Flexing his mind as well as his muscles

Lawrence High grad writes his first book

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With so much information on fitness available through the media and internet it’s difficult to know what’s true and what’s a myth. For every tip on diet or exercise it seems that there’s another that proclaims the opposite.

Seeing this, Andrew Ginsburg, a personal trainer and stand-up comedian wrote “Pumping Irony: How to Build Muscle, Lose Weight, and Have the Last Laugh.” It was published on April 18.

Ginsburg, 37, who grew up in Lawrence and graduated Lawrence High School in 1997, spent more than three years putting this book of exercises and dietary tips together. “I wanted it to be something that was reasonable and sustainable,” he said.


He also wanted to ensure the book would be entertaining as well as informative. Ginsburg began bodybuilding when he was a sophomore at Boston University and performing stand-up comedy when he was a senior, so the two have always been intertwined in his life. “I was insecure about being seen as just a meathead,” he said, now he likes to flex his mind as well as his muscles.

A personal trainer on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for nine years, Ginsburg has performed at clubs across the city, and has even appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” “The Sopranos” and “All My Children.”

Many of his clients are writers also, but this was his first book. His editor at Skyhorse Publishing, Julie Ganz, was struck by Ginsburg’s zeal for the topic. “I’ve worked with a number of first-time authors, and I really enjoy the enthusiasm they bring to the table,” she said, “Andrew was no exception.

“Andrew had a unique way of approaching fitness,” Ganz added, “… With a tone that was honest and lighthearted. It can be tricky to strike a balance between getting to the meat of the issue and keeping it light, but Andrew does so quite effectively.”

It may have been his first book, but Ginsburg doesn’t believe it will be his last. He said that the birth of his son, Benjamin, earlier this year helped him gain a new perspective. “I’d rather be home than out doing stand up five nights a week,” he said. “Writing and training are more conducive to a normal life.”

His literary agent, Priya Doraswamy, of Lotus Lane Literary said that after working with him on “Pumping Irony,” she’s looking forward to continuing to work with him. “It was really fun working with Andrew,” Doraswamy said. It’s hard not to laugh a lot when you’re working with a stand-up comedian. “I love Andrew’s advice, his sensible approach to eating clean, enjoying exercise and living well is refreshing and easy to follow.”

Ginsburg isn’t sure what his next book will be about, it could be fitness it might not be. However, he will aim to keep the same comedic edge that he said used to get him kicked out of class at Lawrence High.

Pumping Irony” can be found at Amazon.com.