Joseph Marco: From scrawny to brawny

MANILA, Philippines - Joseph Marco steps into the room, collecting second glances for his boyish charm and that arresting quiet confidence, not to mention his full six-pack abs and toned pecs and shoulders that have kept girls fawning over him.

Looking at him now, it is hard to picture the lengths he had to undergo to achieve the well-built physique that he has at present. From a scrawny Michael Jordan-obsessed kid, he has transformed into a model and actor built for stardom. Before crossing over to acting, Marco was a successful model, thanks to his DNA. 

The 22-year-old 5’9” looker pointscreditsdevelopment to dedication and discipline. “I was once so frustrated and insecure about my body. I remember doing sit-ups and pushups at home for months without getting the results I wanted to achieve.” Marco tells Men’s Health when asked about his transformation from a skinny kid to the magazine’s July cover boy, flaunting his praise-worthy physique that would put gods of Olympus to shame.

After bagging consecutive covers in Garage and Chalk, Marco is also set to appear in more billboards for Bench and Coke.

For him, just like waiting for what many would call his second coming in showbiz, nurturing his muscles to maturity required hard work. Marco credits his sculpted body to his consistent visits to the gym, hitting his target exercises four times a week.

 “It’s not actually just about the exercise. It’s also about eating healthy,” he says in the health and lifestyle magazine for men. In fact, Marco notes that if there’s a fitness philosophy that he follows, it’s “diet, more than exercise.” For him, the formula to a better body is 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise. While he admits to having a serious sweet tooth, he says what was important was giving up rice three years ago and subscribing to having cheat meals rather than cheat days — all part of his leaning to healthy eating. A health buff, Marco has religiously followed his trainer’s advice to stay away from fatty food while maintaining low carbohydrate consumption and an increased fiber and protein intake.

In the workout department, achieving his full muscle potential is credited to varied routines performed every time he hits the gym, designed for him by his long-time trainer, Jonathan Casimiro. With an efficient trainer guiding his way, Marco aims to do something different every time. He focuses on muscle definition one week with high reps on isolation and low weights and then takes on heavy lifting the following week. For him and his trainer, this prevents him from reaching a plateau in his routines. This, complemented by an abundant time to rest, ensures Marco to fully achieve his gains at the gym.

With his renewed sense of professionalism, backed by his unintimidating good looks, Marco is set out to be one of the biggest forces in local showbiz. After taking over the publishing circuit, bagging consecutive covers in leading magazines like Garage and Chalk, Marco is also set to appear in more publications and billboards (for Bench and Coke) highlighting the winning combination of good looks and passion for his craft.

In a double-cover feature he appeared in last June for top men’s style magazine, Garage, Marco opened up about his career, “Before, I did not really consider myself as an actor. I was 80 percent a model who was only doing acting on the side. After I realized that not everyone gets blessed with this kind of opportunity in this industry, I told myself that it is time to take things seriously.”

But Marco has proven that he has come far from being just the unnamed model in various TV ads for shampoo brands and fast food restaurants. While grateful and thrilled, Marco still sees everything as a surreal blur. “Three years ago, I was in a go-see for Coca Cola. Now, I am one of the brand’s ambassadors.” You can see him now flashing his cloying, boy-next-door smile next to a glass-full of ice-cold Coke not just as an anonymous model but an endorser. Without a doubt, Marco is now trailing his renewed path to showbiz success, groomed as one of ABS-CBN’s stars to watch out for.

Marco is slated to portray a role in Against All Odds, an upcoming soap in his home network, opposite industry bigwigs Judy Ann Santos, Sam Milby, KC Concepcion, and onscreen tandem Jessie Mendiola.

He will also be seen in various films like Franco Mortiz’ The Reunion with fellow heartthrobs Enchong Dee, Xian Lim, Enrique Gil and Kean Cipriano; and a Star Cinema experimental indie film Saka-Saka where he takes on his dream action movie role alongside Ejay Falcon. Big things are definitely coming for this young, promising star.