| Joe Wicks | |
| Birth Date: | 21 September 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Epsom, Surrey, England |
| Education: | St Mary's University, Twickenham |
| Occupation: | Coach |
| Children: | 4 |
Joseph Trevor Wicks (born 21 September 1985), also known as The Body Coach,[1] is a British fitness coach, television presenter, social media personality and author.[2] His fitness method uses High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts.[3] Starting off by posting 15-second recipe videos on social media, Wicks grew his brand to become one of the most followed fitness accounts on Instagram and YouTube.
His first published cookbook Lean in 15: 15-minute meals was a best-seller in 2015, having sold over 900,000 copies.[4] [5] He has created a "90 Day Plan" with workouts and meals with portions tailored to the individual. Wicks was awarded a Guinness World Record for "most viewers for a fitness workout live stream on YouTube", after achieving over 950,000 viewers on 24 March 2020 for his second live stream.[6]
Wicks was born in Epsom, Surrey to Gary Wicks, a roofer, and Raquela Mosquera, a social worker of Italian descent. He grew up on a council estate with his parents and two brothers, Nicky and George.[7] Wicks attended Blenheim High School in Epsom, Surrey[8] and NESCOT technology college in Epsom.[9] He went on to study sports science at St Mary's University in Twickenham.
Wicks worked as a teaching assistant after completing his sports science degree.[10] After realising it was not his ideal job, he became a personal trainer for the next five years.[10] In 2012, he appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 game show The Bank Job. He went out first after being the only player left in the vault when the time ran out.[11] A segment on Channel 4 named Joe Wicks: The Body Coach aired in 2016 with Wicks as the presenter. As of 2020 there have been 3 episodes.[12] Wicks launched a range of kitchenware in 2018.[13] Wicks has recently caused controversy by saying that ADHD is caused by diet.[14]
Wicks began to gain traction for his fitness and nutrition related content on social media. In 2014 he began posting videos to Instagram relating to workouts and nutrition advice.[15] He has amassed over 4.7 million followers on his Instagram account.[16] He launched a website called The Body Coach where he sells his kitchenware and a range of fitness/nutrition plans.[17] [18] Wicks has been recognised by several major publications, such as Harper's Bazaar, Elle UK and Forbes for his online fitness efforts.[19] [20] [21] [22]
He began posting fitness content to his YouTube channel, named 'The Body Coach TV', in 2014. His first video garnered over 6 million views.[23] The channel has amassed over 2.7 million subscribers and more than 282 million views.[24] Wicks also topped both the YouTube charts as the number one trending and breakout creator of the year.[25] During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he began "PE with Joe" on YouTube to try to help children stay active; this livestream had a wide impact and was viewed by over a million users worldwide.[26] The first stream occurred on 23 March and ended almost one year later, on 5 March. For this, he was awarded his MBE in the Birthday Honours of 2020.[27] He is a Channel 4 television presenter with his own show The Body Coach.[28]
In 2015, Wicks published a cookbook named Lean in 15: The Shift Plan which sold 77,000 copies in its opening week.[15] He released a further two books in the Lean in 15 series, including Lean in 15: The Shape Plan, released 2016 [29] and "Lean in 15: The Sustain Plan", also in 2016.[30] Since the success of the Lean in 15 series, Wicks has published several more cookbooks. His newest cookbook, Wean in 15 was released on 14 May 2020 [31] and focuses on 'weaning babies onto solid food and recipes for time-pressed parents'.[32] [33]
In November 2020, Wicks completed a 24-hour workout challenge which raised over £2 million for Children in Need. Blue Peter awarded him a Gold Blue Peter Badge as a thank you on behalf of Children in Need.[34] In June 2021, Wicks became Patron of The Amber Foundation, a youth homeless charity.[35] Surrey-born Wicks first became aware of The Amber Foundation after his mother, a social worker, started to work with some of the residents at their site near Dorking in Surrey. Since then, Wicks has visited the centre on a number of occasions, donating fitness equipment and giving advice on physical activity and nutrition.
Wicks married former glamour model Rosie Jones in June 2019.[36] Together they have four children—a daughter born July 2018, a son born December 2019, a second daughter born September 2022 and a second son born June 2024. They live in Kingston upon Thames.
| 2015 | Lean in 15 - The Shift Plan: 15 Minute Meals and Workouts to Keep You Lean and Healthy | Pan Macmillan | (Paperback, 224 pages) | |
| 2016 | Lean in 15 - The Shape Plan: 15 Minute Meals With Workouts to Build a Strong, Lean Body | (Paperback, 240 pages) | ||
| Lean in 15 - The Sustain Plan: 15 Minute Meals and Workouts to Get You Lean for Life | (Paperback, 240 pages) | |||
| 2017 | The Fat Loss Plan:100 Quick and Easy Recipes With Workouts | (Paperback, 240 pages) | ||
| Cooking for Family and Friends: 100 Lean Recipes to Enjoy Together | (Hardback, 240 pages) | |||
| 2018 | Joe's 30 Minute Meals: 100 Quick and Healthy Recipes | (Hardback, 240 pages) | ||
| Veggie Lean in 15: 15-minute Veggie Meals with Workouts | (Paperback, 240 pages) | |||
| 2019 | Veggie BBQ: 10 Brand-new Lean in 15 Recipes | (E-book, 32 pages) | ||
| 2020 | Wean In 15: A book of baby meals | (Hardback, 240 pages) | ||
| 2020 | 30 Day Kick Start Plan | (Paperback, 272 pages) | ||
| 2021 | Joe's Family Food: 100 Delicious, Easy Recipes to Enjoy Together | (Hardback, 240 pages) | ||
| 2022 | Feel Good Food | HQ | (Hardback, 304 pages) |