I can’t remember how I came across JCD’s webpage, but I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of him earlier. I downloaded his free manual, Look Great Naked, and was pleased with the clean and crisp information inside. It was reason enough for me to bookmark his website and do the usual social media stalking.
After a few months of reading his content, he became one of those people I referenced to others that spouted broscience. JCD puts out great information, there’s no denying it. But what captivated me most wasn’t anything that can be found on his website. It was him, as a person. Let me tell you how.
The internet is a funny place. It’s easy for people to push products and worry about the flow of dollar bills on their PayPal account. But JCD is the opposite. He’s one of those special guys that care about how many lives, not wallets, he touches.
You see, I run my own blog. I was contemplating a total website redesign, and it just so happened that JCD was tweeting about one of his newest design projects. I was hesitant to contact him, because I dealt with bigger companies before and I was dissatisfied with the process. But I went ahead and shot him a tweet.
JCD replied quickly. This alone is amazing considering most people rarely @ reply to ‘nobodies.’ Shortly after, we began a lengthy e-mail conversation. As I said, my previous dealing with bigger companies always left a sour taste in my mouth. It was too robotic. But with JCD, it was different. I can confirm this by telling you that not many companies will tolerate an e-mail exchange consisting of thirty-six replies before accepting any form of payment. He spent a lot of time just talking to me to see what I wanted, and I can’t thank him enough for it.
The process was concluding and we agreed on a payment amount. Things were looking good, and I was happy to be doing business with someone like JCD as opposed to a bigger company. We were down to the last details – one e-mail away from collaborating. But that week, I received a letter in the mail from my school notifying me that I had been furloughed. A few days later, I feared that I re-broke my foot during an Ultimate Frisbee game. I was hesitant to e-mail JCD because I had been so close to promising him my business. I was afraid to tell him that I no longer wanted to go through with the website redesign considering my upcoming financial situation and personal struggles.
He e-mailed me a few days later to check in since I hadn’t gotten back to him. I knew I had to face it eventually, so I wrote him an apology letter. I knew that backing down after being so close to a deal would be a killer, and that he would probably hate me. After all, I basically waved a paycheck in his face and retracted it right as he was going to take it from my hand.
I was sad when I sent the e-mail because I knew I had just befriended one of the most quality guys in the fitness industry. But I’ll never forget JCD’s reply. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t disrespectful. He had no harsh words for me. Instead, he thanked me. If that wasn’t enough, he offered to help me get some free themes for my website. And he followed that by saying this: “…let me know if you need something (even someone to whine to).”
Here’s a guy that just got screwed out of a paycheck, willing to not only keep contact with me, but also talk with me if I was having trouble dealing with the current stressors in my life.
But after you read JCD’s Story, it makes sense. He knows what rough patches are like. Instead of treating me like a customer, he treated me like a person. No, I take that back.
He treated me like a friend.
JCD is one of the top providers of no bull shit fitness information. But after you go through something like this, you realize that sometimes it’s more than creating good blog posts. It’s about appreciating your following and treating them with the highest respect. That’s something that JCD surely does, and is reason enough for me to admire him.
What more could you want?
- Anthony Mychal 2011
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Before I stumbled onto his webpage I was stuck in the rut of eating 6 “clean” meals a day. This meant meals consisting of grilled chicken and broccoli. “Junk-food” was completely out of the question, and I even remember abstaining from having a piece of my mom’s birthday cake because it was “bad for me.” Eventually things got to the point where I was eating only hard-boiled egg whites as my meal because it was the only way I could be sure that the food I was eating was “clean”. Needless to say this was not the way a freshman in college should live, and my social life was definitely suffering from it.
Along with my OCD eating I was also convinced that the only way to gain muscle and look good nekhid was to be in the gym literally every day, lifting weights 5-7 days a week and cardio at least three times a week. I would constantly miss classes in favor of making sure that I got my “arms and abs” workout in.
Basically fitness and nutrition had started to control my life, and my OCD tendencies were really starting to take a toll on me and my social life. I knew there had to be an easier and healthier (both mentally and physically) way of living while still maintaining my physique.
Enter JCDFitness.com:
I actually stumbled onto JC’s site around late January through a random link on bb.com (yea I was a hardcore bro). What I first read was his guide to looking great naked, a free PDF that he supplied a link for at the top of his webpage (with a title like that how could I resist?). The guide was awesome since it explained how he actually went through a very similar stage in his life, but is now living in a much more flexible and easy-going fashion where his fitness and nutrition actually ENHANCES his life rather than controlling it.
