James Allen, 40, of Frederick, Maryland is a father, body builder, personal trainer, and sickle cell warrior. Originally from New York, James was raised in The Bronx. As a child, James loved baseball. Despite being born with Sickle Cell Beta Thalassemia, a rare form of Sickle Cell Anemia, James has never let his disease stop him from trying to live his life as normal as possible. As a kid, James played baseball on different recreational teams and in school. He went on to attend college in Maryland where he played baseball at the college level. This is where he developed his passion for lifting and working out as he as he spent a lot of time crossing training in the weight room. James’s passion for lifting inspired him to obtain his personal trainer certification through ISSA. He is one of the head personal trainers at Maximum Fitness 24/7 in Walkersville, Maryland.
In recent years, James began competing at the national level in physique bodybuilding. The first time he touched the stage of at an NPC show, he became addicted to the sport. However, around the same time he started pursuing physique bodybuilding, he began having frequent sickle cell flare-ups. He has been hospitalized over 19 times in the past three years. James had to take this most recent season off due to a serious flare-up, also known as a, “sickle cell crisis”, that nearly cost him his life. He found out that he had sepsis (blood poisoning) which lead to his entire respiratory system shutting down, organ failure and an 8-day coma. James spent a total of 47 days in the hospital. He lost over 55 pounds of muscle mass and had to teach himself how to walk again.
Despite a near death encounter, James has been slowly rebuilding his body with the hopes of being able to compete in a physique competition again in 2018. He is still working as a personal trainer and enjoys helping others reach their fitness goals. When James is not training clients, he enjoys spending time with his two sons and family. James is the true definition of an XOSKIN Ambassador. His story and perseverance is inspirational not only to those who battle disease and illness, but to any person who is trying to overcome an obstacle or perceived disability that life puts in front of them.
