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By Rome Jorge Lifestyle Editor
Photo by Raul Teehankee
His chiseled, glistening,
half-naked body looms over the metro’s highways on hulking
billboards endorsing a brand of denim jeans. His ripped abs, toned
pecs and defined pelvic “sex cuts” are in you face. It’s
either that or you close your eyes, crash your car or miss your
stop. When he passes a crowd, women faun over him. Audiences who
have seen him in burger commercials and the reality television
contest Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) all take pictures with him on their
mobile phone cameras. Even no-nonsense guys who don’t care much
for celebrities, much less male ones, have to look up and think,
“Why can’t I have a body like that?” Everybody wants that man.
Will Devaughn is the man. At the
recent Nestea Beach 2008 event in Boracay where the country’s best
collegiate beach volley teams fought for the grand championship,
Devaughn competed in celebrity matches with and against some of the
sexiest people on Earth such as fellow PBB contestants Riza Santos
and racecar driver Gabbie de la Merced, television host Cesca
Litton, international model Leah Ramos, beauty queen Maggie Wilson,
VJ Sanya Smith as well as other male celebrities and even a few
writers.
Flying through air and diving
into the sand, Devaughn showed that his muscles are more than just
for display. They make him money and earn him fame. “I know it’s
work. My body is [a big] percent of my work at times. That keeps me
motivated,” he says. He reveals how he invests time and effort
into his moneymaker.
As nascent icon for the public,
Devaughn’s physique begs the question: can every man attain the
same body?
In person, 26-year-old Devaughn
is surprisingly slim-limbed and thin-faced. He reveals his secret:
like many other mail models, he pumps iron to engorge his muscles
with blood and boost their size just before any photo shoot or
fashion show. “It’s true I get really pumped. That’s because
I’m rather skinny, right? You get 20 percent extra build if you
pump the right way.”
He concedes the role of genetics
in his built: “I have that ectomorph body type. I can eat
anything.”
According to the late American
psychologist William Sheldon, there are three body types that
determine the potential and limitations of one’s musculature:
endomorphs characterized by chubby fingers and barrel-shaped chests
and round faces who find weight loss difficult such as Jack Black;
mesomorphs characterized by square jaws, great posture and thick
skin who find it easy gain muscle such as Sylvester Stallone; and
ectomorphs characterized by thin fingers, delicate skin and frail
bone structure who find weight gain of any kind—be it with muscle
or fat—very difficult.
These same ectomorph
characteristics that produce the alarmingly waifish appeal Kate Moss
are also responsible for the lean and lanky look of Edward Norton
and Brad Pitt. With this in mind, one gains further appreciation of
how much effort it is for the likes of Devaughn to build up his
body.
He reveals his regimen:
“Starting off, with me, I do eat right. I try to eat as much
fruits as I can. I eat oatmeal everyday. I ate oatmeal inside the
PBB house everyday.”
Despite this Devaughn does hi
best to avoid certain food: “Pizza’s probably the worst, and
crispy pata [deep-fried pork foreleg]—I love crispy pata—and
chicharon bulaklak [crispy pork tripe]. That’s the worst. And the
best, especially when you’re hanging out with your friends or
whatnot.”
Despite his busy schedule, he
makes time to invest in his fitness. “I go to the gym at least
three or four times a week,” he says. “It’s just dedication,
honestly.”
The man is also a sports
aficionado. “I guess you could say I’m into almost every type of
sport. I would try nearly every type of sport. I started with
basketball, then boxing and did a little bit of tae kwan do as well.
I’ve been doing wall-climbing every week or two. In Australia, we
did a commercial shoot out there where we did mountain climbing. I
guess I could say I’m pretty good at it. I’m not an expert, but
I enjoy it. Anything new, I’m up for it,” he says.
Besides sports and physical
fitness, Devaughn hones his creative skills as well. His current
interest is photography. “I’m thinking of investing in a nice
camera within a week or so when I get back to Manila. I’ve always
had that passion for photography but I’ve never had a chance to
get in to it,” he reveals. Without intellectual and cultural
growth, a man is just a brute.
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