Jason Ferruggia aka Jay Ferruggia is a name that needs no intro in the world of fitness and workouts. A passionate fitness enthusiast, seasoned strength and conditioning specialist, an acclaimed life, a regular blogger, an avid reader and author to more than 3 books to his name – Jason Ferruggia has been transforming lives, inspiring people and helping them become the best version of themselves since 1994. Partly Italian and partly Scottish by origin, Jason has been a true blue Jersey for the most part of his life but moved to settle in Santa Monica, CA in 2011.
Jason started fitness training and working out when he was 12 – an age when most friends and acquaintances would prefer to hang out around, or play sports or video games. For Jason, the inspiration came from his father who had started lifting some years back. By the time he turned 12, he had already started accompanying him to the workouts. It was during the early 90s and bodybuilding was all the rage. There were no proper group training facilities available like the equipped underground warehouse gyms of today, so magazines like Muscle & Fitness and Flex were the prime sources people would turn to, to sort their routines.
Having stepped into the domain even before his teens, Jason spent the next couple of years indulged in some intense, high volume exercise routines and by the time, he got enrolled in college, training had become his passion. He signed up for a voluntary internship in the weight room of his college and would spend most of his post-lectures time working out there. He had also opted some part-time jobs alongside to make some savings.
By the age of 19, he earned the first professional certification and right after, kick-started his career in training. Shortly after, he bought gym equipment, rented a basement and laid the foundation of The Renegade Gym in 1994. This was a pioneering venture since hardcore group training gyms were never heard of back in those days – and with this, Jason set the foundation of the trend for hardcore underground gyms that have become so common today.
Jason enrolled in the college as a communications and media majors with the intent of making a career in film making but later opted to pursue his passion for bodybuilding as a profession. However, unlike most of his contemporaries, he did not leave his academic pursuits for his passion and after graduating from college, completed some specialized courses and diplomas, attended training and workshops by seasoned fitness coaches and invested thousands of dollars in honing his skills and getting better at his craft.
Workout Plans and Routine
Jason Ferruggia follows a comprehensive yet simplified approach to training. He has been training athletes, sportsmen, professional bodybuilders as well as fitness enthusiasts for many years. Being a master athlete himself, he prefers a tried set of movements involving squats, hard-hit lifts, presses, and deadlifts while gradually increasing the weight on the bar. He emphasizes hitting the same muscle group at least twice a week, aside from your regular workouts, to be able to gain mass.
Upper Body Workout
Jason’s upper body regime involves a set of rows, chin-ups, coupled with his usual shoulder and back workouts. He suggests including variety in rows, sets, and back and shoulder exercises so as to maintain a balance and prevent stress and tension buildup in tendons.
Lower Body Workout
Jason stresses you never miss out on leg days – since lower body workouts tend to cumulate the impact of your upper body workout. His leg workouts include a variety of squats such as Cossack and split squats that work the core and glutes.
Nutrition
Jason Ferruggia follows a comprehensive yet simple meal routine prior to and after his regular workouts. He takes a complete pre-workout meal that includes 30 to 40 grams of protein, a sufficient amount of carbs and about 5-10 grams of fats. If you are focused on shedding those extra layers of fats, your carb intake should not be more than 30 grams. If the goal is to build and increase size, you need to have a little more, around 75 to 100 grams of carbohydrates. You can have the same as your post-workout meal.
Jason emphasizes that both the meals should contain foods that are easy to digest and low in fats. His personal favorites include chicken and baked yam for a pre-workout meal, while post workout, he includes white rice and some sushi in his diet. He also uses whey protein isolate mixed with some oatmeal and nut butter as a pre or post workout meal sometimes to break the monotony.
Jason pays special attention to maintaining high testosterone levels, especially during the workouts. For this, he consumes red wine (whenever he drinks), includes healthy unsaturated fats in his meals and takes around 8 to 9 hours of sleep to minimize the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) and increase serum testosterone. For regular caloric intake, he follows a set formula – taking in around 2364 calories, 12 times his body weight.
The Renegade Diet
The Renegade Diet is a signature and patented fitness nutrition program devised by Jason Ferruggia. It is one of his most popular publications to date and has been written after years of research, experimentation, and work. Being a part of the fitness industry for decades, Jason observed the number of diet plans offered by different trainers – most of which do not work.
He actualized the need for a complete and comprehensive diet plan, flexible enough to suit all gender and age groups and putting in all the knowledge and information he had garnered during the two decades, he released his groundbreaking publication titled ‘The Renegade Diet – Losing Fat & Gaining Muscle Simultaneously is Now a Reality.’
The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia is the only diet plan that targets the most stubborn body fats and helps you burn it slowly without making you starve on your favorite foods. You do not need to starve or keep on tracking, weighing and measuring everything you eat. The diet program allows you to shed those extra fats, get in shape and achieve your body goals while enjoying all of your favorite foods. In addition to that, there are many other reasons that make it a practical diet course that actually delivers results.
