![Alec Smith and Riley Hedstrom](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/08/screen-shot-2023-08-24-at-2.34.48-pm.png)
CrossFit star Alec Smith isn’t shy about showing himself off. So naturally, one popular mall fashion brand is tapping him to model one of its biggest lines this fall!
Smith is partnering with American Eagle to show off its 24/7 line, which features jeans, flannel tops and casual clothes made for athletes; or as Smith puts it, “guys with big thighs.”
Even better, Smith is participating in photo shoots with his equally gorgeous fiancé, Riley Hedstrom.
We think it’s fair to declare the pair the kings of autumn!
This isn’t the first time they couple will be repping American Eagle. They linked with the company last winter to model its Holiday brand.
Any word on whether those athletic fit jeans also come with rock hard abs?
It’s been a big summer for Smith, who returned to competition earlier this month in the CrossFit Games. The five-day extravaganza features events such as the Pig Chipper, Inverted Medley and Alpaca Redux.
And what are those events, you may ask?
Well, the Pig Chipper is comprised of 10 pig flips, 25 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 100 wall-ball shots, 50 toes-to-bars, 25 more chest-to-bar pull-ups and then 10 additional pig flips to cap it all off (and yes, the pig flips involve real pigs).
The Inverted Medley, meanwhile, requires participants to complete two 30-foot unbroken handstand walks over a ramp, two sets of eight free-standing handstand push-ups, 16 pull-overs and a 180-degree pirouette along with a 360-degree pirouette.
And don’t even get us started on the Alpaca Redux. How does a 126-foot sled push, two legless rope climbs, 12 kettlebell clean and jerks and a 42-foot sled push sound?
Exhausting, right?!
Thankfully, Smith is built for the task.
“So grateful for this team!,” he wrote at the end of the competition. “Thank you guys for all of the sacrifices you each made to make this weekend possible.”
As strenuous as those events sound, they still beat real life… at least according to Smith.
“When you realize the season’s over and you have to go back to real life and have 3 acres of grass to cut and 6 hours of yard-work to do,” he wrote as the caption to a very meme-able photo.
Smith, 30, publicly came out as gay four years ago. In the emotional video, he said he used to “hate himself” for his homosexuality, and could never imagine embracing his attraction to men.
“It’s been a struggle. It really has. My whole life I’ve known I was different,” he said. “When I was 12 years old, I was attracted to guys, and I hated myself for being attracted to guys. It led me to hide who I was.”
But now, he’s no longer hiding. Smith proposed to Hedstrom last year, and they live out in the open.
But the guys don’t just look good together. They also give each other emotional support. Smith has been candid about the vital role that Hedstrom has played in his journey.
“Everyone’s journey is so different. If you would have asked me 10 years ago where I thought I would be now, I would have never imagined being happily engaged to someone that I truly love,” he posted on National Coming Out Day. “Coming out was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
With their relationship featured on a website dedicated to CrossFit Love Stories, it is cool to see these two living as an openly gay couple in a sport that’s filled with so much masculinity. Smith flips pigs in the streets, and he’s gay in the sheets!
What a dream.
If you want a preview of Alec’s upcoming American Eagle spreads, scroll down for more pics from his vibrant Instagram page…