Max -> Arduino: how to move integers as 4 bytes?

Many examples show how to move integers as a series of digits, each digit coded as an ASCII character.

1. This is fine, but what if I want to move my integers directly as 4 bytes, saving the conversions made by [atoi] and Serial.parseInt()? Any pointer?

2. Also, in the Arduino -> Max direction, is there a more direct version than the nice solution shared by A. Benson:

Serial.print(Val1&0xFF,BYTE);//explicitly mask the LSB using bitwise AND
Serial.println(Val1>>8,BYTE);//right-shift Val1 for MSB

Thanks.