Exit 2015, Enter 2016: What's new?..Zoolander 2, and revisiting 'Why I still model - Isn't it time to retire?!'

Its been a while!  This blog post is more of a personal, ‘house-keeping’ one, so you’ve been warned!

2015 wrapped up with San Diego’s Four EL men’s magazine going on indefinite hiatus, (where I was the fitness contributor), as well as Greens Plus+ Energy bars, without warning, cutting their marketing staff, and as a result, all of us ‘ambassadors’ losing our sponsorship.  So no more Greens Plus for myself after 15 years using their products.  I can’t be expected to go back to buying it at this point.  I’m still working an ambassadorship with Core Energy Fitness resistance bands and suspension straps (my backyard & traveling fitness arsenal), and BioFreeze has been contacting me recently for sponsorship, but I have failed to get back to them in time most likely, which is lame of me, cause their products are ones I was already using, as well as my wife for her massage practice.

I’m still modeling professionally, booking paid jobs about twice monthly.  (If it’s not paid, it’s not professional.)  Bookings have slowed down a lot, by choice.  For one thing, working my main career as a Captain for JetBlue, with two kids & a working spouse, leaves very little time left over for modeling, writing & Personal Training.  Also, at age 46, I have realized the ideal ‘fitness-model’ in the traditional sense, is a young-man’s game, so I have switched to mostly apparel clients, which means catalogs instead of magazines & infomercials.  Less exposure & infomercial fame, but the irony is, apparel pays about 4 times as much, and the shoots are much less intense.  In fact the idea with apparel most times is to look as natural as possible, not even noticing the photographer, (unless it is BORING studio!), and there are some instances where you don’t even know when the photographer has gotten ‘the shot’.  He just suddenly out of nowhere says, “Got this, what’s next?”  Some of the performance/sports-apparel shoots are still quite demanding physically to be sure, but even then, the intensity level is nowhere near that of a standard fitness industry booking, and, typically I’m wearing physique-covering clothing much of the time, so the enormous challenge of pre-shoot dieting and dialing (tanning, shaving, carbo-loading), is all but eliminated.

Going into 2016 my main apparel client is still the relatively new men’s performance brand known as QOR (pronounced “core”- see my earlier blog posts.)  They just hit the 1.5 year mark since their official launch and are gaining traction.  They are mostly for the urban, corporate-yet-very-active man.  Think San Francisco-based CEO or Doctor who commutes to work by bicycle and goes for a jog during lunch.  This QOR-man is also eco-minded and a foodie.  I just shot for their summer catalog on the North Shore of Oahu.  It certainly felt very validating to book a location shoot of that caliber again.  A little backstory - the creators of QOR were also the creators of a women’s brand called Athleta, now owned by Gap.  Since I have been a model for every QOR shoot since their genesis, sometimes I feel like I’m truly a part of their team.

San Diego's 4L Magazine Celebrates it's 2 Year Anniversary!

     As many of you know I am the resident fitness contributor/writer for San Diego's Four EL magazine - A men's lifestyle and fitness magazine based here in San Diego that celebrates San Diego culture.  From LOCAL brews, bands, bars, beaches, babes, ball teams, etc. - you name it and the magazine covers it.  Rich in original, organic, relevant content for sure - I can personally say I know all the writers and the staff well.  There is no fluff, filler, or recycled material.  And not too many ads either, though I can't say the editors don't want more ad space filled:)  We're all in it out of a passion for San Diego and to promote the magazine's 4 ideals:

Live, Love, Laugh and Learn.  ("For the evolved man")

     I am very proud to say that I have been on board this magazine from ground zero, when my friend Steve Kang invited me to write all about fitness and holistic health.  I was all in and still am.  So we all got together and celebrated the mag's 2 year anniversary the other night downtown, with the live music from Palace Ballroom - another local SD favorite!

with 4L co-founder and Director of Ad Sales, Steve Kang and staff writerJason Stewart at the 2 year party!

"6-Pack Abs: The International Benchmark of a Fit Physique" - Max Wettstein

Highly sought after for purely vanity reasons by many of us, but that’s okay.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to rock a nice 6-pack at the beach.  In fact, that is what I get asked about most – “How can I get abs?” or, “How can I lose this belly fat?”  Well I am putting together a list of tips for you right here – simple concepts that most Trainers will bury in a 300 page book or DVD series and then sell it to you.  I should know, because I too have shamelessly done both of these: Written books on how to get “Amazing Abs”, and even produced a DVD on the subject (Now published free on Youtube).  This is because through the fortunate combination of genetics, lifestyle, timing, location and desire, I was able to become Men’s Health magazine’s primary abs model for a period of about 4 years from 2005 to 2009, appearing on over 10 of their magazine and book covers.  Yes, that Men’s Health magazine.  So of course after, that I instantly felt qualified to write a book and produce a DVD on the subject.

