Understanding Your Level
NestEgg uses 15 Levels to make competition fair. Here's how the handicap system works, and how you move up — or down.
Why Levels exist
NestEgg is a team competition. Without a handicap system, elite athletes would dominate and beginners would never stand a chance. Levels fix that.
Every Egg is assigned a Level with a weekly EP target matched to their fitness. Your Level Score is the percentage of your target you hit — not an absolute number. A beginner earning 180 EP at Level 1 (target: 150) scores 120%. An elite athlete earning 1,600 EP at Level 12 (target: 1,700) scores 94%.
The beginner beats the elite. That’s the design.
The 15-Level table
| Level | Class | Weekly EP Target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beginner | 150 |
| 2 | Beginner | 200 |
| 3 | Beginner | 250 |
| 4 | Intermediate | 300 |
| 5 | Intermediate | 400 |
| 6 | Intermediate | 500 |
| 7 | Advanced | 600 |
| 8 | Advanced | 750 |
| 9 | Advanced | 900 |
| 10 | Professional | 1,100 |
| 11 | Professional | 1,400 |
| 12 | Professional | 1,700 |
| 13 | Elite | 2,100 |
| 14 | Elite | 2,600 |
| 15 | Elite | 3,300 |
WHO alignment: Level 1 (150 EP/week) approximately matches the WHO minimum guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity. Level 4 (300 EP/week) matches the WHO recommended guideline of 150 minutes of vigorous activity plus strength training.
How your starting Level is set
During onboarding, you answer a question about your current activity level. Based on your answer, you’re placed at the middle Level of the matching class.
| Your answer | Starting Level | Weekly EP Target |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner (0–2 hrs/week) | Level 2 | 200 |
| Intermediate (2–4 hrs/week) | Level 5 | 400 |
| Advanced (4–7 hrs/week) | Level 8 | 750 |
| Professional (7–14 hrs/week) | Level 11 | 1,400 |
| Elite (14–28 hrs/week) | Level 14 | 2,600 |
If you’ve done a NestEgg Challenge before, your starting Level is your finishing Level minus 2 (to account for any detraining between Challenges), with a minimum of Level 1.
Pre-challenge calibration: Your Flock may run a calibration week before the Challenge begins. This uses your actual workout data to set your Level before the competitive weeks start. It’s the single most effective fairness mechanism — and strongly recommended.
How promotion works
All Level changes happen at the end of each week. Your Level is locked for the entire week — no mid-week changes, no retroactive recalculations.
At the end of each week, the system calculates your EarnedLevel — the highest Level whose EP target you met or exceeded.
| What happened | What happens next |
|---|---|
| Your Level Score is below 50% | Demoted 1 Level (minimum Level 1) |
| EarnedLevel ≤ your current Level | Stay at your current Level |
| EarnedLevel > your current Level | Promoted to your EarnedLevel |
Promotion means earning it. Hitting 100% of your current target is a good week — but it doesn’t trigger promotion. You need to reach the next Level’s target. The Level table is the promotion criteria.
Example: earning a promotion
You’re Level 5 (target: 400 EP). You earn 520 EP in a week.
- 520 EP ≥ 500 (Level 6 target) → your EarnedLevel is Level 6
- EarnedLevel (6) > current Level (5) → promoted to Level 6
- Next week, your target is 500 EP
Example: a good week, no promotion
You’re Level 5 (target: 400 EP). You earn 480 EP.
- 480 EP < 500 (Level 6 target) → your EarnedLevel is Level 5
- EarnedLevel (5) = current Level (5) → stay at Level 5
- Your Level Score: 120%. A great contribution to your Nest.
Demotion
If your Level Score drops below 50% in a week, you’re demoted by 1 Level. This makes the following week’s target easier, giving you room to recover. You can never drop below Level 1.
Misleveling corrects fast
Picked the wrong starting Level? The system fixes it in one week. If a Level 2 Egg earns 623 EP (which meets the Level 7 target of 600), they’re promoted directly to Level 7. No gradual correction — straight to the Level the data says you belong at.
The golden rules
- Every workout helps your Nest. Your Level Score only goes up — never down within a week.
- Scores only go up. No mid-week Level changes. No retroactive recalculations. Once a week is done, it’s done.
- Earn the Level. Promotion requires reaching the next Level’s EP target. Proportional, clean, no ambiguity.
NestEgg rewards consistency over heroics. The system adapts to you. The only thing that determines your rank is how hard you try relative to your capacity.