Larry Wilcox thinks a person cannot enjoy a nice car, a big house or other luxuries without good health.

Wilcox has an app for that. He’s the majority owner of five Max Muscle Sports Nutrition stores in Oregon, including one in east Bend.

He’s worked in many trades, including the mortgage business, dairy production and property management, but he thinks he’s found his calling: helping people improve their health.

“This is where I belong,” he said.

Wilcox, 53, was manager of the Downtown Athletic Club in Redmond when he learned about Max Muscle products in 2003 or 2004. He fell in love with them.

“Not only the taste was phenomenal, but I noticed the results just from their protein,” he said.

He started focusing more on nutrition — fats, proteins, carbohydrates — as a personal trainer. In 2006, he was offered a chance to open a Max Muscle store in Bend. In March 2007, such a store opened.

He and his partners have since opened four other Max Muscle stores in Oregon. They opened one in Portland’s Pearl District earlier this month.

Over the years, he’s become confident 75 percent of good health is in nutrition, while the rest lies in exercise and rest.

The stores are a family affair. Wilcox is the CEO. His son Brandon heads up growth and expansion. His wife, Cindy, is the bookkeeper. His son Beau is an assistant manager of the stores.

Wilcox told The Bulletin about nutrition, exercise and Max Muscle products.

Q: Describe some of the products on the shelves.

A: There are what I call the essential six products. … (They are) Maxpro Protein, Vit-Acell liquid multivitamin, glutamine — which is all about recovery — and flaxseed oil. … And then there’s Green Synergy, which is a fruit and vegetable supplement. Then there’s Gourmet, which is a meal replacement.

Q: You have passion about these products, and you believe in them quite deeply. Do you have any other things you believe in deeply?

A: I believe strongly in taking care of our customers, be authentic — no smoke and mirrors — say what you mean, mean what you say. Of course, I’m a strong advocate of family. I’ve been married to the same woman for 33 years, been with her for 35 years. … It may sound kind of corny, but I just believe in being fair, try to be true to your word, and when you say something, it’s truthful, and there’s substance to it. I’m a pretty simple guy. It’s not complicated. I think most everybody should be that way. But … that’s basically it. Treat people the way you want to be treated.

Q: I see you’ve come with a bottle of pink liquid. What is that?

A: This is just a cocktail that I have. It’s branched-chain amino acids. It’s called Pro BCAA that we sell. I’m just flushing my body all day with branched-chain amino acids, which is the building blocks of protein. And you’ve got to drink water every day, right? You’ve got to drink at least two liters of water every day. At least that’s what I tell people. And water gets kind of water sometimes. So this is a great way to flavor it up and not be harming your body. … This is watermelon (flavor).

Q: All of this sounds good. What I want to know is, could a person do that for cheap?

A: When someone tells me that … my natural response is to them, what’s your health worth? Because … lose your health — what do you have? I always tell people when they come into my store, If you’ve got the nicest car on the block, the biggest bank account and the nicest house, what does all that mean if you don’t have your health? It means absolutely nothing. It’s just a priority, is all it is. … I see people every day that spend $400, $500 a month on lattes and beer and cigarettes, and all they’re doing is destroying their body. If you were to give away the cigarettes, the drinking and the lattes. … You can maintain what I’m talking about on a regular basis for $100 a month. Now, is that worth it? Absolutely, in my opinion. Is it worth it to somebody else? Well, if their priorities are a little bit different, maybe it isn’t. But when they get older, it will become more of a priority. They’ll start understanding that maybe I should start taking care of myself a little bit more. …

Q: You’re in great shape at 53. What are you doing when you work out? How often do you work out?

A: I jog at home every morning five days a week on my treadmill, generally about 25 to 30 minutes. And then I’m in the weight room four days a week, and I just train different body parts. … I’ve been doing that consistently for … about 12 years, actually.

Q: What do you aim to do with your business in the future?

A: The goal is to … stay at five stores. We own the region, so now we’re the regional developer of Oregon. … Right now it’s just to create a solid foundation with what we have now, and keep our eyes open for opportunity in the future. … My son is looking at the San Diego region right now, and that may be something that we’re going to be expanding into over the next six months.

The basics

What: Max Muscle Sports Nutrition stores

Where: Bend (547 N.E. Bellevue Drive), Beaverton, Clackamas, Portland and Salem

Employees: 12

Website: maxmusclebend.com

Phone: 541-749-1000