About Craig
Praise for A Life Measured in SESSIONS: Sex, Fitness and Self-Destruction.
"When I say 'easy read,' I'm talking about its open and candid style. Then, when I say 'rough pathway,' I actually mean Holy Sh*t!" —Kile O.
"Could not put this book down.... finished it in 1 night. I laughed and cried.... and cried some more" — Michele G.
"A touching, hopeful tale about the struggles of addiction and crippling insecurity" — Brain E."
"A very well written introspective account"—JM
"Everyone has a story… some are born to tell it"—Krista
"Loved the writing style and the candor. The roller coaster ride of Craig's life is fascinating, terrible and cathartic all at once!" -Paul L.
Craig “Sheffy” Maltese isn’t your typical fitness personality.
With over 45,000 hours of personal training experience as well as holding several high level fitness leadership roles as an executive, director and manager at twenty of the top fitness clubs in the US, from the famed Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA to Equinox NYC, and eight years within the celebrity fitness world of LA PALESTRA, Craig knows the fitness industry from the inside out. But his story runs far deeper than gym walls or celebrity transformations.
Craig's memoir, A Life Measured in SESSIONS: Sex, Fitness, and Self-Destruction, pulls back the curtain on a turbulent upbringing, a life shaped by self-loathing, and the unhealthy coping mechanisms that followed. What began as a quest for strength became a descent into addiction not to substances, but to validation, sex, and perfection. The book doesn’t glamorize his journey; instead, it dissects it with honesty, dark humor, and an unflinching sense of accountability.
Now in development as a scripted TV series titled ‘SESSIONS’, Craig’s story is making its way from page to screen - a gritty, complex dramedy that explores what happens when childhood dysfunction collides with the glossy facade of the fitness industry. It’s not a redemption story, but a human one: messy, honest, and raw.
Since stepping away from fitness, Craig has consulted for the Malvern Institute, integrating exercise into addiction recovery programs, helped Valley Forge Military Academy remodel their cadet fitness training regimen and collaborated with chapter leaders at Sex Addicts Anonymous to incorporate movement into their healing process. These weren’t résumé builders; they were acts of atonement, attempts to turn pain and regret into purpose.
Today, Craig challenges the very culture of fitness: What does being fit really mean? His life filled with mistakes, reinvention, and even a stint on the stand-up comedy stage, proves that credibility doesn’t come from perfection, but from the courage to grow in full view of your flaws.
Audiences connect with Craig because he doesn't sell quick fixes or tidy endings. Instead, he invites people into the unresolved tension as he grapples with questions like: What does it mean to grow up when you've spent decades avoiding it? How do you build something responsible despite the ruins of your own past? And how do you age without surrendering to bitterness or despair?
Craig Maltese’s story has teeth. It is jagged, unpolished, and deeply human. And in that honesty lies its power.