If you had asked me when I was 17 years old if I would be a self-employed fitness coach at 48, I would have scoffed, but here I am.
I am Jay Ashman, owner of the infamously famous Ashman Strength.
My journey has been a long one filled with stories meant for a book; to save you from a novella, I will keep this introduction to me as short as possible.
*Breathes and cracks fingers*
I started my journey into fitness at 17 years old when my mom persuaded me to lift weights at the gym she taught step aerobics.
Back then, all I knew was bench press and biceps, which I did four days a week. I benched, I curled, benched, curled, and so it went.
Eventually, I started to learn that other body parts needed some love, and the race was on.
I became a better athlete, but I was also obsessed with size.
*tells excessively long story in 2x speed...*
In rugby, I ended up starting for a Superleague team in NYC.
In Strongman, I never placed below third in a contest.
I grew to 300 pounds, dropped to 230, and grew back to 280.
I competed in powerlifting, men's physique, and CrossFit.
I was obsessed with competition, and it almost ruined me.
When I was 41 years old, I went into atrial fibrillation. I ignored the symptoms because I honestly didn't know what was wrong. I was too scared to find out, so I pretended they didn't exist. During my Afib stint, I flew to Detroit to compete in a powerlifting meet, the worst competition day of my life.
Once I finally went to the ER with unbearable symptoms, they rushed me back into an examining room, and my pulse was sky-high. I was promptly admitted to CCU for seven days.
During that stay, the doctor told me five words that scared the shit out of me:
"You are in heart failure."
I eventually got an ablation to fix the Afib, and the heart failure slowly improved. Over a year later, I was given a clean bill of health.
I quickly realized I needed to get my health in order and stop pushing my body as hard as I had been.
As Apollo Creed once told Rocky, "there is no tomorrow!"
My tomorrow wasn't guaranteed.
I am 48 years old, leaner, healthier, and happier today. I practice Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, lift weights for longevity, eat healthy, and make time for life's little joys.
I no longer live in the gym. I don't punish myself with workouts. I rest when I need to. I minimize drinking.
I practice self-care and am diligent with my mental health.
I regret not saving all those old pics of me to use in this section. It would be a nice comparison to see what I used to be to what I am now.
The flip side is I preach leaving the past in the past because you can never achieve your best if you keep going back in time to remind yourself who you used to be.
The future depends on you. Let's build it together.
In health,
Jay Ashman
But look at how fast I was as a kid. That’s me smokin’ those fools at a track meet.
Education, background, sport
Currently studying: Masters in Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition Entrepreneurship
AAAI/ISMA - NASM PES - ISSA Strength and Conditioning - Pn1 Certified - ISSA Sports Nutrition - Pn2 in progress
Former Superleague Rugby player
Competitive Strongman from 1999 - 2010
NPC Masters Physique Competitor
2nd place Masters Physique NPC Battle of Champions 2021
