Athletic, friendly, sensual, intelligent and well-brought up, Bryan Hawn is one of the hottest guys on San Francisco's dance circuit. He's got young, collegiate good looks that would make Abercrombie & Fitch photographer Bruce Weber swoon.
But the butt! Known by thousands of viewers of his YouTube videos, Hawn's lip-synching and nearly nude posing in videos online have aroused the interest of many, particularly for fans of a downright perfect posterior, shown off with a tongue-in-cheek smirk.
But he's more than a hunk. The trained zoologist also sings, and he's got an array of fitness and coffee table photo books.
If you want a few inside tips on how to get your physique bedroom �"and bar-top�" ready, Bryan gives excellent advice on his YouTube channel and in his book The List. I caught up with him, between gogo sets at The Midnight Sun, to try to capture the essence of a man definitely on his way up.
Cornelius Washington: Where are you from?
Bryan Hawn: Atlanta, Georgia.
What brought you to San Francisco?
I moved to San Francisco to experience a new city and start a new chapter and adventure for my life. I had heard it was one the greatest cities in the world and am continuously intrigued by its diverse culture and progressive nature.
What are your physical stats?
6 foot, 1 inch; 185 lbs.
When and why did you start dancing?
I first started dancing to fill in for a friend. I love being on stage and realized very quickly, my current two-week paycheck was made in a single night.
Were you nervous the first time you danced?
I was, but I tried to use it to my advantage. The young, shy boy who was innocent and pure... LOL! At least, that was the card I was playing at the time.
When you dance, what do you want people to see?
Dancing is very liberating. It's an opportunity to let go of the stress of life and live in the moment. I hope that people see someone who has connected with their own joy and is living it up. Every moment of joy is something that nobody can take away from you.
Is dancing a more sensual or sexual experience for you?
It depends. I think that's what's so great about dancing. When you get on stage, you can be anybody. There are times when I feel more artistic, and then their are times when I wanna get down and dirty and sex it up. The music can be a huge determining factor to the vibe as well.
Do you have a move that makes customers want to tip and/or touch you?
I find that people mirror back to you what you are feeling. If I'm having a great time, it creates a stronger draw that people want to be apart of it versus if I'm tired and exhausted, nobody is really being inspired to pull out their wallet. It's more about connecting with a certain energy, than performing a particular move.
photos: Steven Underhill
What do others tell you is their favorite part of your body?
Most people give their vote of confidence on my ass.
What is your favorite body part, on yourself?
I think I agree with the general public (smiles).
What is your favorite part of others' bodies?
My eyes are drawn to a beautifully developed chest and a round tight ass :)
What is your favorite music to dance to?
I like hip-hop, it has a sexy vibe. The tempo is a little slower, and getting down and dirty seems to come more natural.
What have you not worn when dancing, but, are dying to wear?
I have worn just about everything, to pretty much nothing. I think I've covered everything. (Laughs)
What is your fitness regime?
I have a strong athletic background in gymnastics and track & field. So I incorporate a lot of weight training with exercises from those particular sports. I'm a big fan of bodyweight exercises, and in the gym I like to lift heavy. Go big or go home.
As you're not one to argue with the masses who love your backside, do you have any fitness tips to create a wonderfully round, luscious, manifest, juicy, fetching, demon-rebuking rock-hard ass?
Haha! Yes, absolutely. Most people think about targeting the glutes as one entity, but there are different exercises that develop different parts of the ass muscle, and if you want a well-rounded butt, you have to target all of them. We are not just going for size, we are going for shape. Firming up the bottom part to erase any lines in connection to the thigh as well as creating as much shelf as possible from the lower back. When the top and bottom part of the glute muscle contract, it then forces the center of the muscle outwards creating a bubble butt. The exercises in the book target all of them.
Fave celeb bodies, male and or female?
Male: Fitness Model Matthew Stone. His proportions are stunning!
Female: Instagram's Jen Sedler - the reigning female booty!
Your YouTube fitness videos are pretty popular. Have you considered creating a video fitness series, or a blog (with tons of pictures)?
