What do five-hour stadium concerts before 100,000 screaming fans have to do with winning your sixth Tour de France? How about everything: strength, drive, commitment, stamina, will, spirit, and heart--what we call: fitness. This month, Men's Fitness salutes America's triumphant doers--the guys who climbed to the top, the leaders who with mental, spiritual, physical, and even charitable stamina live every day to the limit. Call it our nod to the will to win.
The Rapper
ja RULE, 29
QUEENS, N.Y.
MF-approved because: The ripped rapper dropped four multiplatinum records between 1999 and 2002 and has guested on major hits with everyone from J. Lo to Ashanti. And despite his recent legal troubles and beefs with rap royalty, including Eminem, Dr. Dre, and recent MF cover model 50 Cent, Ja remains on top of his game--staying married to his high-school sweetheart and taking his talented act into the hot lights of Hollywood stardom.
Fit factor: Ferocious as a pit bull in both the studio and the gym, Ja Rule is one of the original shirtless mike masters. In an industry known for its brawny bodies, his hand-gun hard abs still stand out from the pack.
The Quarterback
Matt LEINART, 22
SANTA ANA, CALIF.
MF-approved because: Even though it was the chance of a lifetime, Leinart passed up becoming a potential first-round NFL draft pick--and its resulting multimillion-dollar contract--to return to the University of Southern California for his senior year of college. Asked why he stayed, Leinart said: "I realized [there was] the opportunity to support my family, but to me, I think college football and being with my friends and my teammates is ultimately more satisfying and will make me happier than any amount of money."
Fit factor: After winning back-to-back national championships, the USC Trojans are 22-1 under Leinart, have the nation's longest winning streak, and are favored to three-peat next season. Leinart also edged out previous winner Jason White for last season's Heisman Trophy, then went on to embarrass White and the Oklahoma Sooners in the national title game with a lopsided 55-19 victory.
The Surfer
laird HAMILTON, 41
BONZAI PIPELINE, HAWAII
MF-approved because: He helped pioneer tow-in surfing--a challenging sport in which participants have to be towed by Jet Skis into the ocean, in order to get behind the monster waves. Once there, Hamilton surfs the 60-foot-plus walls of water, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph. If that weren't impressive enough, he also beds multisport goddess Gabrielle Reese nightly--she's his wife.
Fit factor: At 6'3", 220 lbs, he's known in surfing circles as "the human specimen." His list of favorite activities reads like a dictionary of extreme games: snowboarding, longboarding, airboarding, biking, motorcycle riding, skydiving, windsurfing, cliff diving, and more. His goal each day: to get in at least four of those pursuits.
The Runner
Kerron CLEMENT, 19
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
MF-approved because: He actually is faster than a speeding bullet, or at least faster than Michael Johnson, who held on to his world record in the 400-meter dash for over a decade--until Clement shattered it earlier this year.
Fit factor: Talk about a good week--just days before setting the world record in the 400m, Clement helped his team at the University of Florida set a new relay record as well.
The Triple Threat
Tyson BECKFORD, 33
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
MF-approved because: Even though he's currently the ultimate hyphenate (fashion model-actor-singer), Beckford paid his dues to gain his success. The heavily inked former gang-banger survived the Rochester ghetto to become one of the world's most recognized faces.
Fit factor: His ripped abs and jacked pecs have been giving guys complexes for the past 15 years. Fortunately, he's got a fitness video coming up to show us where they come from.
The Triathlete
hunter KEMPER, 29
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLA.
MF-approved because: He's the hands-down best male triathlete in the country, placing ninth at the 2004 Olympics and enjoying a string of top-10 finishes in contests over the past seven years.
Fit factor: Each week, Kemper swims 15,000 yards, cycles 10 hours, runs for six, and spends more than two hours hitting the weights--and that's when he's not competing.
The Legend
Bruce SPRINGSTEEN, 55
FREEHOLD, N.J.
MF-approved because: Thirty-two years later, he's still showing everyone who's Boss: 4e released his 19th studio album, Devils & Dust, in April and is sure to (yet again) sell out stadiums with the accompanying tour.
