Shaffer
09-09-02, 07:47 AM
He survived frontline combat in Kuwait, not to mention a month this summer
at the Marines' ominously named Mountain Warfare Training Center, but little
could prepare David Rodriguez for that harshest of challenges: a men's
magazine photo shoot.
"It was absolutely weird," says Rodriguez, a West Babylon resident and cover
model for the October issue of Men's Health. "They oiled us all down." The
31-year-old reservist - he's attached to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine
Regiment in North Carolina - is one of four Marines on the October issue
gatefold cover, and his path to fame was not easy.
First, Rodriguez, who'd been in the midst of field training, had to convince
superiors at Fort Bragg, N.C., to cut him loose for a day so he could go to
Camp Lejeune for what was, essentially, a beefcake contest. Then, clad in
"PT gear" - his physical training wardrobe - he had to compete against 300
fellow Marines.
When his wife, Joann, called with news this spring that he'd been selected,
Rodriguez was astounded, not the least because he hadn't been to a gym for a
couple of weeks before his "audition."
"When you've been living on MREs for two weeks, it's tough to keep the
weight on and look healthy," says Rodriguez, referring to Meals Ready to
Eat. His workout routine includes rock climbing, rappelling and miles of
marching with "the hump," an 80- to 110-pound "combat load" of supplies and
weapons slung over his back.
Rodriguez was spared at least one torture fitness models usually endure for
a photo shoot: chest waxing.
"In the Marines, all you usually hear is 'Go run through that puddle of
mud,' so believe me, having someone put a little dab of makeup on my
forehead 'just to keep the shine away' was a little strange," he said. "But
it was good to be pampered for once."
at the Marines' ominously named Mountain Warfare Training Center, but little
could prepare David Rodriguez for that harshest of challenges: a men's
magazine photo shoot.
"It was absolutely weird," says Rodriguez, a West Babylon resident and cover
model for the October issue of Men's Health. "They oiled us all down." The
31-year-old reservist - he's attached to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine
Regiment in North Carolina - is one of four Marines on the October issue
gatefold cover, and his path to fame was not easy.
First, Rodriguez, who'd been in the midst of field training, had to convince
superiors at Fort Bragg, N.C., to cut him loose for a day so he could go to
Camp Lejeune for what was, essentially, a beefcake contest. Then, clad in
"PT gear" - his physical training wardrobe - he had to compete against 300
fellow Marines.
When his wife, Joann, called with news this spring that he'd been selected,
Rodriguez was astounded, not the least because he hadn't been to a gym for a
couple of weeks before his "audition."
"When you've been living on MREs for two weeks, it's tough to keep the
weight on and look healthy," says Rodriguez, referring to Meals Ready to
Eat. His workout routine includes rock climbing, rappelling and miles of
marching with "the hump," an 80- to 110-pound "combat load" of supplies and
weapons slung over his back.
Rodriguez was spared at least one torture fitness models usually endure for
a photo shoot: chest waxing.
"In the Marines, all you usually hear is 'Go run through that puddle of
mud,' so believe me, having someone put a little dab of makeup on my
forehead 'just to keep the shine away' was a little strange," he said. "But
it was good to be pampered for once."