Baltimore's Buffest: Greg Plitt

SALUTING IS THE NATURAL RESPONSE to the sight of Greg Plitt, top fitness model, TV carpenter (on HGTV's "Designed to Sell") and the newest trainer to join the notoriously catty cast of Bravo's "Work Out," which kicks off its third season tonight.

And that would be appropriate — the Baltimore native attended West Point and served as an Army Ranger and U.S. Army captain. It was perhaps the perfect education for handling fitness diva Jackie Warner and the rest of the Sky Sport crew.

» EXPRESS: So, did you know what you were getting yourself into?
» PLITT: I think it's like the idea that the anticipation of death is worse than death itself. I was hearing horror stories from everyone. But I stayed open and positive, and I came to conclusions on my own.

» EXPRESS: We get to see the other trainers looking at photos of you and saying you must be on steroids. Are you?
» PLITT: I've never done anything other than alcohol. In the military, we got drug tested every three weeks. When you transform your body, you also get mental toughness. You can't cheat that with steroids. I've always been a firm believer that something worth having takes patience.

» EXPRESS: And it's worth showing off? You seemed to go shirt-less immediately.
» PLITT: Honestly, I'm a shy guy. And if I'm not prepared, when I go to the beach I don't want to take my shirt off. On the show, the girl I was training was wearing a sports bra, so I wanted her to feel more comfortable.

» EXPRESS: Does seeing your chest motivate your clients to work harder?
» PLITT: So many trainers know the ins and outs, but their bodies don't emulate what they know. But I think you never know what's going to motivate people. Sometimes you flirt with them, sometimes you're hard on them. Seeing someone with a body you want to have can definitely work.

» EXPRESS: What's your training background?
» PLITT: In the military, I was a master fitness trainer. That's where you're training a whole company. But all you have is a lawn, a pull-up bar and a partner to hold your feet while you do sit-ups. It's nothing like Sky Sport.

» EXPRESS: So, no training in L.A. before this gig?
» PLITT: I had a few clients who were older men and women, and they wanted a good-looking guy to be their trainer. They just want to be around you. It's a sexual interest, not a fitness interest. It was a wasted effort, so I fired them. They said, "You can't do that." But I did.

» 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.

Photo courtesy of Bravo