Official Rules

Fitness Assessments
Pre-Assessments Rules
The following rules need to be followed to allow for a fair and accurate assessment. In nearly every instance, failure to follow them will only hinder- not help - that individual:

	Drink plenty of water over the 24 hours preceding testing to ensure normal hydration prior to the test.
	Avoid food, tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine for at least 3 hours before testing.
	Avoid exercise or strenuous activity the day of the test.
	Get an adequate amount of sleep (6-8 hours) the night before the test.

Fitness Assessment Explanation
The fitness assessment will be performed in the following order:

1) Body Composition: Determine total body weight and % body fat. Shoes must be off during the weighing, feet 1-inch from the front edge of the scale. An abdominal circumference measurement will also be taken if agreed to by the individual. The weight, % body fat, and ab circumference results will remain confidential. Only the difference from one measurement to the next will be listed in subsequent fitness statistics.

2) Aerobic Capacity: After a cardio warm-up and stretching, the contestant performs a 12-minute test on the Life Fitness Treadmill. The goal is to travel as far as possible in that time span, with total mileage used as a measure of aerobic capability.

3) Lower Body Strength: After stretching and warm-up set(s), the contestant attempts a 10 RM set on the Squat Press. If successful, another set with a heavier resistance is performed no later than 4 minutes after the preceding set. This process may be repeated until the lifter fails to achieve 10 reps on a given set. The 10 RM weight recorded is that of the last successfully completed 10-rep lift.

4) Upper Body Strength: The same procedure for #3 applies here with the Life Fitness Chest Press. Note that if a person is doing both strength categories, they may do either the leg curl or the cable row first, depending on their preference.

Assessment Rules
The following rules will be utilized to ensure equality for all competitors. In most cases, failure to adhere to a rule will invalidate the test result and require subsequent re-testing.

	By the completion of the Week 1 assessment, the competitor must have decided which 3 out of 4 categories he/she will compete in. The person can only change their mind within 24 hours after their respective initial assessment; after that, the decision is final.
	Individuals must maintain a neutral spine while on the treadmill.
	No stopping longer than 1 second will be allowed on the treadmill or during a leg curl or cable row set unless there is a health risk involved.
	Excellent form must be performed for each rep to count on the strength exercises. Reps with incorrect form will not be counted. (i.e.-rocking, bouncing, swinging, jerking, etc.).
	The back must not arch or round beyond its regular curve during the set. Twisting the back is also not allowed.
	• The hips must not leave the back of the seat on the leg curl.
	Each person must work within their given full range of motion for each rep on the strength tests.
	Rep speed on both strength tests must be no faster than 5 seconds per rep (2 seconds in the positive, and 3 seconds in the negative).

	Standings with statistics of competitors in each category will be produced each week for weeks 1-8. There will be a statistical blackout in Week 9: no contestant will be allowed to know how their competitors have performed in Week 9. This eliminates any advantage late-week testers have over individuals who finish the Royale in the first half of the final week. Final standings will be released at the awards ceremony, less than a week after the end of the Battle Royal™.
	All competitors will be listed anonymously via a code number to ensure confidentiality. Those wishing to share their names and exploits with other contestants can be found on the Identification page of this web site.
	Statistics will be produced in the form of overall fitness, subcategory, and fitness leader standings. This information can be found on the Standings and Statistics pages of the web site.

Tie Breakers
The following deciding factors will be utilized in the event of a tie:

Overall Fitness: Each competitor involved in the tie will do an overtime fitness assessment on a date after the competitors' final test and before the BR Awards. The BR Committee will determine a time between Monday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 2. Neither contestant will know of the other's results until the night of the BR Awards. The new scores from all three sub-categories will be tallied and averaged and the person with the highest average rating will be crowned champion. If a tie still remains, the competitors will reign as co-champions.

Primary Sub-Categories (Body Fat, Aerobic Capacity, Squat Press, and Chest Press): Each competitor involved in the tie will do an overtime test decided by the BR Committee for that specific sub-category. The BR Committee will determine a time. Neither contestant will know of the other's results until the night of the BR Awards. The new scores from the test will be rated based on performance, age, and gender and the person with the highest rating will gain the first place title for that category. If a tie still remains, the competitors will be crowned as co-champions.

