‘It’s easy to be intimidated by the gym’ – Meet Maximuscle’s new LGBTQ ambassador
29-year-old Londoner Owen Lee will be embarking on a 12-week fitness transformation ahead of an exclusive shoot with Attitude.
By Will Stroude
In partnership with Maximuscle
Maximuscle has named its first LGBTQ ambassador.
Londoner Owen Lee, 29, is set to rep for the brand following a competition to find a new face who’ll undergo a 12-week fitness transformation ahead of an exclusive shoot in the pages of Attitude.
Owen, who works in digital marketing, was selected from entrants who partook in the Maximuslce #yourMAX challenge and will be documenting his progress over the coming weeks as he attempts to achieve his fitness goals with help from fitness and nutrition experts – something he says is “pretty incredible”.
“Disbelief was definitely the first thing that came to mind when I got the call”, Owen tells Attitude. “I think it’s lovely to see brands taking the LGBTQ community seriously and I hope I can help serve the community well.
“I’m very excited, quite nervous, and looking forward to seeing what happens!”
Owen, who currently goes to the gym “a couple of times a week” but will be going through a rigorous new programme with the help of Maximuscle, says he hopes his position as the brand’s new LGBTQ ambassador can help change the preconceptions many gay men have about working out and the gym.
“I think the gym is one of these places which is historically hyper-masculine and people get intimidated”, he says.
“It’s becoming natural in this social media age to compare ourselves to what we see, and the gym can be a very physical representation of that – you go in and people are mega-muscular and big, they’re lifting big weights and you’re not.
“It’s easy to get intimated by that when our concept of achievement is lifting heavier things. Actually, getting fit isn’t necessarily about that.
“I think fitness in general is becoming a lot more accessible to everyone but there’s still a lot of work to do – and hopefully I get to be part of that journey.”
After undergoing his fitness transformation, Owen will be showing off the results in an exclusive shoot with Attitude, and he says he’s most excited – and nervous – about learning how he can improve his diet to compliment his new fitness regime.
“I have a difficult relationship with the gym I would say – actually improving seems to elude me”, he explains.
“For me, I’ve always struggled getting stronger. I feel I’ve hit a peak which isn’t particularly high and I’ve never managed to push through that – and I don’t really know what to do about it.
“My nutrition side of things is pretty poor. I was pretty well-known for my bad eating habits back in the day. I used to eat terribly and am now sort of ok, but I’m far from great. I still love chocolate and cakes and sweets, especially.
“So I’m excited to learn a bit more about what’s going into my body and the impact it has on my health and fitness.
“I’m looking forward to getting some guidance and helping learning how to reach those goals.”
One thing Owen will be able to rely on is support from his partner Jeremy. The pair document their life together as partners in an age-gap relationship on their Instagram channel, The Age Gap Guys, and Owen has warned Jeremy that he’ll will be “on massage duty” as he adjusts to his new workout routine.
“[Jeremy’s] been really supportive – he’s excited to see where we can get to!”, Owen says.
“He’s part of this – we share the cooking so he’ll be learning some new recipes too. I’m kind of dragging him along for the ride!
“He still goes to the gym regularly so hopefully I’ll be able to share some tips with him.”
You’ll be able to follow Owen’s journey with Maximuscle over the next few weeks on attitude.co.uk and on his Instagram, before seeing the results for yourself in the pages of Attitude. Stay tuned…