The DC On Heels Blog!

• Buff Body of the Week: Jason Cooper

  I discovered this week's Buff Body while having Sunday Brunch...

  
  

  

  ... And it wasn't the French toast I was drooling over. It was Jason Cooper.

  
  

  I met him while having brunch near Tivoli Triangle in Columbia Heights. I took notice when Cooper sneezed and his biceps bulged out of his shirt (apparently this is a natuaral phenomenon when your body is as ripped as his). Right then and there, I knew he was going to be my next Buff Body of the Week. 

  
  

  I approached Cooper and struck up a conversation. Turns out he's a native Washingtonian who just moved back to the D.C. area after spending some time down in Miami to pursue a career in modeling. He took the photo above 6 months ago and says he was about 3-5% body fat at the time.

  
  

  OMG! What does a guy do to get in such "Calvin Klein underwear model" shape?!?! I sat down with Buff Body Cooper to find out: 

  
  

  Markette: When you were modeling in Miami, what was a typical day of exercise like for you? 

  
  

  Jason: On a typical day, I would wake up, have a small cup of coffee and get ready for cardio. Fifiteen minutes before, I would have a protein shake with 25g protein, and little to no fat or carbs. The idea was to get as close to "empty stomach" cardio as possible without going catabolic. 

  
  

  I would do 60 minutes of steady state cardio, most often biking or fast-walking on a sever incline (to save my knees). When doing as much cardio as I was, running was too taxing. 

  
  

  Then I would have my first meal, then my second, and then wait to digest. Two hours after my meal, I would lift. Immediately after lifting, I would consume 5g glutamine, and do another hour of cardio, then have my third meal.

  
  

  The diet and exercise routine I was on allowed me to actually lose fat while gaining muscle. That is the holy grail of fitness.  

  
  

  

  Markette: You said you were at like 3-5% body fat 6 months ago when these photos were taken? OMG! What was a typical lunch or dinner meal like for you back then?         

  
  

  Jason: Yeah, but my food was always the same, day in and day out. 

  
  

  I would have five whole food meals (in contrast to shakes) a day. The first four meals consisted of 60 (or more) grams of protein, 40g (or less) of complex carbs, and a fibrous vegetable.        

  
  

  My protein sources included chicken breast, turkey breast, tuna, lean fish and egg whites. Basically, any protein source that had little to no fat. 

  
  

  My carbs included brown rice, oats, grains, and sweet potato (but only after lifting andcardio). Basically, anything complex.        

  
  

  My vegetables included anything green and lacking in starch.      

  
  

  I weighed and measured all of my foods except for vegetables; I even measured the sauces I used. The rule for sauces was no more than 4g of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat per meal.

  
  

  To simplify things, my diet contained almost no fat, oil, sugars or simple carbs. The idea was that the only fat source available was that of my own body. This diet took several months of trial and error, and constant body-fat monitoring to achieve the ideal numbers for me. 

  
  

  Additionally, I didn't drink at all. For a long time. 

  
  

  
  

  Markette: You said you stopped modeling... what are you doing now to stay in shape (I noticed when you sneezed your biceps flexed somethin' crazy! You are obviously still in great shape :) 

  
  

  Jason: I stopped modeling because I didn't enjoy the lifestyle and since I am short (5'11") for conventional modeling, it was becoming to stressful. Now, I lift when I have time, do cardio when I want, and eat as healthy as I can. 

  
  

  The key is effort. 

  
  

  When I lift, I put a lot in to it. I am not as lean as I was, but I am also much stronger and bigger. I go out with my friends, I work, and I exercise. 

  
  

  The benefit of eating what and when I want is that it is conducive to gaining muscle. Alcohol, on the other hand, is HORRIBLE for fitness goals of any kind. The more serious one gets, the less they are able to drink and still achieve goals. There are always trade offs.  

  
  

  
  

  Markette: What is your ultimate career goal? I know you said Miami really wasn't your style. Where do you see yourself in 5 years and what would you like to be doing professionally?       

  
  

  Jason: I am preparing to go to grad school to pursue a career in mental health.  

  
  

  If things go they way I plan, then I will be on my way to starting a private practice in 5 years. 

  
  

  
  

  Markette: Well thank you Jason (for the interview and the eye candy :) and good luck with everything you pursue in life! I'll be rooting for you!