Eligibility
In order to be eligible to compete in the Battle Royal™, individuals must meet at least one of the following criteria:

	Must be at least 15 years of age (If a minor, written parent permission must be granted in order to participate)
	Proof of Medical clearance to exercise (If individual has certain health risk factors that could be exacerbated by exercise)
	Must not be an officer or employee of Maximum Definition™, personal trainer, strength coach, competitive bodybuilder, power lifter, weight lifter, or professional athlete* *Maximum Definition reserves the right to make decisions beyond this criteria as to whether or not a person qualifies for the contest (example - a person who claims not to be a pro athlete, competitive bodybuilder or power lifter but has an exceptional physique or strength level may still be excluded from the main competition. A person in this situation would still be eligible for the Professional Battle Royal™, but not for the same prizes and awards listed in the main Battle Royal™ rules stated here).

Participation
Rules affecting the fitness categories a person competes in include the following:

	If a competitor misses time because of illness or injury, the time cannot be made up before or after the competition.
	If a competitor acquires an injury or illness in or outside of the Battle Royal™, the person may not ask for their money back.
	A person may not change categories for any reason unless an injury (verified by a doctor or therapist) prevents the individual from competing in a specific category for at least two weeks. Once an individual changes categories, the person cannot switch back.
	If an individual cannot complete a category because of injury, illness, or other reason, the person's final score will be based on their last performance of the current BR competition.

	Teeth gnashing, glaring, staring, chest beating, and taunting will be highly encouraged. Cheating will be highly discouraged.
	All workouts will be video taped and reviewed nightly. Any sign of arching backs, use of momentum, or breath holding will be easily discovered using slow motion replays. Such distasteful actions will result in the immediate ejection of any such wrongdoer.
	Individuals donating more than the minimum entry fee will be allowed to touch the first place crown on awards night. An individual donating over $50,000 will finish in at least a tie for 1st Place, Overall Fitness. An individual donating over $100,000 will be given sole possession of 1st Place and will be allowed to wear a crown and drink from a golden chalice while sitting at the head of the table at the awards dinner.
	Anyone found sabotaging the fitness testing equipment before the test will be in the running for the Best Strategy Award. In addition, they will be automatically eliminated from the rest of the competition.
	Spying on other opponents' fitness tests will lead to dish washing at the awards dinner. If, on the video tape replays, it appears as if the suspect is loitering in the weight room as opposed to working out, occasionally glancing over ones shoulder at the opponents squat press or chest press, or pretending to wipe their brow with a towel while actually talking into a hidden microphone, that person will be asked to leave the weight room and escorted from the gym by armed security.
	Threats, harassment, and acts of violence aimed at "forcing" an opponent to unwillingly quit the competition will be thoroughly investigated. Barbells, broom sticks, clubs, and mallets, that "accidentally slip" out of one opponent's hands and land on the leg or chest muscles of another opponent will be considered as possible suspicious behavior. Any hired goons that carry out similar "accidents" will be questioned and reported to the gym night manager on duty.
	If an individual is found lying about his weekly cardio totals to pad his/her stats for the Consistency Award, he/she will be banished from the Battle Royal™ for life.

Professional Battle Royal

Introduction

All of the standard Battle Royal categories, schedule, and official rules apply for this companion Battle, which serves as a competitive arena for personal trainers, body builders, power lifters, elite or professional athletes, and Maximum Definition (MD) employees and independent contractors. Statistics and standings will be tracked independently of the main Battle, using the primary elements of the standard BR tracking system.

Entry Fees

Entry fees are the same as for the main Battle, with the exception of MD employees and independent contractors, who will receive an associate discounted rate.

Awards

There will be one main award for the Overall Fitness winner, consisting of a trophy. The overall winner, runner up and winners of each sub-category will be recognized for their accomplishments at the BR Awards ceremonies.