On February 1st, 2021 we launched our first online competition, known as the HWMF Transformation Challenge. The HWMF Transformation Challenge ran for a total of eight weeks. Each week, participants had to submit progress pictures online with corresponding check-in cards. The participants' photos would then be reviewed, organized, and placed into separate folders. This process allowed us to fairly assess their transformations over the course of eight weeks.
Although we didn’t offer any formal workout routines, diet plans, or coaching, we did provide continuous support throughout the entire challenge through various platforms. For example, participants got exclusive access to the HWMF Transformation Challenge Facebook Group where they could interact with other participants, share their stories, ask questions, and get advice.
Participants were also encouraged to attend weekly webinars that covered various topics, including supplements, training, motivation, social media, nutrition, etc. From the start, our goal was to provide as much value as possible, so the participants would feel empowered to continue progressing.
At the end of the eight weeks, our plan was to give away a total of $25,000 in cash prizes and pick three winners:
- Overall Male Body Transformation Winner - $10,000
- Overall Female Body Transformation Winner - $10,000
- Most Shredded Winner - $5,000 & an all expenses paid trip to the Axe & Sledge HQ
After looking at pictures for ~2 weeks and filtering through some insane transformations, we finally decided on who would take home the grand prize for each category.
So in this blog, we wanted to take a moment and introduce you to those three people that stood out amongst the rest. However, we just wanted to emphasize that this was not an easy decision and various people were involved in the final decision making process.
Without further ado, let’s meet the three winners of the 2021 HWMF Transformation Challenge!
Overall Female Body Transformation Winner: Melissa Biddle
Our first winner is Melissa Biddle, she took home $10,000 and earned the title of “Overall Female Body Transformation Winner.”
Melissa’s stats:
- Age: 33 years old
- Occupation: Co-owner of a cannabis laboratory, extraction, and growing facility
- Residence: Oklahoma
- Weight loss: 13lbs
- Married for 11+ years
- Three kids
Question & Answer
How did you hear about the HWMF Transformation Challenge?
- Social media, YouTube, and the HWMF Podcast
- My husband and I are huge fans of Seth Feroce and have been following his social media content for about 6-7 years
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the challenge?
- I struggled the most with staying consistent with workouts and balancing my family/work life.
What Axe & Sledge supplements helped you the most throughout the challenge?
- Hydraulic - my all-time favorite pre-workout supplement, especially the Deadlifts & Gummy Bears flavor
- Ignition Switch - I used this for the times I needed an extra boost in energy
- Farm Fed - helped my reach my daily protein intake
- Home Made Bars - used as a meal replacement
What did your weekly workout routine look like?
- During the first 4 weeks, I focused primarily on resistance training and would end up working out 4-5 days a week.
- The last 4 weeks of the challenge, I also incorporated fasted cardio first thing in the morning in addition to resistance training later in the day.
Favorite part or moment of the challenge?
- Realizing how much my body transformed in the last two weeks by assessing the weekly progress pictures.
- Exclusive access to the HWMF Transformation Challenge Facebook Group, that group was so supportive, motivating, and inviting.
- I never imagined feeling comfortable putting my progress pics up for everyone to see them, but I am glad I did and it was all because of how great that Facebook Group was.
- I really enjoyed how Seth participated in the challenge as well and shared his goals/progress on social media. He really made it a point that this is not just an 8 week transformation, it's a lifelong transformation.
What does winning the challenge mean to you and any plans for the cash prize?
- Winning the challenge means everything to me. Not only did we need the money, but I needed to do this challenge to prove to myself that I could make a positive change physically and mentally.
- We plan to use the cash prize to invest more into our business, buy additional land, and further support my family.
How did your mindset change throughout the challenge?
- My mindset became a lot more positive throughout the challenge in regards to how I thought about myself, family, marriage, job, and exercise.
- This challenge taught me that it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and share you personal journey with others.
How do you plan to continue this new lifestyle?
- Stay consistent with the newly adopted diet and exercise regimen.
- Continue to resistance train and start lifting heavier.
Any future health/fitness goals?
- Go into a bulk and gain a significant amount of muscle and strength before entering a cut once again to lose some body fat.
Overall Male Body Transformation Winner: Christian Scheier
Our second winner is Christian Scheier, he also took home $10,000 and earned the title of “Overall Male Body Transformation Winner.”
Christian’s stats:
- Age: 47 years old
- Occupation: Paramedic
- Residence: Connellsville, PA
- Weight loss: 45lbs
- Married with kids
Question & Answer
How did you hear about the HWMF Transformation Challenge?
- Axe & Sledge’s social media page.
- I’ve been following Seth Feroce’s YouTube channel and various social media platforms for years prior to finding out about Axe & Sledge Supplements and the challenge.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the challenge?
- Finding time to workout with my hectic schedule.
What Axe & Sledge supplements helped you the most throughout the challenge?
- The Grind - consumed post-workout and throughout the day to curb cravings
- Home Made Bars - used as a meal replacement
- Hydraulic - consumed pre-workout for resistance training sessions
What did your weekly workout routine look like?
- Performed fasted cardio for 45-60 minutes each day on the treadmill.
- Did an additional 20 minutes of cardio post-workout the last few weeks of the challenge.
- Resistance trained ~5 days per week.