  
  

  xoxo, 

  
  

  Markette

  
  

  

  P.S. - To become a sponsor of DC on HEELS, contact: dconheels@gmail.com

  

  
  

• Special advance screening tickets to Ben Affleck thriller 'THE TOWN'

  GET YOUR FREE TICKETS NOW: ADVANCED SCREENING OF

  
  

  'THE TOWN'

  

  Warner Bros. Pictures is giving DC on Heels fans 60 tickets to see the advanced screening of Ben Affleck's new thriller 'THE TOWN'.That's right 30 of our fans will have the chance to download two 'admit 1 tickets' for the special advance screening on September 14th. All you have to do is go to http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp and input the following code: QE9RDJRE

  
  

  

  And who doesn't love this wickedly hot Bostonian movie star?

  
  

  THAT'S IT. IT'S THAT SIMPLE. The movie opens nationwide in theaters on Friday Sept. 17

  (As a reminder, screening tickets do not guarantee admittance. Seating is first come, first serve)

  
  

  WHO: Warner Bro. Pictures and DC on Heels giving away advanced special screening tickets

  WHAT: Free tickets for the advanced special screening for you and a friend.

  WHERE: AMC Mazza Gallerie Washington, DC

  WHEN: Tuesday, September 14th at 7:30 PM

  WHY: Umm why wouldn't you want to see this thriller starring Ben Affleck and Blake Lively?

  
  

  Want a synopsis of the movie? Then read on...

  
  

  THE TOWN

  There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And most of the professionals live in a one-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown.

  
  

  One of them is Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. Unlike them, Doug had a chance at success, a chance to escape following in his father's criminal footsteps. Instead, he became the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers, who pride themselves on taking what they want and getting out clean. The only family Doug has are his partners in crime, especially Jem (Jeremy Renner), who, despite his dangerous, hair-trigger temper, is the closest thing Doug ever had to a brother. However, everything changed on the gang's last job when Jem briefly took a hostage: bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). When they discover she lives in Charlestown, Jem gets nervous and wants to check out what she might have seen. 

  
  

  Knowing what Jem is capable of, Doug takes charge. He seeks out Claire, who has no idea that their encounter is not by chance or that this charming stranger is one of the men who terrorized her only days before. As his relationship with Claire deepens into a passionate romance, Doug wants out of this life and the town. But with the Feds, led by Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm), closing in and Jem questioning his loyalty, Doug realizes that getting out will not be easy and, worse, may put Claire in the line of fire. Any choices he once had have boiled down to one: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.

  
  

  Want to see more? Then watch the trailer.

  
  

  
  

  Thanks Warner Bros. for giving us these tickets to share with all our fans and friends. We can't wait to check it out!

  
  

  Don't forget the code to get your tickets!!!!!!

  http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp

  QE9RDJRE

  
  

    P.S. - To become a sponsor of DC on HEELS, contact: dconheels@gmail.com

  xoxoxo Vanessa

• Rihanna Comes to DC... in Wax

  Good news for fans of Ri-Ri in the D-M-V...

  
  

  

  Amid a sea of large umbrellas (ellas, ellas), Madame Tussauds of Washington unveiled a life-sized wax figure of pop music superstar, Rihanna. 

  
  

  And DC on Heels hears that the wax version of Ri-Ri is just as hot as her real-life persona, complete with a black lace corset, blinged out accessories and a fierce pair of stilettos.    
  
  And speaking of fierce stilettos..
  
  

  Everyone who was at the DC on Heels Happy Hour last Friday knows that the networking event turned into a bona fide party when the clock struck 10. 

  
  

  As a result, by the end of the night Vanessa and I went from "DC on Heels" to "DC in Pain" - our feet were seriously hurting from dancing in 4-inch heels all night (as evidenced in the boogie down production photographed below).

  
  

  I Facebooked about my "pedicure hangover" and DCoH fan Denise of Rockville, Md. offered up this handy advice for the next time any of us girls hit the club in stilettos:

  
  

    

  
  

  
  

  Thanks Denise and thanks to all of our fans who came out Friday night!!! 

  
  xoxo,
  
  Markette
  
  

  

  P.S. - To become a sponsor of DC on HEELS, contact: dconheels@gmail.com

  

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