Making The Cut

Take two: Morris Chestnut is still lean, mean and on the scene as star of Fox’s Rosewood and co-author of a new book, The Cut.

- Lara McGlashan, MFA, CPT

It’s 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning and Morris Chestnut is standing with his arms crossed, shirtless, confident, and — yes — shredded. // For the Muscle & Performance staff it’s a little like déjà vu: In 2013 we photographed the then-44- year-old actor for our November cover, which coincided with the release of his movie The Best Man Holiday. For that role, Chestnut shed an incredible 33 pounds in just 12 weeks, and went from uncontrived Hollywood sex symbol to talk-show transformation sensation. Chestnut’s abs were suddenly everywhere, from social media posts to Hollywood Boulevard billboards, and both Chestnut and his trainer Obi Obadike were bombarded with emails and questions about Chestnut’s sleek new physique. // Today, however, the shoot is a little different, not because of a change in Chestnut’s conditioning — at 48, the actor is in better shape than most 20-year-olds — but rather because Obadike stands beside him; the former track-and-field star is also shirtless, going ab-for-ab with Chestnut, as the flash pops.

CUTTING UP

After receiving so much press and hundreds of questions about Chestnut’s dramatic weight loss, the men put their heads together and wrote The Cut (Grand Central Publishing, April 2017), a book based on the same training and nutrition principles as those Chestnut used to get him ripped and role-ready.

“There was a really strong reaction to that [2013] M&P cover and every talk show I did people were talking about [my body],” says Chestnut. “I never thought I would do something like write a book, but it’s a unique opportunity and I am so appreciative of it.”