Anyone who makes a long-term commitment to lose weight and get in shape will definitely hit some roadblocks along the way. One of the best – albeit predictable – steps to take is to find yourself a fitness expert, like someone in the mold of Shaun T.
The fitness enthusiast does not see what he does as just another career move; it is his entire existence. Shaun is one of the best in the industry and has the body to prove it. Over the years, he has developed family-oriented fitness programs like Hip-Hop Abs, Insanity, and T25. Shaun T is also a motivational speaker, choreographer, and businessman.
Biography: Who is Shaun T?
Born Shaun Thompson, the fitness trainer was born on May 2, 1978, in Deptford, New Jersey.
Thompson’s love for all things fitness began to show long before he started his career in the industry. Growing up, he regularly played baseball, football, and track-and-field events. While a student at Rowan University, Shaun T was a track-and-field star. He initially entered the institution with another course of study in mind, however, in his freshman year, he gained more than 50 pounds. This was the final nail in his decision to take fitness as a life-long goal. Shaun T switched his course of study and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, and a minor in Theatre and Dance.
Post-Rowan, Shaun T moved to Los Angeles to work as a choreographer and dance trainer. His talent brought him a huge client for his first professional work – Mariah Carey.
Subsequently, Shaun began his career, positioning himself as a health and fitness specialist. He took up employment as a health program manager and health trainer for a few fitness chains such as Wyeth and Equinox Fitness.
Shaun T’s first video work-out program Hip-Hop Abs was created in 2003 for Beachbody. Representatives of the company had approached him during his time with Equinox Fitness and asked him to submit a demo workout video. In 2007, Hip-Hop Abs became the top-selling workout program in the country.
He followed this up in 2009 with another stellar program, Rockin’ Body. In 2009, Shaun T collaborated with Beachbody again to create Insanity, a 60-day intense total body conditioning workout program. The immense popularity of the program saw the fitness man get an invitation to high-profile talk and health shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Doctors, The Tyra Banks Show, and Dr. Oz Show.
Thompson followed up with two sequels for the successful program: Insanity: The Asylum, and Insanity: The Asylum Vol.2. Both programs were based on exercise drills used by professional athletes.
Since then, Shaun has created a few other fitness programs like Focus T25, Insanity Max 30, and Cize. The latter reflects his love for dance and according to users of the video series, is the most fun workout Shaun has released.
Over the years, Shaun T has also been on CNN, The Late Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Good Morning America. He has also worked with Radio Shack, LA Lakers, Nike, Boost Athletic Shoes, etc.
Shaun ran a little experiment at the end of 2017 to figure out exactly how much alcohol intake was affecting his workout routine. However, after a particularly bad hangover, Shaun – who has never really been much of a drinker – decided to quit drinking in January 2018 until his 40th birthday in May. A couple of months later, he dropped a few hints that suggested he was considering quitting for good.
Shawn T’s Marital Status: Is He Gay and who is his Husband?
While many of his fans and supporters have suspected over the years that the fitness guru was gay, the best evidence they had to go on were hints from his workout videos. However, Shaun finally came out in October 2012, introducing his partner to the world.
Not long after the revelation, he got married to his longtime boyfriend, Scott Blokker. Blokker, like Shaun, has a background in athletics: he played professional soccer for six years before he quit to help run his parents’ company.
Scott Blokker revealed in June 2013 on Shaun T’s blog how he had struggled with his sexual orientation for many years and how he hated himself for being gay. He then goes further to mention that his workout partner was his saving grace and had played a huge part in helping him accept himself.
What is Shaun T’s Net worth?
From the beginning of his career to 2015, Sean has released ten exercise video series, including one in 2008 targeted at kids – 7 years and older.
The immense success of these programs, especially his collaborations with Beachbody have earned him a massive and well-deserved net worth of $10 million.