I am actually preparing right now to film a fitness regimen for people. It's gonna target every level from green beginners to advanced world class athletes. I'm excited to give people a road map to create a more athletic version of themselves.
In some popular media, CrossFit is considered a cult. What's your opinion?
I think CrossFit is fantastic; a big part of staying healthy and fit and finding something that you enjoy. Crossfit is high energy, it teaches new skills, and gives the athlete an inspiring community to be apart of. A lot of the skills are gymnastics based. In my opinion, gymnast have some of the best bodies in the world. My advice is to find something that creates consistency.
What is the best aerobic activity, that has the least amount of wear and tear on the joints?
If you are worried about joints, swimming hands down is going to be your number one fitness activity. It is not the most effective for fat loss because the buoyancy of the water counteracts the gravitational resistance of your body weight, but it is excellent for your heart. And if joints are a concern, it's hands down the safest aerobic activity.
What is your opinion about soup being considered the fitness world's "new juice"?
In my opinion, I am not a fan of soup or juice. Soup is usually very high in sodium, which creates bloating and water retention. It's better to eat the actual fruit than drink the juice. This way the body can experience all the benefits of the fiber and increase the body's metabolism. If you drink juice, you're just giving the body a bunch of fruit sugar (fructose).
New Year's fitness resolutions are just around the corner. Please tantalize my readers with three tips from your brilliant book, The List (What The Top Fitness Models Don't Want You To Know).
Tip #1: Building a great body is similar to constructing a beautiful house. You can have the greatest construction workers (workouts), but without the right supplies (diet), you can't build anything. Most people focus on zero fat, zero calories, zero sugar. That's wonderful to know that it has none of those things, but what does it have? Those foods are empty calories similar to giving your workers a bunch of sand. Eat with a purpose. Focus on foods that are going to empower a strong foundation, and create muscle tissue that you can grow and can build on over time. In my book, there are four supplements that you must take to have a phenomenal physique. Without them, the size and structure of your house is limited. Two percent of supplements actually work. Don't spend another $50 dollars on the wrong one.
Tip #2: In a money analogy, the body has a checking account and a savings account. The checking is the food in your stomach and the glucose/energy stored in your muscles from the food you have previously eaten. The fat (adipose tissue) is your savings account. The body put it there for emergency purposes.
When is the only time that we touch our savings account? Answer: When there is nothing in the checking. You must see your body the same way. Your cannot eat a banana and expect the body to burn fat. It's going to burn the banana.
photo: Steven Underhill
You might be asking, "How am I going to have any energy?" Answer: Locate the unwanted fat on your body, you have now found your new source of energy. Just as it is extremely stressful to touch your savings when your checking runs out, the body responds the same way. You are making it touch its emergency savings. It's going to freak out, your serotonin levels are going to drop, your going to feel tired and hungry and every alarm signal the body can possibly give is going to go off. Welcome to the road of burning fat. Those signals are an active sign that you are doing it right.
Secondly, you have to make sure that your body is not going to burn your own muscle for energy. There are actually only two times in the day when the body is capable of burning fat. The List will tell you exactly when they are. That would be horrible to spend another hour on a cardio machine not targeting any fat, or worse burning your own muscle.
Tip #3: It's important to eat foods that create an anabolic environment for muscle building and fat loss. There are foods that increase the body's natural production of testosterone, which makes the fitness process more effortless.
There are also foods that increase estrogen, creating fat storage and lots of water bloating. One food in particular 71% of Americans eat on a daily basis. It raises your estrogen for three days and, which basically means, everything you eat for the next three days, your body is going to try to store as fat. It also shatters your testosterone production for the same amount of time, meaning your body cannot complete protein synthesis, and you're not going to rebuild stronger from any of your workouts. The List will tell you exactly what this food is, so you can avoid it like the plague and take the fast track to a phenomenal physique.
Where can people see you dance?
My dancing schedule is sporatic and changing, but most of the time, I am at Beaux on the weekends. I also dance at the Midnight Sun a few Fridays a month.
Bryan Hawn's website: www.bryanhawn.com
Bryan Hawn's YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/BryHawn
Bryan Hawn on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialBryanHawn