story

 

 

Jozel – 2nd place

Congratulations, Coach Jozel!


And now our #MFChallenge3rd champ…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st place: Russell

 

 

#MFChallenge3rd champ

Pasabik muna sa after photo. Champion eh.

 

Russell, one of the most quiet members in the MF group, really hit it big for showing one of the most impressive transformations and garnering the most votes from my judges.

 

Nung nakita ko yung after photo entry nya, I knew he’d win, and he did.

 

Before revealing to you his results, let me take you back to when, where, and how he started.

 

Russell isn’t just some new guy in the field. In fact, he’s been in the fitness world for quite a while now. Generally, that would have been a deduction from his points (because people vouch first timers to win at competitions), but his story and results have made up for it.

 

 

Yes, he had been joining competitions in the past. The catch is, he was never happy sa katawan na nabuild nya while twice a day, training 6x a week

 

Wait, what?

 

You read that right — training twice a day, 6x a week — as his former coaches instructed him.

 

He trained a lot, ate the same broccoli and chicken breast meal every day, and went anti-social sa circle nya. Talk about rigidity, boredom, and overtraining. He had experienced all of it.

 

This was his other photos before around this time and before discovering Minimalist Fitness:

 

 

Mukha ba syang nagwoworkout ng 6x a week, twice a day? I don’t think so. Sorry Russell.

 

Then, Minimalist Fitness came. During that time, I think he was in the middle of a competition prep so he postponed doing the program and went along with what his coach told him to do.

 

His best physiques before MF

 

After finishing the competition, he re-read MF and started applying it. Wala naman nang mawawala diba? Pagod na rin sya sa previous methods nya so why not try a new one?

 

After letting go of his be-the -hardest-working-person-in-the-gym approach, and three months of applying the MF concepts, eto yung naging result nya:

 

After 3 months of doing MF

 

According to him:

 

For the first time in my entire existence, may lumabas na pandesal! This photo was taken three months after my second competition. Laki rin ng gulat ko kasi from the usual 6x a week of working out na panay cardio and being too deprived and restricted with food, I was able to get amazing results while working out only 3x a week, eating my favorite foods. Kung nalaman ko lang ang MF dati pa, I could have saved 4 years of my life trying to figure things out to make things work for me.”

 

He cut his gym time in half, said goodbye to broccoli and chicken breasts, ate all his favorite foods, and got better and faster results? That’s MF for you.

 

These were his photos during the #MFChallenge3rd duration:

 

 

January 2019

 

End of Feb 2019

 

End of March 2019

 

 

 

His final result

 

 

 

Russell – 1st place

 

Starting weight: 78.8kg or 173.4lbs

Current weight: 72.6kg or 159.8lbs

Total lost: 6.2kg or 13.6lbs

 

Admit it or not, the results he got was spectacular.

 

Need we say more?

 

 

This was his final review — Russell’s #MFChallenge journey and how he did it:

 

*Click and zoom to read Russell’s full MF journey*

Russell’s MF journey

 

 

Russell – #MFChallenge3rd Champ

Congratulations, Russell! 

 

You, Jozel, Bhordz, Patrick, Mark, and all the #MFChallenge3rd contestants proved that Minimalist Fitness principles work, and I will be forever grateful for that! Thank you for trusting me and the program and giving it your all!

 


 

Before I end this article, let me show you a couple more entries that almost made it to the top 5. These guys did amazing and they deserve this recognition as well.

 

*There are plenty of challengers who made awesome progress but it would take the whole page to post them all, so I only chose these two. The remaining of the results will be posted on my Facebook page, so be sure to check them out!

 

 

Gelo

Gelo

 

 

Jomiel

Jomiel

 

Cris

Cris

 

Tyrone

Tyrone

 

 

Laurenz

Laurenz

 

 

Ter

Ter

 

 

Josh

Josh

 

 

Jerome

Jerome

 

 

Jasfer

Jasfer

 

 

Earvin

Earvin

 

 

Gagaling nila diba?

 

Congratulations to all of you!

 


 

Ending this article, I just want to congratulate all the #MFChallenge3rd contestants for a job well done — you all did great! You’re all winners here for the experience and knowledge you’ve acquired.

 

See you at the next #MFChallenge!

 


If you want to see more testimonials, transformation photos, and other #MFChallenge results, visit the link below:

Facebook Page’s Success Stories Album

 


 

Want to join the next #MFChallenge and transform your body too? Then join the Minimalist Fitness family by clicking the link below:

 

Click here to join the family and the next #MFChallenge!

 


 

If you enjoyed this article and got inspired, share it on your social media accounts and let’s inspire more people!

 


 

If you have questions, comment them below or shoot me a message on my social media accounts:

 

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Thank you so much!