The Unstoppable Rise of the Celebrity Trainer

Dr. John Spencer Ellis is not actually a doctor, but he does have a college degree in health, a PhD in education, and a black belt in kung fu. He's also certified in "flexibility," "golf conditioning," and "sports hypnosis," and claims to have biked enough miles to circle the earth. Yet Ellis's greatest achievement may be his Fitness Fortunes Live seminar, which debuts later this month in Dallas. For $297 per ticket (or $447 for VIP treatment), Ellis will teach ordinary, personal trainers how to become celebrity trainers. "Swing your kettlebell, and do your warrior pose another time!" Ellis's website declares. "It's time to get 100 percent pure and valuable content on how to get rich as a highly respected fitness pro."

Ellis is one of a handful of fitness pros turning celebrity training into a full-fledged, actual profession, replete with agents, managers, publicists, Web engineers, social-networking gurus, and even celebrities. The rise of Gunnar Peterson in Los Angeles and Tracy Anderson in New York has created a micro industry of ambitious gym rats hoping to be the next Jake Steinfeld. It was Steinfeld who in the early 1980s became the first and possibly the greatest celebrity-trainer-turned-borderline-celebrity in the history of the celebrity trainer business. Steinfeld built an empire that included an A-list Hollywood clientele, cable fitness shows, endorsements with Playboy Enterprises, and a handful of books under the "Body by Jake" brand. He remains the gold standard to this day.