In the Gym With…DOMINICK GUINN - PRO BOXER
Dominick Guinn has been boxing nearly all his life. He started out by competing in amateur bouts when he was nine, made it to the quarterfinals of the Michigan Junior Olympic Tournament at the age of 12, and won the 19-and-under Junior World title in 1993. Guinn finished his amateur career with a remarkable 290-26 record.
Born in Hot Springs, Ark., Guinn, 34, has lived in Houston most of his life.
“One thing I love about boxing,” says Guinn, who fights in the heavyweight division, “is it is a one-on-one sport. It’s just you (in the ring) and you can’t blame anyone but yourself.”
 Guinn works with trainers Alexander Gutierrez and Jay Johns. “Whether we are scheduled to fight or not, we never stop training,” says Gutierrez. “We may slow down the intensity, but we train six days a week, an hour and a half a day. Dominick is on a pretty strict nutrition program. He eats six to seven times a day. Extreme sport athletes must eat a well proportioned diet to support their intense workout routines.”
Dominick has seen benefits from the heightened focus on training and diet.
“I am wiser now and understand how you are supposed to take care of your body,” Guinn says. “When I was younger, I had bad eating habits because I didn’t have any problem getting the weight off.”
In the last two years, Dominick, who owns a 33-6 pro record, has fought a number of top fighters, including Jean Francois Bergeron, James “Lights Out” Toney, Eddie “Fast Hands” Chambers, Jonnie White, Gabe Brown and Charles Davis. Gutierrez says Guinn is negotiating to fight top 10 ranked fighter Alexander Povetkin.
The 6’ 3” Guinn won his most recent bout, a seventh round TKO of Terrell Nelson, in April in Atlantic City, NJ. His goal remains to move up in the heavyweight ranks. “My foremost goal is to win the heavyweight championship,” he says, “then retire, give back to the community, maybe working with the Boys and Girls Club, and become a coach and mentor.”
 In addition to his boxing-specific training, Guinn also does strength and conditioning work five days a week. We caught up with him at Hanks Fitness and Boxing in Bellaire as he went through a typical workout.
—Lisa Malosky
FIT FOR CIRQUE
Lars Kristensen (left), a native of Denmark, was a member of the Danish National Gymnastics team and had just completed his mandatory military service three years ago when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself.
“My coach from Denmark sent out an email to his former gymnasts,” explains Kristensen, “that the Cirque du Soleil needed a guy very fast. I sent a video of myself performing to Cirque headquarters in Montreal, and three weeks later, I was part of the Power Track Team. The opportunity to join the Cirque du Soleil has been a perfect fit. I get to perform while traveling and seeing the world.”
At 5' 9” and 170 pounds, Kristensen is tall for a gymnast, but he is powerful. He stays that way by working out far more than the mandatory weekly team workout.
“I work out four to five days a week on top of my team workouts,” he says. “I quickly moved up the ranks from performer to team captain, and now am coach of the Power Track Team. I feel it’s my duty to stay in very good shape, to do a 100 percent good job every night because people are looking up to me to lead by example. I alternate my cardio weeks with my weight training weeks. For one week, I will run five miles every morning before work. The next week, I lift weights in the morning before work. It took me about a year to figure out what worked best for my body and that is the workout I came up with.”
During the weeks he runs, Kristensen, 24, says he tries to eat a little lighter. Weight training weeks require more protein to help build muscle strength. His eating routine before a show, however, remains predictable.
“Before a show, I will eat a lot of salad with tomatoes, cucumber and tuna, plus fruit. I need my energy to be high for the first show. In between shows, I will eat a little bit more meat and a lot more salad. After our last performance, I will eat a whole grain sandwich. I don't deny myself food, I just watch my portions.”
When Kristensen first started with the Cirque du Soleil, he figured he would last no longer than five years. His thinking has changed.
“I see now where this company can take me,” says Kristensen. “I moved up the ranks quickly and I love performing. I can easily see myself as part of the company for at least another five years.”
The Cirque du Soleil Alegria will be presented at the Berry Center in Cypress June 16-20 and in Houston at the Toyota Center November 10-14.
For more information, log on to Cirquedusoleil.com/alegria.
—LM
BACK TO BASICS
If you happen to drive by Rummel Creek Elementary School before sunrise, about 5:30 a.m., on any given Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, don’t be surprised to see a large pack of men going through what appear to be military-style basic training exercises.
It’s the Rummel Creek Boot Camp (Rummelcreekbootcamp.com). It has been in existence for nearly five years now and boasts a membership capped at 100.
“This camp was started by a couple of former Marines,” explains charter member and leader Tim Howard. “We workout three days a week on the school parking lot, basketball court, playground, the quarter-mile track and the adjacent field.”
Stephen Morisseau, 48, who is married with two sons, joined the group in August of 2008.
“I was looking for a compelling exercise routine. I had tried boot camp classes at two gyms, but they petered out. Several friends in my neighborhood talked about the Rummel Creek camp, and since joining I have become more fit than I‘ve been in years. In fact, I may be more fit now than I was in college. I am calmer, happier and, according to my family, generally much more pleasant to be around,” Morisseau says with a laugh.
—LM
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