Seriously though, my genetic-fortune aside, after 15 years of being a professional fitness model I did manage to learn a few things about attaining and maintaining lean abs and a strong core, even if only through repeated trial and error of applied Bodybuilder Bro-Science.  I was my own physiological, guinea pig, and having shredded, cover-ready abs was literally my bankable brand.  While it’s true that bodybuilding and its commercial spawn of fitness modeling is highly vain, there is one fact that is undeniable:  We know how to get ripped!  In fact I would argue that no other ‘athlete’ genre knows how to get as lean as the professional fitness model.  Why?  - Because the fitness model has the luxury of training for appearance first and athletic-performance second, which I do not advocate unless you are getting paid for your looks.  Otherwise, I believe we should all train for optimum function, mobility and health, first and foremost.

Buying (and eating) 'ORGANIC' - is it WORTH it?

The idea of Organic farming is a noble and worthy one, as is choosing to buy Organic food.  It is more than just a liberal, hipster, environmental-activist fad.  Organic means such farmers and the consumers who buy from them, are trying to do a better job of sustaining our planet and its limited resources, minimizing their environmental impact, as well as treating farm animals as humanely as reasonable, all while hopefully producing safer and tastier food.  When you choose to buy Organic you are making an ethical decision just as much as you are a health-conscious decision.  Honestly it is easier to make the case to buy Organic based on ethical and environmental reasons more so than for nutrition or taste reasoning, because the jury is still out on the latter.

’Organic’ labeling is thankfully regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), so if you see a food labeled Organic accompanied by this official USDA ‘Organic’ Seal,  then you can trust it is certified organic.  (*If the USDA seal is not clearly visible on the front of the label then it is not certified Organic or held to any such regulated standards or inspections, even if the product claims to be organic!*)  But what does this certification mean exactly and what are the USDA standards if any?  And does the Organic label really mean the food is any safer or healthier?  The USDA defines certified ‘Organic’ to mean: food production using methods that preserve the environment and avoid most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics.  Organic principles were first set forth and legislated by Congress contained in the Organic Foods Production Act.

Organic farms and processors are required to, (via USDA.gov):

1.      Preserve natural resources and biodiversity

2.      Support animal health and welfare

3.      Provide access to the outdoors so that animals can exercise their natural behaviours

4.      Only use approved materials

5.      Do not used genetically modified ingredients

6.      Receive annual onsite inspections

7.      Separate organic food from non-organic food

Lean Abs & Strong Core: Sculpting 6-Pack Abs - The International Benchmark of a Fit Physique!

‘Six-pack Abs’ are considered the international benchmark of a fit physique by many, and while generally speaking, lean abs are associated with healthier bodies, in reality this level of fitness is more about rocking an aesthetically appealing physique than it is a requirement for health & wellness, or a strong core.

In fact most of us should know by now that we all have ‘six-pack abs’ hiding under there somewhere, and that it is just a matter of revealing them by reducing the subcutaneous layer of fat lying over top of and obscuring them.  Furthermore, we should all know by now that we cannot spot-reduce this layer of body fat, no matter how many abdominal exercises we do, but rather we most reduce our overall body fat % to approximately less than 8% to begin revealing our abs, through a combination of diet, exercise and genetics.  Of course having visible lean-abs and having as strong core usually go together, but not always. One can have very strong core yet look as soft as a baby seal, and vice versa - one can have the most shredded abs ever, yet be as weak as this same baby seal, (I apologize for the lame analogy). 

This article was originally written for & printed in Four EL magazine, OCT 2013 issue. Photo by Cory Sorensen

Is Beer Healthy? Which Beers are Healthiest?...

Is beer healthy?...

With a resounding YES, I hereby declare that beer consumed in moderation is healthy!  Thank goodness I could honestly say yes here, or I think I might have set off a boycott amongst our readership, and certainly risked losing my job here at Four EL!  Beer is considered divine around here at Four EL and everybody on the staff is an aficionado.  I know that I’m the resident fitness guy here, but we have some (self-proclaimed) beer connoisseurs that write for us, that I’m sure would have loved a chance to field this month’s nutrition topic.  Admittedly, I drink beer almost daily, but I often find myself in a New Belgium Fat Tire (Amber Ale) rut, for lack of a better word.  Hey, when you find something love, why not stick with it?!  But some of our staff is out there field-testing in our local San Diego bars & microbreweries by noon every day, so they no doubt have a more well-rounded palates than I, so I must confess, a lot of my research was done via the internet.  San Diego is also home to some incredible microbreweries like Stone Brewing and Port Brewing, so we are also a bit biased to our home brews! 

