Jim has a diverse background in the field of physical fitness. After years of baseball and soccer growing up, he started weight training over 10 years ago; competing in several Maryland State bench press championships. He continues to lift regularly and enjoys the positive effects it has on his mind and body. In high school, he ran for 12 seasons, heading to the State Championships in Track and Field several times in both team and individual events.

    While studying at the University of Maryland, Jim joined the exhibitional gymnastics group, Gymkana, which performs both traditional and non-traditional gymnastics for local area schools with the message of drug-free, healthy living. He has since focused that love of gymnastics into a personal Web site dealing with bodyweight strength - www.BeastSkills.com. The site has been very well received by the strength community and logs tens of thousands of visitors each month from around the world. Jim has been internationally requested for his expertise and he often travels around the United States to give gymnastic seminars.

    As a trainer, Jim has been featured in the Washington Express for his bi-weekly strength training class. In 2010, he won "Best Personal Trainer" award from the Washington CityPaper. He has won the Grand Prize in Men's Health Magazine "How Fit Are You?" contest not once, but twice in a row. He also managed to complete a long-standing Crossfit Challenge of 15 consecutive handstand pushups on a set of gymnastics rings (video here). He has been interviewed multiple times, including one that appears in the "Handbalancing Mastery Course" which is sold at the Lost Art of Handbalancing.

    Jim is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The CSCS certification is one of the most respected in the industry. He currently trains clients out of Balance Gym in Washington DC.

    In his own training, Jim enjoys a mix of acrobatics, powerlifting, olympic lifting, and grip training. He believes that a variety of training develops the body fully, and makes working out more fun.