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Bodybuilding couple propel each other as they compete regionally
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"After doing this together, I can't think about not doing it together," said Mark, 40, a detective for Cecil Township police department. "It's brought us closer together. It's a lifestyle, not just a hobby. Golf is a hobby, tennis is a hobby. Being physically fit is a lifestyle."
Mark has lifted weights since middle school and participated in his first bodybuilding competition in 1991, when he was a college student at Penn State University, "just to try it."
At Mark's urging, Jennifer, 37, started weightlifting shortly after the couple married 11 years ago and became hooked.
"I grew up in a family that wasn't athletic at all. Mark wasn't sure if I could do it because I'm a junk-food junkie. I like to eat Oreos, drink coffee and sleep in," said Jennifer, who loves the challenges of preparing for competition. "When you're training, there's no cheating - not even an M&M, and you can only drink water. No condiments, no ketchup and, as the diet progresses, more and more food is taken away."
The Marcuccis have managed to reach a remarkable level of fitness, despite work and the demands of raising twin 5-year-old daughters. They are natural bodybuilders who don't use steroids and work though diet and exercise to add muscle.
"What impresses me the most is they don't make excuses," said Dino LaSalvia, a friend of the Marcuccis who organized natural bodybuilding competitions with his ex-wife in the 1990s and worked out at the same gym for several years. "As a police officer, he's working shifts, she works, they have kids, but they're still able to maintain that level of dedication."
They train together four to five days a week at Complete Fitness in South Fayette, dropping the girls off in the child-care center while they put in a 11/2-hour workout.
"To be a natural bodybuilder, it takes dedication and discipline you can't imagine," said LaSalvia. "Anybody can take steroids and get big."
Mark agrees.
"You have to be somewhat obsessive to do this," said Mark, who for the past 26 years has taken off only one week a year. "That's the part that keeps you on a diet, getting up at 4:15 a.m. to do a half-hour of cardio, go to work, come home and work out, plus tan, plus do everything else you need to do."
The Marcuccis spend much of their time in the kitchen, where they prepare five or six meals a day. They meticulously monitor their diet - what Mark calls "eating clean" - carefully calculating their protein, carbohydrate and fat intake every day.
"Our kitchen is the most lived-in room in our house. Sadly, diet is about 90 percent of it," said Jennifer. "Food prep is the big thing. We don't eat out much."
The couple started training more seriously about two years ago with personal trainer Roger Duchon, a friend from their place of worship, South Hills Assembly Church.
"I meet with a lot of clients, and I can generally tell the ones who are going to do it and the ones who aren't, and from talking to them, I kind of knew they were going to focus on it and put 100 percent, in their case, 200 percent, of themselves into it."
Their efforts are paying off.
Jennifer placed first in the figure novice division of OCB's Battle for the Swords in September, and second in the figure open middle division. She will spend this year dieting and working out in preparation for competition in 2009, when she plans to compete for her pro card.
Mark came away with a third-place finish in the novice middleweight division of the OCB Iron City Classic. Duchon is optimistic Mark can improve on that finish in the May 17 Iron City Classic.
"He has done very well, he's been dieting much longer and is better conditioned for this show," said Duchon.
For Jennifer, the hardest part of competing isn't diet or training - it's stepping onstage.
"I'm very introverted, and the challenging part for me is getting up onstage, have a figure presence, have a stage walk. You have to have a whole lot of confidence, and that was the really freaky part. I planned to back out at one point," said Jennifer.
The Marcuccis spend about $1,100 a month on groceries and vitamins. But, in the long run, says Mark, their commitment to diet and exercise will pay off.
"To me, it's like, pay me now or pay me later, so later I'm not spending my money on blood-pressure medication, insulin and cholesterol medications," said Mark.
Having each other to train with has been a good thing.
"It really becomes a part of your routine and lifestyle," said Jennifer. "It's like getting up in the morning and brushing your teeth. There's a very social aspect to this, too, with the people you meet at the gym. You feel better, mentally and physically, when you do it. Not doing it makes you feel miserable."
To see competition photos of Mark and Jennifer, visit ocbwebsite.com, click on Results, and OCB Iron City Classic, Pittsburgh, on 5-12-07.