- You do not need to cut down or reduce your carb intake. The Renegade Diet includes a sufficient amount of carb to compensate for your daily body requirements.
- Pizza, fries, pasta and all those cheesy, fatty goodness – you can have all that you crave, and this diet will still give you a fit and lean body.
- It is a long-term nutrition plan that has been designed keeping your vital body functions, metabolic activities and aging in mind.
- It is the first ever and the only diet plan that helps burn fats and put on muscles simultaneously.
- Since the Renegade Diet does not require you to leave any of your favorite foods, it is the easiest and the most practical diet plan.
The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia comes with a money back guarantee. If the plan does not work for you and fails to deliver the promised results, you get a 100% refund. Which makes it an ultimate win-win solution for you.
Books and Publications
Jason Ferruggia has bagged a lot of claim and reputation for his literary works in health and fitness genre. He is the author of a number of best-sellers books that have been equally praised by critics for being well-researched and non-conventional. He is a regular blogger at his site. He has earned an impressive active followership of thousands on his website and other social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. He also conducts lectures, posts podcasts, and trains people in seminars, conferences, and workshops. Some of his most popular publications include:
- The Renegade Diet
- Fit to Fight: An Insanely Effective Strength and Conditioning Program for the Ultimate MMA Warrior
- Muscle gaining secrets. The hard-gainers guide to getting big and ripped
- Fit to Fight: An Insanely Effective Strength and Conditioning Program for the Ultimate MMA Warrior
- The Renegade Diet – Losing Fat & Gaining Muscle Simultaneously is Now a Reality
- Fit to Fight
- Pushing the Limits! Total Body Strength with No Equipment
Personal Life
While the story of Jason Ferruggia may seem to be a perfect and smooth path to success and glory, this was not the case during his initial years. He had a rough start, marred with highs and lows, failures and disappointments. He was not always fit, strong and healthy as he is now. He had been skinny, fat, suffered from physical and mental weakness, phases of depression, social anxiety, insecurities, and indecisiveness. He even ran out of finances, got all broke, and was also struggling to get rid of drug addiction at one point in his life. These were some major obstacles that make the dark side of his life – an aspect of his life that not many know about. However, he was resilient and determined to struggle to overcome all odds and steer the course of his life towards progress and prosperity.
He has always had a penchant for learning – from school, college, friends, peers, trainers, mentors, books, and personal experiences. He read more than 500 books on fitness and motivation, hired coaches and mentors and attended motivational sessions. He mustered his courage, took a leap of faith and set in a journey of transformation, overcoming one bad habit at a time.
Today, his life philosophy revolves around the 80/20 rule – focusing on reality and stay at bay from noise. Aside from his passion for fitness and bodybuilding, he loves to spend his time in a lot of other recreational activities. He likes surfing, rock climbing, hiking, old school hip-hop, improv, and standup comedy. The Jerky Boys, Pearl Jam, The NY Giants & Yankees are among his all-time favorites.
Achievements
Jason Ferruggia has worked really hard to earn the reputation of credibility he has today. He books, blogs, and other publications are acclaimed for their reliable, tried and tested and non-cookie cutter approaches to burning fats, building muscles and achieving your body goals.
He is a certified trainer with countless certifications and endorsements to his claim and has been training athletes, sportsmen and fitness enthusiasts all across the US to achieve their body goals. He is a renowned blogger, a professional fitness coach and author to more than one books and publications.
Lessons for Fitness Enthusiasts
Jason has inspired hundreds of thousands of people, not just in the US but across the globe. His approach to workouts, fitness and pretty much everything about life is simple. There are a lot of lessons the fitness enthusiast can draw from his life and follow.
- Just because a workout or nutrition plan claims to work and is backed by credible endorsements does not it is actually going to work for you.
- A simplistic but consistent approach to weightlifting and nutrition is the way to go.
- Your body is unique – you can’t tame it, nor can you achieve your dream body goals by following a cookie-cutter approach. You need to experiment with different approaches, identify what works and find your own path to be able to achieve your dream body goals.
End Note
Jason firmly believes that every person has been blessed with some special talents and skills that they should refine and utilize to pursue the purpose of their life – a purpose that only they can fulfill and contribute to the universe. It doesn’t necessarily have to be building muscles or an iconic body figure – it could be a lot of other things that click something inside you, ignite that spark and compel you to keep going until you achieve it. However, whatever your dream, purpose or mission, you can only achieve if you are in a stable physical, mental and spiritual state. This is the real essence of fitness and workout – to achieve a sound mind and body so you can focus on and pursue the grander pursuits in life.
You can check out more of his inspiring blogs, books, interviews, and podcasts on his website.