Interview with celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins

Celebrity personal trainer, Mark Jenkins, is one of the most in-demand trainers in the industry. Born in Brooklyn to an Antiguan mother, Mark joined the navy after school, where he formed his passion for sport, training and fitness. Today, the list of his celebrity clients reads like a Who’s Who of the music industry, with his clients including Beyoncé, Mary J Blige, D’Angelo and LL Cool J, amongst many others. He has written a book, The Jump Off, and currently hosts a podcast, An Anabolic Mind, in which he discusses fitness and holistic living with various celebrity clients. The Citizen caught up with Mark to learn more about a life dedicated to bringing out the best in people.

How did you get into fitness?

I didn’t have much of an athletic background growing up. My dad died when I was two, and my mum sent my sister and me to dance school, so there I was doing tap, ballet and modern in the middle of the hood in Brooklyn. Now it’s gentrified, but back then, we were walking over crack vials to go to school.

I started getting bullied for dancing, so I stopped. But unbeknownst to me, that was the only thing keeping the weight off with my typical West Indian diet. However, not only was I fat, but I couldn’t play sports. My last year in high school consisted of me running home from school so I didn’t get the sneakers taken off my feet. I knew I wasn’t going to survive like that.

Since my sister went to college, there was no money for me to go. One day, passing a recruitment centre, I thought I could get into shape, get some discipline and learn something, all while earning money for school. I was too fat for the army, but when the navy guy lied and told me there was a McDonald’s on the aircraft carrier, I asked them to sign me up. I failed the physical to get in, but when I told them I had nowhere to go and was getting bullied, they put me through to the boot camp, where although I lost a lot of weight, I still had these man boobs!

I asked the buffest guy I could find if he could help me to see my feet in the shower again! Soon I had a 29-inch waist and could finally get a girl. After that, I became the go-to guy to train overweight sailors.

After the military, I went to work in the post office but soon got certified to become a trainer. I am an effective trainer because I have been in my clients’ situation and have been overweight. I’m not someone who is genetically gifted and has no idea of what they’re going through.

I spent all my money on membership to the best gym in New York, which had Motown Records, Disney and several other companies in the same complex and whose executives would come to the gym. I started training the singer and actress Brandy’s publicist and knocked 50 pounds off her in a month. Consequently, she asked me to train the 12-year-old Brandy as she was developing too fast for her role in her television show.

How did you become the go-to trainer in the hip-hop world?

After Brandy, I began thinking I could make a living targeting African American celebrities. I started training anyone for free whom I figured was a high-level executive. The condition was that they take me to lunch every week, during which I would pick their brains about how I could start my training business. This is what I learned in the military – recon. Someone told me I needed a publicist, so I trained one for free as I couldn’t pay for one. The publicist said they could get me in a magazine, but I needed pictures, so I trained a photographer for free. I was training so many people for free that I had to move into the projects as I had no money.

However, I knew that if I trained all these people for free, I would eventually make a lot of money. A few years later, I successfully trained the singer D’Angelo’s publicist. D’Angelo noticed and also wanted to be trained by me. On the advice of one of my CEO clients, I asked Motown for 30,000 dollars on the condition that I would return the money if I didn’t get him into shape on time.

I quit my job at the gym, followed him around and even slept outside his hotel room to intercept all his food. The result was the body he unveiled in the Untitled (How does it Feel?) video. I got to Mary J Blige because of that video. She took me on tour, and that was what got me out of the projects.

Who was your favourite celebrity to train?

I can’t say I have a favourite as they all have different attributes. Beyoncé’s work ethic is incredible; she didn’t complain about anything – even running six miles in the Georgia heat.

I learned a lot from the late Johnny Cochran. We would train at four am every morning, and I mean, it’s Johnny Cochran – I had to ask him things! I would sometimes give him pieces I’d written about fitness, and he would have them corrected for me.

I also trained Diddy, and we ran a Marathon raising two million dollars for the public school system, which was amazing.

How has training artists at the top of their game impacted how you approach life?

When I trained Busta Rhymes, I saw him do three songs every single day, which made me understand why some people are so successful.

Training celebrities is like watching a masterclass. Someone like D’Angelo, who can play the drums and the keyboard, write the lyrics, and then produce, can’t fail to impress.

How important is your Antiguan heritage to you?

When I was growing up, we always went back to the island, and then becoming a tourism ambassador a few years ago was a huge honour. I still have a lot of family on the island, and my recently deceased grandfather’s candy shop is still there. It’s important to get my children to learn that part of their heritage too.

My work ethic comes from my Antiguan heritage. My mum used to tell me, “Mark, I don’t care if you sweep the floor, but the floor better be immaculate, and you better be the best floor sweeper there is!”

Where is your favourite place in Antigua?

Any beach in Antigua is a win. It isn’t as saturated as other islands, so Antigua feels like a secret. I have even brought some clients down to train, and they’ve stayed in my mother’s house, with my family cooking food for us. So, I’ve had some great experiences on the island.

What makes the islands the perfect place for wellness?

The people, the climate and the fact that it’s not over-developed. It could also be a great place for concerts. Artists could come down, and music and wellness could be combined. With all the accommodation available, it could really work.

There are certain places like Bali and Costa Rica where you instantly think of wellness. Antigua could easily be in the same space.

What’s next for you?

I’m heading back to New York for a six-week intensive with D’Angelo, Q tip and Black Thought from The Roots. After that, I’m heading to Amsterdam to consult for the Dutch Royal Navy in their recruitment drive and to work on a fitness system to help the obesity problem.

I am making an international push this year and will try to do at least six months abroad, write another book and continue working on the podcast.

Photocred: Hilary Jones