BUSINESS is all about the survival of the fittest... or so it is said.

But just how fit is your business? Or, more accurately, how fit are the people who work within it?

This summer, we aim to find out.

The Press has teamed up with York’s gym, Fitness First, to launch BizFit Challenge.

BizFit Challenge is a unique concept designed to promote health and fitness – and friendly competition – between participating companies in York.

It is not targeted just at the super-fit; it is for anyone of any age and any level of fitness.

Local businesses are today invited to enter teams of four, plus a reserve, to compete in a series of fun evenings of fitness and gym-based events (see panel on this page for application details).

BizFit Challenge creator, personal trainer Jason Diprose, says: “We want to encourage people in local firms to form teams which can be of different ages, different weights and different fitness levels. The teams can be all-male, all-female or mixed.

In fact, the more varied the team is, the more fun the events will be.”

Jason has devised a unique method of assessing individual team members.

The system takes account of crucial factors such as resting heart rate, body fat percentage, weight, age, and an individual's general level of activity.

“The system is called Dynamic Fitness Rating, so that, for example, an overweight 43-year-old male competitor can compete against a more active 27-year-old female competitor on broadly equal terms. If the test is on a rowing machine, for example, one competitor may have to row against a greater resistance than the other, or may have to complete more distance. As the competition and events continue, winning competitors will find that their Dynamic Fitness Rating will increase, making their next task slightly tougher. Similarly, losers will find their ratings are eased for their next event."

Entry will be limited to a maximum of 16 teams.

There are amazing benefits both for participating team members and for any member of the company where that team member works. Team members and reserves will be given FREE membership of Fitness First immediately after they have completed their official registration at Fitness First.

That free membership will last for the duration of their time in the competition.

So, a team member who registers in the next seven days will be guaranteed free membership of Fitness First at least to August 5, the end of the first phase - the league stages – of the BizFit Challenge. That's worth at least £50 per team member. And if they make it to the knockout stage of the competition, their free membership is extended to the end of September, a participation reward worth more than £100 per person.

Staff members in the same company as a participating team member can also claim a BizFit Challenge free one month membership at Fitness First, worth at least £30.

The events

Event Night challenges will vary. Every member of every team will be expected to compete in a minimum number of events, with team captains deciding who will take part in each event.

Activities will be selected from: Spinning (fixed exercise bike); Inclined treadmill tests; Rowing; Step machine; Pushups; Balance and stability tests; Hand-eye co-ordination tests; Bench press; Leg press; Chest press; Weights work; and team relay games.

A volunteer team of personal trainers will be on hand to supervise every challenge – and to judge the winner of each event.

The competition

The first phase of BizFit Challenge (July 6 – August 5) will be based on four leagues, each league consisting of four teams.

Each team will compete in three Event Nights during this five-week period. The top two teams from each league will go forward to the secondphase of BizFit Challenge.

Event Nights will start at 7.30pm and finish by 9pm.

There will be a break in competition for the rest of August, with the second phase, the knock-out stages, of competition starting on September 7, and finishing with a Grand Final on September 28.

Who qualifies?

All businesses based in the circulation area of The Press, radiating from York to the North York Moors in the north, Selby in the south; and from Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington in the east across to Harrogate in the west.

How to apply

Team captains can get application forms:

1. By email to bizfityork@me.com and request a form to be emailed to you.

In your email, give the name and daytime phone contact number of the team leader.

2. Or phone 0844 5712959, and ask for a form to be posted to you.

3. Or in person from Fitness First, Audax Close, York, YO30 4RA.

When the application forms are returned, a BizFit Challenge organiser will contact the team captain to arrange a date for the team to be assessed and given a Dynamic Fitness Rating.

This will also be a chance for team members to familiarise themselves with the varied choice of training and fitness equipment at Fitness First.

Entries are limited to 16 teams.