- Walked 15,000-20,000 steps per day.
Favorite part or moment of the challenge?
- Exclusive access to the HWMF Transformation Challenge Facebook Group.
- The Facebook group exceeded my expectations in terms of how supportive, motivating, and helpful everyone was.
What does winning the challenge mean to you and any plans for the cash prize?
- Winning the challenge means the world to me. It just goes to show that regardless of your age, if you work hard enough at something, you can accomplish anything. I had no clue that I would be chosen as a finalist, let alone win the entire thing, so it was quite the pleasant surprise.
- So far, I’ve bought a new grill with the money and plan to save the rest for a nice vacation later this year.
How did your mindset change throughout the challenge?
- I realized how easy it was to just do the work once you get started.
- After the first 2-3 weeks, I started to want to workout, as opposed to feeling like I had to workout.
- Now, I really enjoy being active and finding ways to fit exercise into day, regardless of how busy life gets.
How do you plan to continue this new lifestyle?
- Stay consistent
- Make time to workout
- Continue to be active throughout the day
- Limit alcohol consumption
Any future health/fitness goals?
- Be in the best shape of my life by the time I turn 50 (~2.5 years)
Most Shredded: Adam Rhodes
Our final winner is Adam Rhodes, he took home $5,000 and earned the title of “Most Shredded.” In addition to the cash prize, Adam will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Axe & Sledge headquarters, where he will meet the team and do a photo/video shoot with our photographers/videographers.
Adam’s Stats:
- Age: 33 years old
- Occupation: Going to school to be an EMT
- Residence: Alton, Illinois
- Veteran of the U.S. Air Force
- Weight loss: 13lbs
Question & Answer
How did you hear about the HWMF Transformation Challenge?
- I saw the announcement video on the Axe & Sledge YouTube channel.
- I’ve been following Seth Feroce for years and watching his videos for motivation, education, and inspiration.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the challenge?
- The most challenging part of the challenge was getting to that level of conditioning. I’ve never been that lean before and I dealt with several mental battles along the way.
What Axe & Sledge supplements helped you through the challenge?
- Dozer, your sleep-aid, helped me the most because I’ve always struggled with staying/falling asleep and it’s especially difficult for me to sleep when I am at such a low body fat percentage.
- Other than Dozer, Ignition Switch gave me just the right boost of energy & focus for workouts and Hydraulic increased my ability to get a pump in the gym, even when my carbs were at an all time low.
What did your weekly workout routine look like?
- Resistance training 6 days a week.
- Increased cardio throughout the 8 weeks from 30 minutes fasted to 60 minutes.
- Performed an additional 30-60 minutes of cardio post workout in the last few weeks.
Favorite part or moment of the challenge?
- How supportive, motivating, and helpful the HWMF Transformation Challenge Facebook group was.
- There wasn’t a single time that I felt alone throughout the challenge.
What does winning the challenge mean to you and any plans for the cash prize?
- This challenge taught me that if you want something bad enough, you can achieve anything and that your mind creates your future/reality.
- I plan to use the $5,000 to start my own personal training business.
How did your mindset change throughout the challenge?
- I became a lot more grateful for what I have and my competitive nature was reestablished.
How do you plan to continue this new lifestyle?
- I am doing a bodybuilding show in a couple of weeks in an effort to move onto to nationals and get my pro card.
- I also want to start growing my social media and helping others through producing educational/inspirational content and coaching.
What would be your ultimate fitness goal going forward?
- Continue competing and earn a pro card in bodybuilding.
- Become a successful personal trainer and help others achieve their goals.
Honorable Mentions
Initially, our plan was to only pick three winners and give out $25,000. But, after looking at so many mind-blowing transformations, we couldn’t just award three winners…
In addition to the $25,000, we awarded $2,000 each to the 2nd place finishers of the male and female body transformation. We also awarded $1,000 each to the 3rd place finishers of the male and female body transformation. Lastly, we awarded $1,000 to the most shredded female.
Here’s a list of those who didn't win the overall prize, but definitely deserve an honorable mention:
- 2nd Place Female Body Transformation: Laura Williams-Coleman
- 3rd Place Female Body Transformation: Rachel Mangold
- 2nd Place Male Body Transformation: Jarrod Grunke
- 3rd Place Male Body Transformation: Joey Caron
- Most Shredded Female: Katie Sexaur
Thank You!
Although we were confident that the HWMF Transformation Challenge was going to be a massive success, we had no idea that it would change so many lives, including our own and the way we do business moving forward.
Our goal with this challenge was simple — inspire others to get out of their comfort zone and push themselves to make some significant physical and mental changes. With $25,000 up for grabs and three opportunities to win, people gave it their all. In the end, we were shocked by the transformations that you hard-working M’fers were able to achieve in just eight weeks.
To close out this article and the 2021 HWMF Transformation Challenge, we want to thank each and every one of you for your participation and support. Because of hard-working M’fers like yourself, we are able to continue growing the brand, changing lives, and creating the highest-quality supplements on the market.
If you didn’t participate in this year's transformation challenge, be on the lookout for more to come in the near future. Axe & Sledge is dedicated to making the HWMF Transformation Challenge bigger and better each concurrent year. Until next time, keep putting in the work and remember that this transformation isn’t just for eight weeks, it’s for a lifetime.
