Eric Guilmette

Eric Guilmette is a certified fitness coach, an internationally published model and a World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Pro physique champion. Currently signed by BMG, LA and NEXT, Miami, Eric’s modeling career is taking off like a rocket. We are expecting to see more of him in editorials, magazine covers, commercials and more. HUF Magazine had an opportunity to speak with Eric to discover more about him.

Where do you live and work? What’s it like living and working there?

I currently live a bi-coastal life. Most of the time, I live in Long Beach, CA, but I am also in Delray Beach, FL, quite often. I am a model, influencer, and online fitness coach. I truly love the lifestyle I’ve built for myself, and even though I am always traveling, Southern California feels like home. The weather is amazing, beach life is everything to me, food is INSANE, and there is an endless amount of opportunities here… Since moving here last year, my career has skyrocketed, so I’m very thankful to have made the decision to live here.

Can you tell us how you got into modeling?

I’ve been fitness modeling for 5+ years, with my background being in physique & bodybuilding shows. In October 2019, I decided to go deep into modeling and branch into the lifestyle, fashion, and e-com. ALL types of modeling. From that point, my journey has been quite a ride and continues.

Do you remember your very first professional photoshoot?

I guess I’d say my first “professional shoot” was back in 2017. It was a test shoot to showcase my physique for a freelance photographer. I remember putting a lot of work into my preparation for the shoot and treated it like prepping for a bodybuilding event. Overall I was happy with the shoot and the images we captured.

Your’re currently signed to Next Models and BMG Models. Which agency signed you first? Were you scouted, or did you approach them? And how did you feel when you got signed for the first time?

BMG signed me in LA a little over a month before NEXT did in Miami. My manager, Paul Escoll, had connections with both agencies and got me in front of Nial LaPrell at BMG and Ron Gerard at NEXT. I remember being very excited, and ironically, I signed with both right at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US.

Which is your favorite photoshoot that you have done so far, and why?

I love so many of the shoots I’ve done that picking just one almost feels wrong. Each shoot is unique, and a lot of them are special to me for different reasons. I’ve done big productions, small productions, everything in between, and truth be told, some of the work I’m most proud of has come from quick tests with my photographers. On the flip side, I’ve done large productions with full teams involved, extravagant locations, and hours of prep work that have turned out some of my favorite images, and they were simply fun days and memories that I’ll never forget. So if I had the choice, I wouldn’t pick, BUT that wouldn’t be fun… Personally, I love shooting for editorial, and the production I did with Antony Kozz in Laguna Beach, CA, was incredible. It landed me on the cover of DNA Magazine, which I am incredibly proud of accomplishing in the first year of being a full-time model.

You were a World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Pro physique champion. Are you planning to compete in more bodybuilding competitions?

My last competition in the WNBF was August 2019. I took 3rd in Pro Men’s Physique. Since then, I have changed my physique to fit me as a model better… so it is hard to say if I will compete again. One day, I am sure the stage will call my name, but right now, I have my sights set on a different path that I am thriving on.

Bodybuilding requires a rigorous schedule, diet and a tremendous amount of determination and self-control. Do you think that being a professional bodybuilder helped with your modeling career?

ABSOLUTELY. If it weren’t for bodybuilding, I can guarantee I wouldn’t be where I am with my modeling career today. Bodybuilding has taught me a lot: goal-setting, self-love, discipline, nutrition, exercise, work-life balance, and how to travel. Not all of the lessons I learned were easy, nor did I realize them immediately. Some took many years and lots of sacrifices to obtain, but I genuinely believe all of this had to happen for me to get here. Everything does happen for a reason, and bodybuilding had it’s time and purpose for me.

How do you stay fit?

I train about 5-6 times per week. I mostly do strength training and do a lot of outdoor activities like hiking & longboarding for cardio. Strength training-wise, I get asked a lot about how I’ve built my legs, and my answer is to squat heavy, frequently, with good form, and for many years. Also, I’d be omitting vital information if I didn’t say this, but I find sex a huge factor in keeping me in great shape. There are so many benefits to healthy sex life, and while it is a “risqué topic,” it is a huge part of my life… so no BS, I wouldn’t look or feel as good as I do if it wasn’t for my sex life. Nutrition-wise, I eat a flexible, balanced diet that has taken me years to build. I have done every diet under the sun, been super strict, and super flexible, and I now have what I consider to be “the best diet” because it is the one that works best FOR ME. Over the last five years, I’ve been helping people worldwide with their training & nutrition as an online fitness coach – another passion of mine that I am thankful to have in my life.

What’s your ultimate goal for life and your modeling career?

It wasn’t too long ago that my life used to only be about the end goal, but that drastically changed about a year ago. Since then, it’s been about the journey. Being happy each day, creating beautiful memories, doing what I actually love to do, following my bliss. As cliche as it sounds: living life to the fullest. And since October 2019, I’ve done that. In my first year as a full-time model, I’ve been featured in sixteen magazines, put on the covers of six global magazines, licensed eleven book covers, shot for world-renowned brands, worked with some of the best photographers in the business, traveled all over the country, and made life-long friends and priceless memories. But most of all, I’ve built a life that I love, one that I’m truly happy in, thrive in, and am blessed to be living – forever loving this bliss.