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:)

Made the cover for REPS magazine, May 2013 issue

     I was fortunate to make the cover for REPS Magazine, May/June 2013 issue.  These covers are not easy to land, and it's very competitive, the irony being they don't pay much either.  Probably because so many models are bribing the editors to be on their cover, haha!  And no matter how many covers one may have appeared on, you always want another one, because few things can boost your modeling career and your relevance as much as a recent cover can.