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The UK games industry is pumping iron to win a Las Vegas holiday in MCV’s industry fitness challenge, in association with UFC Personal Trainer. So how are they doing?
Well, a number of the competitors have already seen signs of weight loss. Weigh-in sessions have shown that TeePee Games’ Darren Newnham claims he has lost six and a half pounds, VideoGamer.com’s Martin Gaston has lost 3kg, and Entertainment Focus’ Greg Ellwood has lost three pounds. Others report that their inability to give up beer and pizza has had the opposite effect.
Most people are using UFC Personal Trainer’s 30-day workout, although some are dabbling in the game’s other options or doing additional exercise, like dog-walking, swimming and cycling to work. Some people are even doing weekly blog updates, such as The Average Gamer’s Lewis Rayne.
Rayne’s colleague Debbie Timmins has even been creating video diaries of her workout, there latest of which can be seen below:
James Orry, Tom Orry and Martin Gaston from VideoGamer.com have already found their least favourite exercise. Tom says: UFC training is proving to be harder than imagined. There’s been a lot of talk in the office about the horror that is the V-Up. No human should have to fold their body in half with their fingers and toes touching and pointing skyward.”
I’m finding the game really great,” writes James Harvey (pictured above), games reviewer for the Cardiff and South Wales Advertisor. Using it every day – starting with the ‘hit the mitts’ exercise to warm up.
Then I’m doing a mixture of custom workout routines, focusing on a specific body area each day. In conjunction with a daily run after working out, I’m finding it to be a great way to keep in shape. So far I’ve managed to lose almost half a stone and muscles are developing nicely.”
Ginx TV producer Neil Gorton (pictured right) says: Having recently hit 30, I was keen to make a lifestyle change, it wasn’t until I saw my silhouette on Kinect that I looked like I was in my third trimester. This has been my own fault – my student years of excess and continued bad habits have led me to a point where most High Street stores no longer stock my size. Winning the prize would be great but being able to lose enough to go to River Island would be a close second.
I haven’t seen a great shift in my body weight (and in fairness it’s going to take considerable time to do so) but I am a lot more flexible after just a week. I’ve gone from not being able to see my toes to being able to kick up and touch them. It’s the small victories that go a long way. Well, that and achievement points.”
There’s also something a rivalry brewing between Neil’s team at Ginx and the folks over at GameSpot UK. Check out Johnny Chiodini’s trash talking, potato-wielding video for the Ginx team below. If any of our other contestants want to follow suit, send your video links to fitnesschallenge@intentmedia.co.uk
TEEEEEEEEEAM from Johnny Chiodini on Vimeo.
In fact, most entrants are getting more than a little competitive. In emails between a selection of the candidates, Capcom’s Leo Tan declares: I suspect [Play Magazine’s] Ryan King is the favourite here. I mean, would be the favourite if I wasn’t going to crush all that stand against me with my eventual superior physique… I ate three dinners the other day. Three dinners. You guys don’t know what’s coming.”
You can follow plenty of banter between the contestants through Twitter, either via the #UFCPTchallenge hash tag or this handy list set up by THQ Insider.
