Meet Patrick Gass of Gold's Gym Simi Valley
After a knee injury in 2017, finding it difficult to recover, Patrick began picking up unhealthy eating habits. He gained 20 pounds over a couple months and weighed more than he ever has at 200 pounds. After reading about past Gold's Challenge winner, Tom Bernier (Massachusetts), Patrick felt inspired to make a change to get healthy. Working with personal trainer Rebekah from Gold's Gym Simi Valley, Patrick shed all of the excess weight, gained muscle, and at 54, he says he's never looked better. Here is Patrick's story to become our 1st Place National Winner.
Here's Patrick's unbelievable transformation. We hope it inspires you!
Q: What was it like participating in the Gold's Gym Challenge?
Patrick: After a relatively short time, I started seeing progress and that progress propelled me to new levels. The feeling I got at that new level was so amazing that I never wanted to go backwards. That is why I am really committed to motivating next year's Challenge participants to reach those goals they never thought they could achieve. It starts with a decision to sign up for the Challenge and ends with the most magnificent feeling you could ever imagine.
Q: What was your fitness journey?
Patrick: Early in the Challenge, I told my trainer Rebekah to really push me through my workout and she obliged. I was exhausted, but I felt really good to get an extremely hard workout session under my belt. As the weeks passed, my eating habits improved and my strength increased. I was convinced that consistency was the key and that consistency would come from forming a habit of getting to Gold's regularly. Each week the body fat scale would consistently show significant decreases. Of course, Gold's Gym staff was always there to cheer me on as I transformed.
Q: How was your experience with a personal trainer?
Patrick: I had an outstanding experience with my personal trainer, Rebekah. From the get-go we were on the same page and set aggressive goals toward making an incredible body transformation. We mapped out a twelve week 
program that included cardio, diet, and weights. She showed me some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) techniques to get me to a new level quickly and also created a diet for me that would be optimal for my body type. Rebekah, as well as Talyah, would always be on hand to measure my body fat twice a week to make sure that I hit my target goals.
Q: What are your favorite fitness classes?
Patrick: I've tried Abs Blast which was a great target workout, but in the future I plan to try Body Combat which looks like a lot of fun.
Q: What do you love most about Gold's Gym?
Patrick: Gold's is a world of fitness. Keeping up with cardio, swimming, rowing machines, boxing the big bag and utilizing Cardio Cinema kept me energized. Since Gold's offers every fitness class/program imaginable, it is impossible to get bored. In addition, the ability to workout at other Gold's Gyms while traveling, and the many available hours, makes staying fit convenient. If you have an injury, there are so many machines instrumental to rehabbing any part of the body. If getting your body healthy and/or built up is the goal, I would have to say that there really is truth in calling Gold's Gym the "Mecca of Bodybuilding."
Q: How are you planning on maintaining your results?
Patrick: I can maintain my results with 40% of the Challenge effort. Of course I may have to make some adjustments, but the Challenge has a way 
of really getting you in tune with your own body. At this point my diet is now a lifestyle and my exercise at Gold's is a foundation that would almost be impossible to give up. As I get older and my body subtly changes, I'll have to make some adjustments in my maintenance, but overall, the Challenge has created a good habit for a healthy lifestyle. I have made a mental note to participate in 2028's Gold's Gym Challenge. I hope one day I am an inspiration to seniors.
Q: How has your life changed since the challenge?
Patrick: Even though I am 54, I feel like I'm 23. I wake up each morning feeling ready to take on the world and have a stronger heart for the challenges that other people are going through. Everyone has their own mountain to climb or voyage home to make. If we use that journey and stay persistent in finding ways to reinvent ourselves, we will reinvent our futures. At that point, no matter where you started, you will have your own amazing success story.
Check out this video to learn more about Patrick's experience.
Experience Change with the Gold's Challenge
We asked Patrick what he plans to spend his reward money on. He said he will donate his winnings to AFIRM (Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine) and the rest to Wounded Warriors to help injured military veterans. Patrick is such a stand up guy and we are so proud that he can represent Gold's Gym.
We are looking forward to seeing how you plan to motivate next year's Challenge participants. See you next next year, Patrick!
Without one of our personal trainers, Patrick wouldn't have achieved what he did. Link up with a personal trainer and to take the Gold’s Challenge yourself. We also recommend starting the challenge with our FREE 8 Week Shred program.