So I began reading all of his top articles including his FFB article; all of the helpful articles on training routines that actually work; and, my personal favorite, all of his “clean-eating is a scam” articles. Although, I now knew that this lifestyle was attainable and easy to stick to, I felt I needed some help to actually begin breaking myself of my OCD tendencies.
On his site he had his information to contact him for personal consultation. I figured “He’ll probably never answer this, but what the hell,” and sent him an email assuming that would be the end of it. Man was I wrong about that. Within the week JC not only e-mailed me back, but asked if it would be ok to call me and discuss my situation. I was honestly nervous to do so, but I agreed and in a couple days JC gave me a call and helped to set me straight. With his guidance I slowly broke free of my clean-eating habits and ridiculous work-out schedule and I haven’t looked back since.
That’s why I really can’t explain how glad I am that I found JCDfitness.com. Thanks to JC and his articles I went from counting egg whites and hitting the gym every single day, To enjoying drinks with my friends on the weekend, visiting the gym 3-4 times a week at the most, and actually ENJOYING life. Plus, I’ve never looked or felt better.
- Sean Tomaszewski
“Anyone who’s been bamboozled by the myriad of conflicting fitness and nutrition information or is struggling to attain their fitness goals should read this blog. JC dispels all the myths and factoids about in the fitness industry and sifts out the few, surprisingly simple methods that really work. There aren’t 53 steps to a six-pack, but getting a Superhero-worthy body isn’t a piece of cake, either. Never again will I feel guilty when I drink my favorite Frappuccino or eat anything other than steamed chicken breast and broccoli. JC has taught me invaluable lessons about diet and fitness that allow me to construct simple yet effective and enjoyable training templates and diet protocols that fit seamlessly into my lifestyle, not the other way around.”
Clement You – JCDFitness Reader
“I love your site, I’d been reading Bodybuilding.com, T-Nation, and WannaBeBig for about a year and a half before I stumbled across JCDfitness. You really opened my eyes to what T-Nation was all about, plus helped me see what the proper relationship to fitness really is – a goal, not an obsession.”
Bobo Bose-Kolanu – JCDFitness Reader
“The problem with the fitness industry is it’s assumed we all live in a gym in a world with no such thing as fast food. JC gives advice that people can actually stick with consistently, whether it be how to train for muscle gain or debunking the myths of clean eating. His blog truly is a no-BS guide on how to look good naked. JC helped us from day one, always there with advice and help when needed, a great guy to know, thanks again.”
Propane Fitness Editors – JCDFitness Reader
“JCDFitness is truly a great resource for people of all fitness levels. He breaks things down in a very digestible way and explains complex ideas by relating them to practical application while finding a way to mix in some humor. His No-BS Approach to Looking Great Naked is a breath of fresh air from information offered in mainstream magazines. His writings are based on scientific evidence, and what works for the vast majority of normal people. You won’t find him talking about the newest pre-workout drink or the one exercise that needs to be in everyone’s workout routine. He approaches each issue with an unbiased opinion and looks at each side of the argument before reaching a conclusion. What truly sets him apart from the competition is his true passion for the JCDFitness community. Not many sites have email addresses available to ask the author specific questions to be answered individually. A question I had was answered in less than 24 hours. Thanks to JCDFitness for being a reliable and enjoyable source for health and fitness information.”
Henry Zale – Personal Trainer
“JC is one of the most innovative and effective individuals in the training and nutrition industry. He consistently provides easy-to-use and insightful information while captivating his readers with his hilarious and informative writing style. If you’re looking for a quality, no-BS approach to looking great naked, you need look no further.”
Jordan Syatt – Personal Trainer/Writer
“I’m from South Africa. Just want to say I’ve been following your website for about a year now, and can honestly say that I got my best results from following your advise(prior to this website I’ve been following your typical fitness magazine workouts 5-6 day splits) , at the moment I’m aiming to lose some body fat and get lean, so I’m following a simple 3-4 day upper/lower split (which I got from this site) and for diet I’m eating in a slight deficit taking the intermittent fasting approach and it’s working like a charm, fat is coming of really easy, and all this by keeping it simple…thanks for a great website!!!”
Willem de Bruyn – JCDFitness Reader>
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