The Story Behind the Max Effort Mafia

I started my career thinking I would be an in-person personal trainer for the rest of my life back in 1999. I never imagined what became possible with the internet was even in my stratosphere.

The personal impact combined with my love for lifting weights is why you’re even reading this. It’s something I couldn’t stop if I tried.

Once I got into creating supplements and producing content online, I could help more people overall. And as most of you know, I stayed in contact—maybe better than any fitness personality at the time. I treated Twitter like a text message service to our customers.

I really didn’t do much in-person stuff from 2010 to 2020. Then we had the COVID situation. This entire time I had been daydreaming, building, and creating a structure in my life—just like I had seen in my head, following my own path of how I wanted to operate.

One day while working on a new project at Muscle Island, a tagline popped into my head: RESULTS. LIFESTYLE. EXPERIENCE.

I’m a believer that when you take risks with belief, other things come into your life unexpectedly. This realization hit me hard, and I’ll be forever thankful for it.

The universe was telling me: Cory, you’re missing the joy of helping people with real, positive experiences and encouraging in-person interactions. That’s why you’re here. That’s your calling.

I’m blessed beyond belief, and I need to share that. To help people stay motivated with dates on the calendar, things to look forward to, and experiences that inspire them to grow their lives for the better.

I saw it clearly:

YES, we help people get WILD RESULTS.
YES, I’m teaching a killer lifestyle of being productive, consistent, and building confidence.
AND YES, I need to share the amazing infrastructure we’ve built within Max Effort—between the Old School Gym, the Mafia, our network of people that can speak at events, and of course, Muscle Island.

That voice in my head got louder. So I moved forward with belief and invested a ton of time and money into our community.

I know this is a business, but I’m ultimately in the people business. That’s what the Mafia Membership is. Sure, on the outside it looks like a supplement membership—and that’s true. But I see it as setting up a calendar of intangibles each year that will ultimately help you be a happier, healthier, more confident person… with a community behind you.

That’s why the real tagline is: RESULTS. LIFESTYLE. EXPERIENCE. COMMUNITY.

The price is small for the positive impact. I made it that way so more people can enjoy the benefits I’ve laid out.

I love it. See you soon on the Island. I can’t wait to meet you.

- CoryG
Founder, Max Effort Muscle

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