A Quest Of Titans & The Blessing Of A King, Featuring Mike O'Hearn

This month’s cover star is Mike O’Hearn, father, partner, actor, and health and fitness legend. Mike O'Hearn, with his mind boggling physique, is a living, breathing Hercules which is what inspired the photos from longtime friend, Mike Ruiz. He has inspired almost 3 generations of fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts with no end in sight.

PhotoBook’s issue will have stories from health and wellness influencers, coverage of special resorts to go to decompress and self-care, as well as top fitness videos to guide at home workouts. As sheltering at home lifts, plan a visit to an Israeli destination from our Travel Editor, Carol Weinberg.

Artist: Michael Oswald.

1.  Name?
Mike O’Hearn, The Titan.

2.  Where do you reside?
I live in Playa del Rey, right by the beach. It’s like I’m on vacation every day.

3. What is your profession?
I am an actor and a professional health leader. I have huge passion for what I do.

4. How did you get into Bodybuilding?
Well, I’m the youngest of ten siblings, so I really just did what they did. They were involved in various sports and weightlifting, so I just started following in their footsteps and found that I really loved it.

Artist: Michael Oswald.

5. What are some tips you can give us?
There are a million little health and fitness tips out there, but the key – the single most important tip – is to practice consistency. Consistency is an absolute must when it comes to health and fitness. Nobody’s perfect, but if you’re consistent with your nutrition and exercise, you will succeed.

6. What are the best supplements to take for muscle building?
There are a lot of supplements out there, and many are really great for various things. The bottom line is that, if you don’t recover well, you won’t build muscle well. I think that glutamine is really important because it promotes recovery. 

7. What is the best workout routine?
I get this question all the time. There are millions of different options when it comes to workouts. The one that is going to work best for you is the one that you like and will follow. I could create a really in-depth workout with crazy variation and challenging exercises, but if you don’t enjoy it – if it isn’t fun for you – you won’t follow it. If you don’t follow it, it certainly isn’t the best routine. 

Artist: Michael Oswald.

8. Are crunches an overrated workout for building a six pack?
No, not at all. If you’re looking to build abs that you can see, you need to cut the fat on top. That is largely dependent on your nutrition. A million crunches won’t give you a shredded six pack if your diet isn’t on point.

9. Can you build muscle on a plant-based diet?
The great thing is that, if you feed the body the proper nutrients for proper recovery and health, whether from plant or animal sources, you can build muscle. 

10. How many meals do you eat a day when you are training?
I’m always training. I eat every 2 to 3 hours until I go to bed. It’s tough to say the number of meals because it depends on what time I get to bed.

11. Can you have a cheat day? And what would that meal be?
I LOVE cheat days, ha-ha. I call them high days. I include two ‘fun’ meals over and above my nutrition plan. I eat all of my ‘on plan’ food, and then I add in two extra ‘off plan’ meals. I always make sure they’re really special. Usually Mona makes my favorite breakfast sandwiches, which include eggs, bacon, cheese, and turkey, all piled onto an English muffin. Delicious.

12. Do you feel stretching is important for your workout and do you incorporate this? If so, why?
Very much so. Flexibility and range of motion are important for longevity. It’s about being well rounded and functional. Strength is nothing if you can’t move it around well. I incorporate stretching and a range of motion exercises into my weight training workouts.

Artist: Michael Oswald.

13. What was it like to appear in the American Gladiator shows?
Being in any of the TV shows that I have done has always felt like an honor. Being able to live my dream and my passion within my career is a blessing. A lot of people say, ‘follow your passion’, and I could not agree more. When you love what you do, and live what you love, you will always be happy.

14. Tell us about some of your other roles such as: The Hulk, opposite Caitlyn Jenner, in the 63rd episode of Epic Rap Battles of History.
They were fun episodes to film. What’s interesting is that I found that I not only had more fun filming these types of ‘Superhero’ shows, but I also gained a broader range of fans. It’s awesome.

15. Do you have a role coming up?
Yes, I do. I play Radiant Bobby in a scary movie called ‘The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre’.

Artist: Michael Sugianto.

16. How did you get into acting?
I actually came to LA from Washington state to pursue bodybuilding. I knew that, in order to take it to the next level, I would have to go on some auditions. That is what opened up my career to acting.

17. Who would you love to work with?
I love the passion and charisma that Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Jackman have on screen. I would love to work with them.

18. What’s your source of inspiration?
I am inspired every day simply by the desire to be the best that I can be. I want to show the world that there is so much more out there for every one of us. Average is easy; it is what everyone does. We can all do incredible things; I see amazing people doing incredible things at every age. That inspires me.

Artist: Michael Sugianto.

19. Motto in life?
Passion over motivation. If you have passion in all you do, you will have longevity, and you will never feel like you’re working a day in your life.

20. Website/Instagram
Website: www.mikeohearn.com
IG: @mikeohearn


Crew Credits

Creative Director & Photographer: Mike Ruiz
Model: Mike O’Hearn
Baby Model: Titan O'Hearn (Mike O’Hearn’s son)
Artist: Michael Sugianto
Artist: Michael Oswald
Wardrobe, (Each Piece Was Custom Made): Michael Bishop
Hair: Johnny Stuntz
Body Makeup: Donald Simrock
Producer: Andrea Allison 
Special Thanks To Mona Muresan (Titan’s mom)

Foreword & Interview by Alison Hernon, Editor-In-Chief, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets: Wei Liu, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine