Jenkins' tough regime whittled down the singer in two months, dropping 40 pounds. D'Angelo was so pleased with the results that he prominently showcased his newly-sculpted body in his "How Does It Feel" music video, which infamously highlights his rock-hard abs, as much as his vocals.
The visibility from the music video gave Jenkins instant credibility and led to other clients as diverse as Busta Rhymes to the late Johnny Cochran and P. Diddy, who recruited Jenkins to help train him for the New York Marathon, captured in MTV's documentary, "Diddy Runs the City."
His time-sensitive, yet hardcore training regime works perfectly for his celebrity clients, but can be applied to everybody.
"A big misconception is that getting in shape is an all-consuming exercise," Jenkins explains. "Many of my high-profile clients are busy on tour, or just don't have hours to devote to working out—and neither do most other people. I typically train with my clients four or five times per week, for only an hour and a half at a time. It's all about high-intensity training, not over-training."
In addition to sessions at the gym, Jenkins keeps the custom-fit workout sessions fresh by also incorporating a wide range of sweat-inducing activities, such as boxing, bungee cords and kettle bells. "I never give the same workout session twice," he says. "Staying away from routine keeps the muscles and mind constantly stimulated."
Jenkins says that working with celebrities has different challenges from other clients. "They aren't necessarily more motivated or inspired, but they come with high expectations and time constraints," he says. "Beyoncé's mom would call every day to track her progress and P. Diddy isn't used to taking orders!"
With the rap-mogul's jet-setting lifestyle, Jenkins found himself flying to diverse locals, including St. Tropez and Ibiza during the pre-training period to keep P. Diddy on track. Beyond his musical clients, music also plays an integral role in Jenkins' world of fitness. He says that incorporating music is a way to make fitness more accessible to our youth.
"Kids are more concerned with how they look than being healthy, and it's about integrating fitness and wellbeing into their culture to appeal to them," Jenkins says. "If looking good or seeing their favorite singers looking good is what works, great. And if a healthier body or lower blood pressure is a healthy bi-product, even better."
Jenkins' motivational fitness book, "The Jump Off: 60 Days to a Hip-Hop Hard Body," was published in 2005 and is still being sold in major bookstores. His book, which includes a foreward by Mary J. Blige, advises readers on using their own life story as motivation. A portion of the profits from the book goes towards his non-profit organization, which Jenkins co-founded with his wife. His organization, "Muscle and Music For Youth," tours high schools to speak about the importance of staying active, providing students with gym equipment, as well as meet-and-greets and concert tickets from his celebrity clients.
In addition to his personal training schedule, Jenkins also has his hands full in various facets of the fitness business. He has developed his own supplement line, the Pinnacle Work It kit, sold at GNC stores nationwide. In addition, he is currently writing his second book and working on various projects, including a sneaker design deal, a reality television show shadowing a celebrity fitness trainer, and working on a fitness movie—giving him little downtime, but he isn't sweating it.
"See," says Jenkins, "it shows you can be busy, stay in shape and still lead a normal life!"
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