Fitness Friday Check In - Interview with John Quinlan

Today we Check In with the hot, cover model John Quinlan.

Despite being fairly new to the romance cover world, he’s no stranger to good health, fitness and hard work. He’s a former American bodybuilder and professional wrestler who follows a practical regimen to sustain his hunky physique. John is a great guy who “keeps things real”.

Here’s a peek at his resume:

*Nutrabolics Supplement Company Image Model & Brand Ambassador, 2012 
*Athletic Xtreme Supplement Company Image Model, Brand Ambassador & Sponsored Athlete, 2012-2013 
*Official Alpha Male Underwear Image Model, 2013 
*Romanticon Convention Romance Cover Model Billboard, 2013 

AND is now carries the title of The World’s Most Tattooed Cover Model!

Hey, John thanks for allowing me to pick your brain for some fitness tips today.

 How did you get started in fitness? 

Youth sports like most kids and then over time I became more focused on weight training with a more structured diet and here I am today.

What is your favorite motivating quote?

“Sometimes to get to Heaven you have to go through Hell”

Ain’t that the truth? Hell can be physical, emotional or mental. Great quote.

Can you give an example of your workout routine?

I train 5x per week with cardiovascular exercise 3x per week for 45 minutes each session. I work out with weights all 5 of the days although on non-cardio days I train a bit heavier. I take the weekends off although if I have a shoot/show coming up I will add another cardiovascular workout in on Saturday morning.

What kind of music do you listen to when you are working out? 

Anything loud that gives me energy, this morning I enjoyed a lot of Nickleback songs which seemed to get me going pretty good.

Oh, I love their song, Rockstar. It’s crazy, funny and talks about following your dream.  Love Burn It To The Ground. Okay… we all have that one embarrassing tune on our iPod. What’s yours?

This is funny as I threw together a big batch of songs that included many of the 80’s hairbands. One of the songs on there is by the 80’s duo, Nelson! The song, After the Rain is on there and I always just skip it as I can’t remove the damn thing J

Awww… come on. I grew up with those '80’s hair bands; Motley Crue, RATT, Poison, Def Leppard. But Nelson? Ewe… I don’t mean to burst your bubble babe, but After the Rain was released in 1990. You might have some s'plaining to do.  *Laughs* You’re killing me!

*Wipes tear off my cheek.*

Ok, back to your bod…uh…I mean your fitness routine. What is your favorite body part to train?

 I love training triceps. I think many people always feel the need to train their biceps because it is a social thing and the triceps are often neglected a bit in comparison. People have said I have the same triceps as former NFL running back Ricky Williams. I laugh because one guy said just my right triceps looked just like Ricky’s and not the left. I have to admit my right triceps does appear to protrude a bit more than the left, too funny!  

Hmm…I’d like to get you and Ricky in the same room. To compare triceps, that is.

After a good workout (or shower) and you’re looking in the mirror, fess up and tell - what is your favorite body part to admire? *wink, wink*

Great question Mary, actually my arms because of my tattoos. I have always been unique and the tattoos I have on my arms nobody else in the world has. Every time I see them it reminds me how unique I am, especially as a romance cover model. I currently have 24 individual tattoos and I am the most tattooed male romance cover model in the world.  

One of these days we need to have a chat about the ink. I think I need to count them to make sure you’re not bluffing.

Did I say that out loud?

I mean, I’d like to find out the meanings behind some of them. It'd make a great story, but we’ll save that for another day.

ANYWAYS.....  

Do you have a special diet or take supplements?

There is nothing scientific to my diet and supplements. I am consistent with my diet just like my workouts as they go hand in hand. I eat clean healthy food majority of the time with my protein coming from mainly chicken, fish and steak once a week along with whey protein powder for that little extra while I am training. Quality carbohydrates of oatmeal and rice with low sugar cereal at breakfast. I keep my fat relatively low with a focus on good fats (the Omega’s) coming from things like olive oil. I drink plenty of water and I avoid soda and high sugar drinks. Of course with young children I do splurge with them at times and I love Greek pizza and Dove chocolate with caramel which are my Kryptonite!

Ah….. Dove chocolate….*sigh*

My supplements are pretty basic with vitamins that consist of a good multi-vitamin, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, flax seed oil for Omega 3-fatty acids and potassium. Supplements I love are from the company Athletic Xtreme out of Tempe, Arizona who I was a sponsored athlete and image model in 2013. Their products really work. I still use their Supersize pre-workout powder and Stim-X. I love whey protein by CytoSport as it is one of the best tasting on the market.

  

I have three boys; I bet your kitchen is the center of a lot of activity in your house. If I went to your house right now, what are the top 10 foods I’d find in your kitchen?

This of course includes me and the babies, powdered doughnuts, cinnamon bread, oranges, eggs, oatmeal, gummy bears, chocolate chip cookies, grilled chicken salad, 1 gallon of water and a bag of Dorito’s. I think you can guess which food is mine and what belongs to the kids J

 

Dorito's?  Just kidding...LOL

Nothing is better than a hot guy in the kitchen. If you were making me a meal, what would it be?

It would be for my kids of course as when I am home I cook them lunch. Like most kids they love the classic chicken fingers, fries, pizza and grilled cheese. I slave over a hot stove for hours heating up frozen chicken pieces and fries in the toaster oven. It’s hard work but somebody’s got to do it J 

I’m sure a lot of your fans are picturing you slaving over a hot stove right now, but wearing an apron…only an apron and a smile.

Minus chicken fingers and fries, what advice would you give to beginners or anyone looking to get fit?

Make it a life change as something you want to do for the rest of your life. Make it fun so you stick with it. Little changes one thing at a time will get you on the righteous path. It can be as simple as drinking more water instead of soda, taking the stairs rather than the elevator or just cutting things back a bit. Set short term goals for yourself and every time you reach one of them reward yourself for a job well done. Keep doing this and over time watch how fast your body builds up and the overall progress you will make.  

You make it sound so simply, John. But then again, I think we sometimes make things harder than what they really are. You are right, drink more water and daily exercise along with small goals are a great way to start! Thank you so much for the tips today!

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