The Wall: A McGugin's Biggest Loser Obstacle in Week 5.

Officially powering the 2009 McGugin's Biggest Loser Competition

The Wall: No Time for Gold Brickin'

By Eric Jones - Five weeks in and half way there (Whoa-oh, livin on a prayer) for McGugin's Biggest Loser. The Wall looms large now at the halfway point as it is tougher to fight one's own human body. Half pound losses are valued much more. If not for Brandon Barca's first weigh-in since week one, Team Gold would have gained two pounds. As it happened Barca's 10 lbs (over five weeks) pre-wedding weigh-in put Team Gold down by 8 cumulative pounds for the week. Overall, the team is down 80.5 lbs which equates to 2.0844% cumulative weight lost. Team Black also gutted out a shallow week losing just 2 lbs and is 5 lbs off the Gold pace with 1.7832% total body weight lost.

But make no mistake, the Wall looms large for many contestants. It's amazing how you think you are doing well, eating an apple for lunch for a whole week then you find out, you gained a pound. Stupid Jared, and his "Five Dollar Footlongs." More than one teammate was muttering, "I should have just eaten a bag of Kettle Corn at the UK game."

I am personally attacking my own Biggest Loser Wall by attempting to find a way to download my old copy of Pink Floyd's iconic classic "The Wall" onto my iPod. The only thing this is successfully doing is making my head hurt, as I try to understand the lyrics of Roger Waters. Maybe that burns calories too or maybe I just don't have the proper laser light show package for my treadmill.

There has also been an increasing interest in some team sports including a renegade noon basketball game several days a week that has already popped at least one creaky hamstring.

At least next week we will get some help from our sponsors as Smart Water will be introducing some new flavors to both teams on Friday, February 27. If that doesn't work, it's back to leaving Ho-Ho's and donuts for members of the opposing team.

The Battle to Find the Perfect Workout Song Rages in McGugin

Officially powering the 2009 McGugin's Biggest Loser Competition

Posted by Eric Jones

Before getting into just how powerful of an influence the band Survivor has on this year's contest, an update. Team Gold has lost 72.5 lbs (1.877% of initial team body weight) over the competition's first four weeks. That is just a slim half pound more than Team Black, who weighed in heavier and has therefore lost 1.711% of their team body weight. As each team tries to adopt subtle tactics to tempt the opposition into falling head first into a vat of cake batter, it has been enjoyable to watch the two teams take various approaches to getting and staying active. Be it just taking the steps more often or walking to lunch (so as not to lose a parking space in the McGugin Lot), I have witnessed a common theme. Music.

Take Brett Wulke, an intern working in Operations, who is training for the Music City Marathon. By using a mix of including the Rocky Story compilation soundtrack featuring the Rocky Training Montage, to Linkin Park with Jay-Z, The Kiss on the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack while sprinkling in Your the Best from the Karate Kid soundtrack, Brett has been able to shed a Team Gold best 13 lbs. Team Gold teammate Jessica Siegel (Ticket Office) puts a method to her workout soundtrack including Britney Spears' Circus ("Britney looks the way I want to look"), Lose Yourself by Eminem ("Great song to spin on the exercise bike"), and We Built This City by Starship ("You just have to love the '80's,"). Even Brandon Barca (Web Guru) admitted the secret to losing some pre-wedding weight(coming up in seven days) for Team Gold was grounded in Survivor's workout anthem from Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger.

Team Black features a very eclectic mix of workout fanatics. Heather Warf (Business Office) believes in balancing her decades: Journey and Bon Jovi ('80's), Hootie and the Blowfish ('90's) and Lady Antebellum/Keith Urban ('00's). Teammate Jason Silvers (marketing) uses a harder edge: Cult of Personality by Living Colour, Click, Click, Boom by Saliva and Gasoline by Audioslave to name a few. "I like the consistent beat with a heavy song. Getting a little mad at the weights as you are lifting is a good thing." I didn't get to ask him whether his cool down music is the slow piano song at the end of the Incredible Hulk TV show from the '70's. After all, it always calmed down the Hulk.

