@spensermestel finds out a few things about @josephdeslercosta for a special private training edition of our documentary series ALTER EGOS: the secret real life identities of people you’ve only ever seen in sweatpants!

🏋 PRIVATE TRAINING LIFE
:: Started CrossFit: At CFV in March of 2018.
:: Started Private Training: About 8 months ago with Blanco.
:: Origin Story: After Joe had a kid, five years ago, he slowed down his exercise and revved up the comfort food. Back then, he was 30 pounds heavier and looking for a way to drop the weight, so he started training with Blanco. His goal (then and now)? “Look like Cristiano Ronaldo.”
:: PT Superpowers: Pull-ups. When he started with Blanco, he couldn’t do one. Now, he can 3-5 strict.
:: PT Kryptonite: Giving up pasta, which still is a staple in his house (his partner’s Italian). He eats a whole wheat variety once a week but stresses that fitness has become more than just losing weight. Blanco has taught him to be healthy, which means sleeping more, drinking less, and being committed to showing up at CFV, even when the workout is heavy thrusters.
:: Loves Most about PT: “I enjoy getting picked on,” he says. “And as soon as I started with Blanco, he was making fun of me.” Now, the two fathers make bets on who can lose the most “baby weight” each week.

🚶 REAL LIFE
:: Occupation: Professional photographer (josephdeslercosta.com)
:: Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
:: Years in NYC: 6.
:: Origin Story: Joe lived with his partner in Italy from 2008 – 2013 and came back to NYC to get an MFA in photographic studies from Bard.
:: Real Life Superpowers: The hustle of freelance life. Joe also teaches photography at the School of Visual Arts and the International Center for Photography, along with occasionally doing corporate headshots (feel free to @ him).
:: Real Life Kryptonite: The hustle of freelance life. “When it goes quiet,” he says, “you start to question everything.” But, on the lonely island of working for yourself, CFV is a refuge. “This is my therapy,” Joe says. “This is what I do instead of paying someone to listen to me.”
:: You’ll Be Surprised To Know: Joe’s studio is in Bushwick, off the Jefferson L stop and around the corner from House of Yes. Where he exhibits, Foley Gallery, is in the Lower East Side.

#askhimaboutitsometime #alteregos #whoknew #disguisedbyathleticapparel