Awesomely Ryan

Actor and boad certified personal trainer Ryan McPartlin (Chuck’s “Captain Awesome”) on killer abs, mind games and giving in to temptation By Mark Ariel

Born and raised in Chicago, actor Ryan McPartlin has gone from achieving success on the football field at the University of Illinois to achieving success on screen with his midwestern charm. After graduating, where he played football in the Big Ten Conference, with a degree in Speech Communication, McPartlin decided to spend six months in Australia and New Zealand to explore the outback and decide which career path he should follow. He initially moved to California years ago to pursue acting.

En route to primetime success, McPartlin caught the eye of photographer Bruce Weber; thereby garnering a prime campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch. It wasn’t long before he parlayed a coveted role on daytime’s “Passions” into a lead role as Fran Drescher’s younger live-in love on the comedy “Living With Fran.” No stranger to romancing an older leading lady, McPartlin recently starred opposite Gina Gershon in the acclaimed Lifetime mini-series “Everything She Ever Wanted.” Amidst his series regular role on Josh Schwartz’s hit NBC action dramedy “Chuck” as Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb, he’s managed to guest star on such series as “Mad Men,” “Swingtown,” and “CSI: NY” among others. Additionally, he’s voiced the title role of Universal’s animated feature “The Adventures Of Clutch Powers.” A board certified personal trainer and sports enthusiast, (his passions include scuba diving, tennis, snowboarding, racquetball an “I became a certified trainer because fitness has always interested me, and I figured, if the acting career didn’t work out, I’d have what to fall back on,” McPartlin confides. As it turns out, his acting career took off before McPartlin had a chance to acquire any paid clients. However, as fitness remains a passion, McPartlin agreed to share a few training and diet tips with LA Health News readers.

1. Best Way To Lose Weight
If you want to lose body fat, doing cardio after strength training is best. It’s tough but it’s the best. Yesterday I ran four miles on 6.5 after lifting for an hour. It wasn’t easy but I have to take my shirt off for the next episode of “Chuck’’ and I had to work off the Superbowl pizza ahead of time.

2. Getting Killer Abs
Strength training is the key to killer abs and losing body fat. I like to do crunches, sit ups, leg lifts, Pilates, planks, etc. Consistency is the most important thing. Four to five times a week will give you the best results.

3. Diet Regimen
I have a simple diet that consists of yogurt, almonds, fiber one and fruit for breakfast. I eat salads with light dressing and lean protein for lunch and dinner and I’ll snack on Detour or Zone Bars a couple of times a day. If I need to get cut then I avoid sugar, starches and alcohol for a while.

4. Giving In To Temptation
I think it’s okay to cheat on your diet - every once in a while - when you put the extra time in the gym. If you build muscle, that muscle will keep your metabolism higher.

5. Mind Games
My best advice is not to deprive yourself of anything by playing a little mental game. I don’t say that I’m not going to eat that cheeseburger or cupcake. I choose to eat the healthy choice first and then I tell myself, if you’re still hungry, then eat that cheeseburger. Once I fill up on a big salad, I never eat the cheeseburger because my hunger is gone.