Welcome to Racked Boston's Hottest Trainer Competition!

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Today officially begins our search for the hottest fitness trainer in Boston! After scanning all reader submissions and analyzing the abs, pecs and quads of the nominees, we've narrowed it down to eight sizzling contestants from full-equipped gyms, indoor cycling studios, boxing gyms and more.

We'll be rolling out profiles of our contestants over the next two weeks. Each trainer will get their own post, complete with a photo gallery and short bio. We'll begin the voting on Thursday, August 21 by splitting the contestants up into groups, the winners of which will be chosen by a reader vote. We'll continue to pit them up against each other until there are only two left—they'll face off, and one will be crowned the ultimate champion.

As always, promoting your fave trainer via social media is key, so if you're feeling someone, don't be afraid to show your love on Facebook and Twitter. We'll be using the #HottestTrainer2014 hashtag, so feel free to follow along.

Note that comments are encouraged, but anything mean-spirited or offensive will be removed. In addition to being ridiculously hot, our trainers are all really great people, so they deserve respect. Without further ado, let the games begin!