Shaun T (born on May 2, 1978), is an American motivational speaker, fitness trainer, fitness motivator, businessman, television personality, and choreographer. He is best known for his home fitness programs for adults and children which include T25, Insanity and Hip-Hop Abs. Shaun is 6 feet 0 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds.
Shaun T was raised in Deptford, New Jersey. He grew up playing football, baseball, and running track. He attended Rowan University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Sports Science and minored in Theater/Dance. While there, he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. After gaining 50 pounds in his freshman year of college, Shaun T became interested in fitness and changed his course of study. He now lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
His career began as a health and fitness specialist. He also became a personal trainer and health program manager at Wyeth and also worked at a number of fitness chains, including Equinox Fitness. Shaun T began dancing in college, at 21 years old. He was required to teach an aerobics class which was part of his Sports Science degree and then became an aerobics instructor. After graduating from Rowan University, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a choreographer, dancer, and trainer. His first professional work as a dancer was for Mariah Carey. Shaun T was teaching a fitness class at Equinox Fitness where he was approached by representatives of Beachbody and asked him to submit a demo for a workout video.
Shaun T has been openly gay since October 2012 and is married to Scott Blokker.
Carl Daikeler and Jon Congdon launched the Beachbody fitness company in 1998. They were looking for new fitness workout home videos. They approached Shaun T who submitted a demo which would later be called “Insanity”, released in 2009. It was termed “the hardest workout put on DVD”. It was sold through TV ads. Because of the difficulty of the workout and its popularity, Shaun T has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tyra Banks Show, Doctors and the Dr. Oz Show.
Shaun T’s first work for Beachbody, Hip Hop Abs was released in 2003. In 2007, it was the top selling workout video in the United States.