Music isn't for everyone though. My own Team Black teammate, Vice Chancellor David Williams, enjoys an early morning workout on the treadmill. "There isn't much on at 6:00 or 7:00 am, so I just turn on the TV and start walking. If I can watch West Wing, I really like that, but you never know what you find. This morning it was Sister, Sister. I get caught up in what I am watching and before I know it, I've been going at it an hour."

My own personal favorites for watching the calories whisk off on the treadmill are as follows:

Anvil of Crom - Arnold, Sountrack of Arnold Swarzeneggar movies - Just try it once....

Right Now - Van Halen. Remember the Crystal Pepsi commercial? Horrible product, great song!
Hollywood Nights - Bob Segar. Just try to slow your pace, it's impossible.

Runaway - Bon Jovi. Be careful not to get your mullet caught in your iPod headphones.

Let's Go Crazy - Prince. How many calories does he burn onstage?!

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz. It helps to whip your dreadlocks to the music.

Can't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson. Okay, pretend you are at the skate rink.

My thanks to Coke and Smart Water for sponsoring the contest. Until next time...

McGugin's Biggest Loser Powered By Coke Zero and Smart Water

McGugin's Biggest Loser has officially hit the big time as Coke Zero and SmartWater have signed on to be partners in what is becoming a tight race between Vanderbilt Athletic Staff. I wrote this next thought to my teammates on Team Black to encourage them to eat healthy and exercise this weekend leading up to the Monday morning weigh-in. There aren't too many iconic names out there that truly represent the American way of life. At a time when many traditional American companies are selling out to investors in Europe, it's great to know that Vanderbilt has got one of the big ones, in Coca Cola. In addition, Coke Zero and Sprite Zero are starting to disappear from the Vanderbilt media room cooler much faster these days, because some of us just don't want to give up our cola. Now Smart Water is coming into the picture with more of our student-athletes carrying it around McGugin. Take heed Biggest Loser Teams, there might be a lesson there.

Here are this week's stats:

Team Gold: 54 Total lbs lost (1.39% of total body weight lost)

Team Black: 44.5 Total lbs lost (1.06% of total body weight lost)

Next time around, answers to the probing question: What's on your iPod, or in my case Walkman when you get on the treadmill or for a walk around your neighborhood? I can't help but think some of my fellow Loser contestants have a Kenny Loggins or Frank Stallone blast from the past banging off the inside of their heads while in the Zone (Danger Zone that is).

McGugin's Biggest Loser Off and Running

It's a long athletic year, especially when you are winning. To fight the malaise that often comes with cycling through seasons, it often becomes necessary to find things to offset having to work so many hours. This winter, I decided to bring back McGugin's Biggest Loser which was started two years ago by Cal Cook of the National Commodore Club. The 2007 rendition was a bunch of guys who were mainly concerned with making jokes at each other's expense while trying to get into better shape. Needless to say, most are back for another rendition having found themselves back at square one.

This time around has seen much more interest as we have split 41 total contestants into two teams. Teams are co-ed and composed of various Vanderbilt athletic staff members and a few coaches. Team Gold has solid leadership under Lori Alexander (Associate Director of Student Athletics) who is herself often seen running the steps of Dudley Field. Team Black has the fortune (or misfortune) of having me as defacto leader. My only claim to fame in fitness seems to be that I was runner-up in the 2007 version.

This past Monday's weigh-in resulted in each team losing about 1% of their total initial weight. Team Black lost 41 lbs and Team Gold lost an equally impressive 39 lbs as a unit. Each team also sported two individuals that lost 8 lbs! Joanne Eskreis (Administrative Assistant) and Brett Wulke (Operations) anchored Team Gold while whispers of bulking up prior to the initial weigh-in marred the dietary exploits of Jason Silvers (Marketing) and me.

The plan here is to have some updates on McGugin's Biggest Loser here in the blog and hopefully introduce you to some of the people here at Vanderbilt that you might only know as that "girl I talked to on gameday" or possibly "the dude who picked up your keys in the gym after a game." The contest runs through March 30 with the winning team having bragging rights.