Body For Life
Body for Life is a popular 12-week diet and exercise program, and also an annual physique transformation competition. It was created by Bill Phillips, a former competitive bodybuilder and the founder of EAS, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements. It has been popularised by a bestselling book of the same name.
The first annual Body for Life competition was held in 1996. (It was then called the "EAS Grand Spokesperson Challenge".) Entrants write about their experience of the program, and send this to EAS along with their 'before' and 'after' swimsuit photos. Prizes vary each year, but in 2005 the first prize was US$1,000,000.
None of the principles behind the Body for Life program are entirely original or unique to it. Body for Life makes use of principles that have been widely known in bodybuilding circles for many years. Its innovation lies in the way it has been packaged and marketed so as to appeal and be easily understood. It is the first such program to attract widespread interest from ordinary individuals since Charles Atlas's. It has inspired numerous imitations, and supports an extensive ancillary industry of gyms, nutritionists and personal trainers.