Sky Sport and Spa’s newest trainer is Greg Plitt.  He’s a true veteran of the fitness modeling scene and has appeared in dozens of top selling fitness magazines.

In a recent interview with Express, he talks about the rigors of being a fitness model and the unrealistic extremes it takes to get a cover model look:

» EXPRESS: How did you get into fitness modeling?
» PLITT: I had just come back from Korea and I was stationed in D.C., living in a house off-base. It was a dump in Arlington.

So, my mom called and said she’d found a voucher for a one-night stay at a Marriott and asked if I wanted it. So, my buddies and I are there hanging out by the bar when all of these good-looking men and women came in.

Turns out, it was a modeling industry event. Two weeks later, I did a test shoot, and that landed me the cover of Muscle & Fitness. I read the magazine, so I thought that was really cool.

» EXPRESS: How does one get to look like you?
» PLITT: The better the picture looks, the worse you feel. You get your body fat down to single digits, dehydrate yourself and get rid of carbs — it’s not very healthy. And you need to be ready because the model is the last person hired on a shoot. If you like going to the gym, that’s not a problem. I do a body part a day in a five-day split. I never plan a day off.

» EXPRESS: What do you do after a shoot?
» PLITT: I pig out. The night before is the worst — you never miss the food; you miss the water. I dream that I’m under a waterfall and I’m drinking all of it. The dehydration part’s not fun. My clients, I would never tell them to do that. They want to look like these covers and I tell them, “That’s not real.” And Photoshop is your friend.

» EXPRESS: What’s your favorite workout?
» PLITT: Just getting on a treadmill and running five miles. Or climbing ropes. I’m an athlete and I like moving a lot — being on a machine doesn’t do much for me.

Here’s a video of Greg in action: