Joe Wicks. The self-confessed ‘man on a mission‘ to rescue people from the awful dieting industry’. With nearly 200k followers on Twitter and a cool 1.4m on Instagram… countless media articles, cookery slots on prime time TV, two record-breaking bestselling books and tens of thousands of clients signed up to his 90-day SSS (shift, shape, sustain) plan, with ‘about 300 people signing up to the plan every day’ – it looks like that mission is going rather well!
The former personal trainer who took to Instagram to give his business a boost a couple of years ago is now EVERYWHERE. The motivational voice on Twitter, the hourly reminder on Snapchat, the live HIIT sessions on Facebook, the recipe books in the kitchen, the supermarket… And his first TV show aired last night – which saw him enrolling Brits to join his fitness revolution.
Educating the nation, one step at a time, his style has captured the minds, and hearts, of many. Perhaps it’s his common sense, which goes some way to explain why the idea has really caught on. The simple and easy to follow (and super filling) recipes, and short videos on Instagram give followers the knowledge to get lean without starving themselves, in combination with taking HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts to the mainstream. A twenty minute workout at home actively targets the ‘average Joe’, the non-gym-goer who may be intimidated by entering a gym and getting sweaty, and who otherwise struggles with the know-how, and motivation to incorporate real exercise into their lifestyle.
He has big ambitions too: “My goal in the next five years is to be working with schools and education but also getting on the NHS because I think my plan – I’ve helped people with diabetes and over-active thyroids and all sorts of things – so for me it’s a really sustainable way of living that people should all know about”. With a business projected to make a net profit of £10 million in its second year, he said: “I never would have imagined I would have had an office in Richmond literally 500 metres from where used to be my boot camp with 50 staff and 90,000 clients”.
As a convert to this way of eating, a number of Joe’s recipes have become a staple part of the week in my house – putting an end to late night cravings while still enjoying foods traditionally deemed naughty, and that includes cheese, yes, CHEESE! They really are quick and idiot-proof to make, based on a few staple ingredients – including chorizo and avocado, who can really argue with that? Plus it’s given me plenty of fodder for those Instagram posts… here are some of my more recent favourites:
Wicks’ liberal use of the term ‘midget trees’ – tenderstem broccoli – has seen sales of the green stuff rocket by 25% in supermarkets across the UK. The ‘Delia effect’ is now the ‘Joe Wicks effect’. And with brands scrambling to get involved, Wicks has managed to keep his brand his own. He currently only promotes the Microsoft Band 2 and he is paid a small endoresmeent fee by Lucy Bee. He’s also attracted deals from the likes of Bjorn Borg, Philips, and Uncle Ben’s.
Joe Wicks recently revealed he is now turning over £1million every month after striking a chord with the nation. It feels like he’s been here forever and yet his first book only launched in December 2015. With another two books due in 2016, a rumoured fitness pr video and taking brand Wicks to the US, the Lean in 15 Revolution looks set to continue. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.
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