Hi, I’m Jay.
I’m a writer, author, researcher, fitness coach, and the guy behind everything you see here on AWorkoutRoutine.com.
(Note: This page will tell you more about me. If you’re looking for more info about the experts who fact-check my articles, check out the Expert Review Panel.)
For 15+ years, I’ve used a combination of science-based evidence and real-world experience to help thousands of men and women lose fat, build muscle, gain strength, improve their health, design their workout, fix their diet, reach their goals, and permanently maintain their results.
My work has been featured by the likes of:
- Time Magazine
- Business Week
- The LA Times
- The Huffington Post
- Pearson Education
- VICE
- National Geographic
- CNET
- LifeHacker
- Mashable
- Boing Boing
- Consumerist
- Zagat
- and many more.
My work involving fast food nutrition was used in a study called The Effect Of Fast Food Restaurants On Obesity And Weight Gain, which was published in the American Economic Journal in 2009/2010.
My work has appeared in textbooks published by Pearson Education (Teaching Today’s Health, 10th Edition), among others.
In 2007, I co-created ACalorieCounter.com. Our goal was to build a search engine for food nutrition data that was significantly better, faster, more accurate, and more usable than anything else that existed at that time. And we succeeded.
While it was initially created for my own clients and audience to use, it went on to become extremely popular and get featured by the likes of CNET (link), Mashable (link), Business Week (link), Lifehacker (link), and many others, and reach 125,000+ registered users faster than we could have ever imagined. (Note: as of 2014, it’s no longer accepting new users.)
Around that same time, I wrote a variety of articles for acaloriecounter.com that received quite a bit of recognition. One such example was a massive comparison of fast food nutrition data I put together (link), which ended up being featured by The Huffington Post (link), Lifehacker (link), Boing Boing (link), and many other major news and health outlets. I was also contacted by members of the media (TV, radio and print) to discuss it, which lead to a handful of interviews where I talked about nutrition, exercise, and weight loss.
Soon after, I was approached by Wiley publishing to co-author a “For Dummies” book about nutrition (I wasn’t available to do it at the time).
I was also approached by Hyperion (a division of Disney Publishing Worldwide) to contribute to a book written by a celebrity you’ve probably heard of. (Funny story.)
In 2009, I wrote a comprehensive evidence-based guide to designing a workout routine (link). I considered releasing it as a book, but eventually decided to put it out there for free. I created this aptly-named website (AWorkoutRoutine.com) for that very purpose.
In the 10+ years since, this “A Workout Routine” website has become the place where I’ve done all of my writing, and it’s grown into significantly more than just a guide to creating “a workout routine.” (So yeah, the name is semi-weird, but at least the story behind it makes sense.)
Throughout this period, my workout and diet guidelines have been recommended by doctors to their patients, used by teachers in schools and universities, and utilized by members of local law enforcement and military.
My diet/training programs have been adapted by coaches, trainers and diet professionals at every level, and used by natural bodybuilders, figure competitors, models, and athletes.
I’ve written a few books – Superior Muscle Growth, Superior Fat Loss, and The Home Workout Guide – each of which has been read by tens of thousands of men and women, with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Over 215,000 people are actively subscribed to receive email updates from me to ensure they never miss a thing that I put out.
My work has been seen by millions of people from all over the world, in every country imaginable, and translated into a variety of different languages.
Things I’ve written, material I’ve created, and tools I’ve developed have been featured in local newspapers (both in print and online… here’s one example), TV newscasts, and radio shows from all over the country.
Back in 2001, when I was just 18, I wrote about this experiment I did with ab exercises to prove that spot reduction was a myth and no amount of ab workouts or As-Seen-On-TV ab gadgets (which were at the height of their popularity at the time) would actually burn belly fat. It became so popular that I was contacted by a Fox TV station and scheduled to appear live on air for a segment they were doing on infomercial ab machines. (9/11 happened soon after, so I never got to make my TV debut.)
And on, and on, and on.
Why Am I Telling You This?
Because I know how hard it is to find information you can trust.
I know how hard it is to filter through millions of websites, articles, books, and videos to determine which are actually accurate, factual and evidence-based, and which are built around myths, lies and bullshit.
I know how hard it is to figure out which supposed diet and fitness “expert” is truly knowledgeable and experienced (and actually gives a damn about you and your progress), and which is a completely clueless wannabe just trying to sell you something.
That’s why I’m writing this “about” page.
I want to make it very clear to you who I am, and who I definitely am not.
For 15+ years, I’ve been trusted and regarded as an authority in this field, not only by my peers and people whose work I respect, but by the countless people who have come to me for help and used my advice/recommendations to transform the way their bodies look, feel, and function.
You can see a few examples of those transformations here: Reader Results
I’ve become known as the guy who excels at taking a seemingly complicated diet/fitness topic and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand, highly comprehensive, and often sarcasm-filled package with 100% of the nonsense, confusion, and misinformation that has always surrounded it completely eliminated and/or destroyed.
I’m not someone who built a following by posting 100 useless pics of their abs (guys) or their ass (girls) on social media, and then one day decided to start referring to themselves as a “fitness expert” in their bio.
I’m not some clueless coach selling “custom” diet and workout plans that are really just the same cookie-cutter crap they give to everyone and probably stole from someone else.
I’m not some fitness guru who jumps on the bandwagon of whatever the new cool thing is at the time in an effort to capitalize on its popularity and sell garbage to people who don’t know any better.
I’m not someone getting their information from a random blog they found, or a Facebook post they read, or from what their equally misinformed friend told them. Nor am I someone whose advice is swayed by personal biases, or influenced by some company that’s secretly paying to have their shitty products promoted, or plagiarized from other sources (like I see people doing with my work on a daily basis at this point).
I’m someone who, since 1998 (at 15 years old), has been obsessed with all topics pertaining to diet and exercise, fat loss and muscle growth, and everything in between… and the science behind it all.
I’m someone that some of the best coaches, trainers, and dietitians working today cite as a person they’ve closely followed and learned from (and continue to follow/learn from).
I’m someone who has gotten unbiased experts to fact-check the articles I write and ensure they meet the highest level of scientific accuracy. (Details here: Expert Review Panel)
I’m someone who has been able to take his below-average genetics (I started at 5’11” 125 lbs, destined to be skinny-fat) and make a significant amount of progress in terms muscle built, body fat lost, and strength gained… and come pretty damn close to maxing out his natural genetic potential.
I’m someone who has trained using various methods and programs, and eaten in accordance with a variety of dietary approaches.
I’m someone who has tested and experimented in too many ways to count – both firsthand and with others – in an effort to figure out exactly what works, what doesn’t, and what works better than everything else… so I can then put this information out there for you to put into action.
I’m someone who, above all else, actually cares about you – the person using my work to better themselves – and actually wants to help you succeed.
That’s who I am. That’s why this website exists. And that’s why I do what I do.
Still Have Questions?
If you have any other questions about me or this website, check out the Frequently Asked Questions.
If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, send me an email and ask me whatever you want to know. I actually answer.
You can also feel free to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.