A Few Good Men

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 1, 2002 by Greg Lindsay

Byline: greg lindsay

As Americans soul search and second-guess the horrors of September 11, magazines pursue the stories that continue to haunt the country. How did the biggest intelligence failure in U.S. history happen? Will President Bush's plan to reform homeland security fix what ails us? How do military men get those abs of steel? We may have to wait to discover the truth of the first two queries, but the October issue of Men's Health promises to reveal the secret of the third. To fulfill its patriotic calling, Men's Health decided to swap out a gut-less cover model in favor of a real life Marine.

The cover subject will be one of three finalists recruited from amongst the 40,000 Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina - a training ground for Marines preparing for battle in Operation Enduring Freedom. The magazine's photo editors set up shop on base for three days in April, auditioning 250 Marines who share the magazine's belief that rock-solid abs really can be the difference between life and death. "The guys we saw were amazing," says director of photography Marianne Butler. "They're fit for a living. We had guys from age 19 to 47, and everything from private up to lieutenant colonel."

Back in New York, Butler and her team narrowed the list down to three. The finalists will appear in a photo spread and each will offer his take on the muscle-building regime used in the Corps. (The cover Marine remains under wraps and won't be announced until press time.)

As cut as these guys are, the magazine gave the finalists another month to further refine their physiques, and provided a little Men's Health coaching to get them there. "The associate photo editor would call them a couple times a week to make they're eating right," Butler says.

And at least one finalist says he buys into the title's promise that all you need is a few months to transform yourself from weakling to rippling. Sgt. David Rodriguez, says he joined the Corps at 17 weighing just 128 pounds. He emerged from basic training three months later at 155. "I was never out of shape, but it certainly put me on a different scale," he says. Now 31, Rodriguez says he reads the magazine for tips on maintaining his peak conditioning, especially since he has to keep the same pace as the kids. After all, says Rodriguez, "You can't lead your troops from the rear."