                But let me dive into this discussion of what criteria it takes to consider a beer a healthy anyway.  Well I just applied the same criteria that one would to all other foods:  Is it nutritious, low in sugar, low in saturated fats, low in sodium, and relatively low in calories?  The good news is most beer inherently qualifies based on all these criteria!  (Caveat: As long as no more than 2 to 3 are consumed daily for the average man.)  In my consideration, alcohol content was a neutral factor and not a criterion, as there are as many cons as there are pros regarding alcohol consumption.  Generally speaking, the lower the calorie the beer, the lower it is in alcohol content, but then the more likely one is to drink more of that particular beer, to attain the satiety and ‘buzz’ they’re desiring when choosing to drink a beer in the first place.

Originally written for and printed in Four EL magazine by me, OCT 2013

Is Fitness your Sport, or is SPORT what your Fitness Plan is Missing?

Feel like you’ve hit a training plateau?  Can’t bear the thought of another boring bout of cardio on the treadmill?  Does your pending workout session loom over your head like a rain cloud all day long?  Why not do something about it so you actually look forward to your workout because you know it is going to be the highlight of your day?   Why not rediscover an old sport or learn a new one?  Joining a competitive sport’s team will instantaneously renew your exercise regimen with fun, motivation, accountability, intensity and passion! 

While there will always be a need for traditional exercises, both resistance and cardio, in any holistic, well-rounded fitness plan, playing and competing in sports can also be an outstanding path to achieving fitness while bringing some excitement back into your training.  Playing a sport or competing, can also give you something more tangible to train for, other than a scale or the mirror.  Some folks are lucky enough to view traditional exercising as a sport in and of itself, and actually enjoy exercising in the purest sense – they actually trigger a dopamine-neurotransmitter reward response, in their brain simply by going for a jog outside, spinning to good music or busting out a heavy set of squats.  CrossFit for example, once just considered a form of boot camp-style exercising, is now a niche sport followed by thousands.  The best of the best CrossFitters now compete in the national CrossFit Games, broadcasted by ESPN.  However most of us view working out as just that – more work, and just another hour taken from our day that we’re just trying to get over with.

This blog post was originally written for & published in Four EL magazine by me, SEPT 13 issue.

The NFL Workout for the Weekend Warrior!

**(Originally written for my client Four EL magazine, August 2013 issue)

It’s hard to believe football season is just around the corner – pre-season starts this month!  It may mark the end of summer madness and mean shorter days, but just about all of us enjoy a get together with the boys for Sunday afternoon football.  And in the spirit of football season, we bring you this month’s NFL workout:  It’s all about training for power, agility, quickness and explosiveness!  Try this training circuit 2 to 3 days per week for a full-body, functional workout which combines power-lifting, plyometrics, agility and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) strategies.  Think of it is as your own summer training camp!

Creatine: The 'Maximum-Effort' Supplement for Immediate ATP Replenishment!

     I recently wrote this information on Creatine for my new client, Four-El magazine, and thought I would also share it with you all.  The issue is on stands now in San Diego, along with my 'NFL Workout'.  Creatine as a performance enhancing supplement has been around since the early nineties but since it is one of my favorites and one of the most effective & safe supplements on the market I wanted to take an in depth look at it.  Creatine is proven to increase strength, power, and prolong maximum-intensity-effort endurance by rapidly replenishing muscle-ATP supply:  It is a tried and true supplement that is considered safe by all standards.  Before I go any further, I just want to take a moment to speak about supplements in general and their role as healthy lifestyle component along with diet, exercise, sleep and other factors.

Four EL magazine Premiere issue: Max is their fitness contributor:)

     More than just a pretty face with Abs, I'm once again a relevant, active, published writer, thanks to San Diego's newest men's magazine, Four EL.
 
     A San Diego-based Men's magazine, Four EL just launched their premiere issue, May 2013.  I am proud to announce that I am their resident fitness & holistic health contributor, and as many of you know by now, I have just as much a passion for writing about health & fitness as I do training & modeling.  The staff of Four EL recruited me to be their health & fitness consultant and primary writer on matters of health & fitness...subject to extensive editing of course!  Hey!...I welcome all the editing they have to offer, so long as my articles don't get sent back to me too many times for re-write LOL!  Nature of the biz for sure:)  In all seriousness, I'm super stoked to be behind the PEN instead of just in front of the camera for this spectacular publication.  Of course I will also be used in their photos from time to time, to demonstrate exercises that I write about & for physique shots too.  Hey, when they hired me they got two professionals for the price of one:)