Rules of the Contest

The Team Contest
Well, technically, we’ve got two contests going on — a team contest and an individual contest. The most important one is the team contest, which you’ve probably already figured out: we have to lose a total of 200 pounds by July 1, 2007. That’s not an arbitrary number — it just worked out that way. Rob wants to lose 65, Brad 55, Steve and Cody 30 apiece, and Josh 20, which equals 200. If we make it, Josh is paying for a week-long sailing vacation in Costa Rica for all of us (boys-only — sorry, wives!). If we fail — that is, if any one of us fails to make our goal — we get nothing.

The Individual Contest
The individual contest pits each of us against the others in terms of our percentage of bodyweight lost. It wouldn’t be fair to judge simply by pounds lost, because the bigger guys are going to drop pounds easier than the smaller ones, so we’re using bodyweight percentage. Whoever loses the greatest percentage of their starting bodyweight will win that contest. We haven’t figured out what the prize is for that one yet – the winner will probably get a higher percentage of the revenue we get from the Google ads you see around our site. But remember, that goal is secondary anyway. If any of us fails to reach the goal, none of us get anything.

Technically, if we all meet our goal exactly, Rob will win this contest, because his weight-loss goal requires him to lose 21% of his bodyweight. But keep an eye on Brad, because his is pretty close — if he goes above and beyond his goal, he could challenge Rob easily. Keep an eye on Steve, too — the dieting part is easiest for him more than the rest of us, and if he wanted to, he could lose 50-60 pounds (although he doesn’t currently want to). Josh and Cody — well, they’re big-time dark horses, let’s put it that way.

What’s the point of all this?
Well, obviously, it’s for all of us to get healthier. While most of us aren’t in imminent-heart-attack condition just yet, we think it’s best if we never even approach that territory. And we’re doing it together because — well, that’s really the only way we’ll all get it done. Without the constant badgering of the other four, none of us would probably go through with it. We’re naturally lazy, and we know it. The only thing to break us out of those habits and move us toward better health is the fire of competition and the promise of an all-expenses-paid vacation.

Another, secondary goal of all this is to inspire others like us. We admit, we’ve never considered ourselves to be prime sources of inspiration to many, but you just never know. We’re five out of several million 30-something guys out there who certainly aren’t “middle-aged,” but no longer consider themselves young, either. At this age, you kinda feel yourself beginning an irreversible slide toward sloth of all sorts. Eating food that’s bad for you but you just don’t care enough to stop, never exercising when you used to exercise all the time, panting way too hard at the top of a staircase, achy joints, lost muscle, etc. All that stuff — it’s creeping up on us right about now.

And we’re not stupid — we know it doesn’t have to be that way for us, or you, or whoever. So we’re going to reverse it. And we’ll show you that if we can reverse it, so can everyone else. If you doubt that, go take a look at our starting pictures. If we can do it, you can. Now, over the next 30 weeks, watch and learn, suckas.

Your pals,
The Massive Beasts

Email Josh (I probably can't win, but I'm still trying like hell.)