Who is James Grage?
James Grage has been a leader in the field of health and fitness for nearly 25 years. He has been published in fitness magazines and websites from around the world, and his workout programs have helped hundreds of thousands of people reach their fitness goals. Muscle & Fitness Magazine has called him “one of the most respected individuals in the fitness industry.”
James is a Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) and Certified Fitness Trainer since 1998. He is a member of the International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Along with his accomplishments in the field of fitness, he is also a veteran in the business side of Sports Nutrition & Supplementation, co-founding several highly successful Sports Nutrition brands sold through GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and abroad. He has been credited with the distinction of being named among the “30 Most Powerful People in Bodybuilding,” according to Generation Iron.
James currently resides near Miami, Florida and is the Executive Health & Fitness Consultant for Inside Fitness Magazine.
What happened to James Grage
In the beginning of his career in fitness and bodybuilding, James was in a near-fatal car crash, where he was ejected from his vehicle, causing massive trauma to his body, including broken bones, lacerated muscles/tendons, and acute nerve damage in his legs and right hand.
The surgeons described his body as a “bag of bones,” and there were even conversations about amputation of his left arm. After months in the hospital and rehabilitation, James made his way back to the gym, on a walker, with casts still on his arms, and slowly started to work out again (against Dr’s orders). Gradually, after years of hard work and tears, he was able to build his body back to where he first started before the accident.
Professional Endorsements
Here's what other health & fitness authorities have to say
“James Grage offers a straightforward, powerful program in FAILPROOF. My trust and respect for James goes back for over 20 years. James is authentic, as is the FAILPROOF program. As a Clinical Associate Professor and established Sports Nutritionist, I say, jump in with James and his program”
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“In addition to his immense knowledge, James posseses a genuine desire to help others, evident in his years of dedication to providing valuable content and assistance to those seeking fitness and wellness guidance”
"James Grage exemplifies integrity in the fitness world, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to helping others achieve their health and fitness goals. His extensive expertise in nutrition, supplementation, and exercise, paired with his genuine concern and trustworthiness, make him an indispensable ally in the journey towards better health”
"James Grage’s dedication to his craft is unparalled, and his accomplishments speak volumes about his exceptional abilities. His vast experience in his field has equipped him with invaluable knowledge and expertise, making him an invaluable resource for anyone pursuing their fitness goals”
“James Grage is an exceptional individual whose credibility and integrity shine through his profound understanding of physiology and nutrition, making him a trusted authority in the field. His expertise and commitment to evidence-based practices make him a reliable source for achieving optimal health and fitness goals”
James had 5’ 11’ on his drivers license for years but turns out that was just a 16 year old being hopefull that he still had one growth spurt left. LOL. James’ actual height is closer to 5’ 9”
According to James his weight can fluctuate slightly depending on several factors, including how lean he is, or how intense he’s training. His very lean bodyweight in past completions was as low as 175 pounds. His heaviest in a bulk was closer to 210, but all signs of abs we’re gone at that point. Normal walking around weight these days is 182-185.
James was born in Northern California in 1974, the same year that Arnold won his 5th straight Mr. Olympia title.
When James started training at 16 years old, his starting weight was a relatively lean and wiry 155 pounds.
James grew up in Chico, California, a small university town in Northern California, about 3 hours north of San Francisco. He went to Pleasant Valley High School, the same as Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.
James helped Co-Found BPI in 2009 after leaving Weider Publications. In 2017 it was time for a new chapter where he resigned from his executive position, and later sold his interest in the business, giving him an opportunity to pursue other new business and personal interests.
In 2008, a co-worker from Weider Publication approached James about doing video content for Muscle&Fitness magazine’s website. The site used YT as a video player, so James signed up for a YouTube account in 2009 and started posting content under the name “The Lab Rat.” The concept was to take workouts from the magazine and put them to the test. This series and another from co-worker Jim Stoppani were the first two video series for Muscle & Fitness. This was also the pre-Google era of YT, so taking a camera and a tripod into the gym was not just uncommon but actually considered odd at the time.
James first started incorporating bands and free weights in 2009 and started posting videos on YouTube about it. James says the strongest he ever felt was when he used the two in combination. This was when the light bulb went off in his head about the effectiveness of resistance bands as a serious training tool. James was one of the very first to pioneer the idea that bands could build muscle as effectively as weights, and the first to put his muscle where his mouth was and drop the weights and machines and train exclusively with bands.
James has used bands in his training for 14+ years but used them exclusively for almost 5 years, with no weights or machines. During this time, he founded another company called Undersun Fitness, which manufactures resistance bands. At the same time, he created the TA2 workout programs, which stands for Train Anytime, Train Anywhere. These workout programs focused on using only resistance bands for various styles of training, including muscle-building workouts and HIIT workouts.
Since 2009, James has always used resistance bands and continues to integrate them into all his workouts today. From 2017 until 2022, James used bands exclusively. It was never his intention to leave the weights permanently, and instead, do bands only for 1-year straight, as an experiment to see what would happen to muscle size and strength. He happened to love the results and freedom that come along with using bands, so 1-year turned into 5 years. In 2022, his teenage son asked him to teach him how to lift (with weights), so that is when he started incorporating both bands and weights together again.
James’s latest program is called FAILPROOF, which is a unique approach to helping people learn how to lose fat, gain lean muscle, and reshape their body. In the program, you get a custom nutrition plan but also more than 7 hours of video lessons with James, teaching you everything about how to eat, how to work out, how to supplement properly, and most importantly, the proper mindset to be able to stick to the plan no matter what life throws at you.
James has launched many successful workout programs, each serving specific goals and training styles. His latest workout program is called MSC-HIIRT, which is a hybrid resistance training style that utilizes short rest periods to create high-intensity intervals. This helps build lean muscle to support the metabolic rate, as well as maximize calorie burn in the workout, making this a highly effective program for burning fat and building lean muscle.
After leaving BPI Sports, James took a long break from the world of supplements. In that period of time since, the supplement industry has changed a lot, with a significant portion of it being for the worse. The amount of hype, exaggerated marketing claims, and insufficient quality control practices leave the consumers getting the short end of the stick. This gap in the marketplace for high-quality products that people can trust has prompted James to jump back in the game. You can expect to see something very soon.