Keyport cops are up for the Body Fat Challenge BY TAMMY McKILLIP Correspondent TAMMY MCKILLIP Keyport Police Department dispatcher Tom McManus (l) assists Patrolman Joseph Ruth as he bench presses weights in the department's gym. KEYPORT - You might call it a gentlemen's bet, but gambling is illegal, and the gentlemen in question are police. So let's just say it's a "contest," with a small cash prize for the loser - that's right, the loser. On Jan. 2, Keyport Police Capt. Thomas Mitchell, along with 11 other members of the Keyport Police Department, launched a three-month-long Body Fat Challenge, and on April 2 one of the borough's finest will also be pronounced "the fittest." "It all started because there was a little bit of ribbing going on between me and one of the other detectives," said Mitchell, who, in addition to his work on the police force, owns TNT Health Clubs, a gym at 22 W. Front St. "We were going to have a contest between ourselves, but other people just started jumping on board. Twelve out of the 19 people in our department are now in on it, so that's pretty good." Mitchell brought in physical trainer Bob Marinelli, who measured the body-fat percentage of each of the contestants. He said the highest body-fat percentage of the competitors was 31.4, and the lowest was 18.4. Police Capt. Thomas Mitchell "The purpose of our contest is to lose as much body fat as you can through diet and exercise," he said. "It's harder to lose body fat than it is to just lose weight. If you try to lose weight without dieting and exercising, you'll just lose muscle." Mitchell said that he tries to work out every day for at least an hour. "I get in there as much as I can," he said, "but it's hard sometimes. Still, even an hour is better than nothing." Patrolman Joseph Ruth said that he enjoys working out in the department's basement gym and that his fellow officers take advantage of the opportunity to work out as often as they can. "The old building we were in didn't have a gym," he said. "That place was a wreck. This one's been here since the [new municipal] building was built. People use it a lot." He said that the Body Fat Challenge was more fair than a weight-loss contest because heavier people lose weight faster than lighter people and that everyone has a fair chance at body-fat percentage loss. "I think the captain's motivation was to try and shape us all up a bit," he said, effortlessly lifting a set of heavy barbells over his head. "You can never be in too good a shape."