MOUNT GREENWOOD — The latest winner of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" lost more than a few pounds in Mount Greenwood.
Roberto Hernandez, 36, won $250,000 in the Season 17 finale Monday night. He and his twin brother, Luis, trained at Southside Knockout Training Center in Mount Greenwood between tapings.
On one occasion, the Hernandez brothers spoke to a small group in the gym at 3504 W. 111th St. Those gathered were about to start their own eight-week weight-loss challenge — without the help of televised trainers or the possibility of a cash prize, said Southside Knockout owner Bryan Harney.
"They talked about how they went through ups and downs in their process," Harney said Tuesday afternoon.
He remembered that speech on the same day Roberto Hernandez mentioned the South Side gym in an interview on NBC's "Today" show. The twins took boot camp classes in Mount Greenwood about six days a week for roughly six weeks leading up to the finale, Harney said.
"We've had some pretty good success," he said, adding that the national exposure should help further the already solid reputation of his business. Southside Knockout offers a variety of cardio boxing classes, boot camp workouts as well as youth wrestling courses and other workouts.
"When I was tired of doing the regular treadmill or the elliptical, we would go over to Southside and do some workouts there," Hernandez said Tuesday.
Hernandez is a physical education, drivers ed and health teacher in suburban Cicero. He stepped on the scale and posted a weight of 188 pounds in the final episode of the show — down from 348 pounds at the start of the competition on Sept. 9.
Meanwhile, Luis Hernandez won $100,000 through the show's at-home contest. He was eliminated from the televised portion of the show earlier but continued to train. His off-camera resolve resulted in a sweep for the Hernandez brothers.
"From day one, Luis and I decided that we were doing this journey for the weight loss, not the money," said Roberto Hernandez, a resident of suburban Burbank.
Roberto Hernandez said Tuesday he worked out 4-5 hours per day leading up to the finale. He would typically wake up at 4 a.m. and start with a cycling workout. Then, he'd run 3 miles on his lunch break and follow up with a trip to Planet Fitness in Oak Lawn or Southside Knockout.
He plans to return to the classroom after his big win. His workout regime will likely slow down, but he has no plans to halt his training altogether.
"If you see me at Planet Fitness, Southside Knockout, cycling or whatever, feel free to come up and say, 'Hi,'" he said.
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