Fit factor: Last time he was out on the road, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performed 120 nonstop, two-and-a half hour concerts--that's 18,000 minutes of cardio madness, or about the equivalent of running 100 marathons.
The Politician
Barrack OBAMA, 43
HONOLULU, HAWAII
IMF-approved because: With a few thunderously passionate words, Illinois senator Barack Obama became the undisputed heavyweight champ of last summer's Democratic National Convention Now he's a so everyone's favorite answer to the question: Who will be America's first black president?
Fit factor: The slim senator runs and works out regularly. More impressive, he's helped liberals shed that hand-wringing, wussy image they've lately been fighting to change. And that takes muscle!
The Superhero
Chris EVANS, 24
SUDBURY, MASS.
MF-approved because: As Johnny Storm in tins summer's uberhyped Fantastic Four. Evans will morph into the fire-tossing Human Torch
Fit factor: When he scored the Fantastic part. Evans immediately upped his gym intensity. "If someone says to you, 'You're going to be a superhero,' you think. 'I better get my game right,'" he told MF. "So I just make working out the cornerstone of my day--I killed all of my energy at the gym."
The High Scorer
landon DONOVAN, 23
REDLANDS, CALIF.
MF-approved because: At 16, the soccer phenom signed a sweet deal overseas that make him one of the highest paid and youngest ball-kickers on the planet. Returning "on loan" from his team in Germany, he even slipped in enough time on the U.S. national team to be named a three-time Player of the Year.
Fit factor: Donovan's record speaks for itself: four years, 101 42 goals, and two MLS Cup wins. And a lot of years left to play.
The Bodybuilder
roland KICKINGER, 37
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
MF-approved because: The bodybuilder turned actor does a dead-on Ah-nuld impression (as seen in A&E's See Arnold Run last January) and helped save lives as a lifeguard on FX's hilarious Son of the Beach.
Fit factor: He's as big as you can get without the use of steroids. In addition to acting and training, the former bodybuilding champion is also community-minded, running his own successful child-fitness mentoring service.
The Cyclist
lance ARMSTRONG, 33
PLANO, TEXAS
MF-approved because: If man were a machine, it'd be Armstrong, Not only did the superhuman athlete beat cancer, he also came back even stronger, winning six Tours de France since,
Fit factor: Armstrong logs a heart rate of 201 beats per minute during exercise, and has a maximum aerobic capacity--the scientific measure of fitness--of more than 83, one of the highest in the world. To put that in perspective, a score of 49 or higher is enough for the average guy to be considered in superior physical condition. If that weren't enough, Armstrong also supports cancer research, earning millions of research dollars through his foundation, maker of those yellow wristbands you see on every red-blooded male (and female).
The Jedi
Ewan Mc GREGOR, 34
CRIEFF, SCOTLAND
MF-approved because: With breakthrough roles in indie hits like Trainspotting, and leading roles in summer blockbusters like Star Wars, McGregor could be Scotland's biggest export ever--after Sean Connery.
Fit factor: Only for Ewan McGregor could the set of an action movie about clones (The Island, out in July, costarring the clone-worthy Scarlett Johansson) be considered a vacation. Maybe that sense of ease comes from his having just completed the final Star Wars film an arduous process during which Lucas forced actors to repeat scenes over and over to get his highly detailed computer effects just right. Or maybe he's just kicking back after his months-long rough-and-tumble motorbike trip around the world. Whatever the case, the actor's obviously proud of his fitness, showing off his naked body on film whenever he gets the chance.
The Rocker
lenny KRAVITZ, 41
NEW YORK, N.Y.
MF-approved because: His list of sexual conquests includes Lisa Bonet, Madonna, and Brazilian model Adriana Lima. To add success to success, his eternally cool retro look and groove-laden jams have made him the Jimi Hendrix of this generation--a fact he proves again on his latest album, Baptism.
Fit factor: Maybe it's the tattoos, or the Gap clothing, but whatever his secret, the older Kravitz gets, the more his abs seem to pop.
