In December 1999, Gary Arbuckle and Amy Freeze Arbuckle, both ’95 (Denver, Colo.), were named grand champions in the couples category of the Bill Phillips Body for Life 2000 Challenge, a competition based on Phillips’ nutrition and weightlifting program. The award brought them a $100,000 prize, and their story was featured in the June/July issue of Muscle Media Magazine and in the Body for Life Video 2.
Discouraged by her inability to lose weight after the birth of their son, Tyler, Amy joined with Gary in the 12-week program, and together they lost a collective 48 pounds of fat and gained 20 pounds of muscle. They continue to follow their fitness program and set new goals; in October they ran in the Chicago marathon.
Her improved confidence helped Amy, who majored in broadcast communications, get a job as the WB2day morning weather anchor at Denver TV station KWGN. Gary says the experience also benefited him professionallyhis chiropractic practice, which opened at about the time they started the challenge, has grown dramatically.
The Arbuckles met at BYU during the 199394 season, when Amy was a cheerleader and Gary was Cosmo. They married in August 1994, and during the 199495 season they were cheerleading partners.
“Achieving fitness in your life is sometimes a difficult obstacle,” Amy says. “But when you do it with somebody as a partnership it’s so much easier. That’s one of the fundamental things that Gary and I have learned while doing the progam, winning it, and continuing on. It’s so much easier to do it together.”