It’s clear that the shirtless, perfectly chiseled fitness model on the magazine cover at your local grocery store is in peak shape, but it’s less clear how he got into that shape in the first place.

According to Jeffrey Kippel of BodyProud.org, competitive fitness modeling is a sport, and the bikini and Speedo set that participates is a group of pro athletes. He should know — as coproducer of the ...