#Fitspo, we love it AND we hate it, but most of us use it. Instagram is the wild wild west of fitness information and we are flooded day-in and day-out with images of people projecting a life of perfection. The fact is, no-one is perfect and no perfectly edited smoothie bowl or bikini photo shows the whole picture. Even worse, many of these artificially curated pages are sharing sub-par and even harmful information (such as mega-dosing vitamins to cure disease, or selling dangerous pro-hormones for muscle growth). Furthermore, these fitness pages can wreck havoc with the body image expectations we set for ourselves. “According to a social media report from Norwegian global influencer marketing platform inzpire.me, nearly half (47%) of surveyed influencers felt their job as an influencer had an impact on their mental health and 32% believes the platform gave them a “negative” impact on body image (Forbes, 2019)”
When it comes to actually training towards your goals, being healthy, and feeling good about yourself the content you consume matters!
Below are 10 instagram profiles that offer accessible, scientifically sound, and honest content to help you get your #fitspo on.
1). Meg Squats
Meg markets herself as a Strength & Fitness Coach “on a mission to get a barbell in every woman’s hands.”
Busting the myth that femininity and strength can’t go hand in hand, Meg is honest about body image issues many women face and about photos of her body that are unedited all while offering solid lifting tips.
James is a British Physical Therapist and Personal Trainer who tells it like it is. His content is rich with profanity and laughter at first glance, but on closer inspection is filled with thoughtful, honest, and straightforward training advice aimed at both men and women. You won’t find him selling products, diet culture, or next big thing – just back to basics, no nonsense health and wellness information in a funny package that’s a little bit skeptical about social media to begin with.
To quote the man himself, ” 99.999% of the world will have fat rolls when on the toilet or in the bath. Comparing your ‘behind the scenes’ to someone else’s photoshoot condition isn’t the best way to start your day, each and every day.”
For the athletically oriented, Max offers science based information primarily related to becoming stronger, faster, and more explosive. With practical information on how to program workouts, jump higher, and train better – his insta is a mother-load of thought provoking content. Don’t believe me? Look at this!
Run by a collective of MDs, Rehab Clinicians, and Strength Coaches, Barbell Medicine brings top notch content regarding injury recovery and prevention, weightlifting, and nutrition.
Ben Bruno is a seriously strong personal trainer who made it big training folks in LA. Much like James Smith, he’s quite funny and has the education and experience to back up his training information. If you follow him you’re likely to pick up new exercise ideas and get a laugh out of it too.
Oh, yeah, you can also find him picking on Chelsea Handler….
Empowered By Iron is geared towards women and produces most of their content in podcast form (great to listen to when you train!). Common topics range from training and mental health, powerlifting, and managing training with one’s hormones.
Steph is an adaptive athlete and Crossfit coach who lives with Cerebral Palsy. She owns and operates Hammer Driven Fitness Center, and provides an honest and important dialogue on embracing disability as a part of one’s fitness journey.
For older gym goers, Train With Joan is living proof that fitness and strength know no age. Over seventy years old, she didn’t discover training until later in life but you wouldn’t know it – she shares images of her journey as well as videos of her current training.
Founded by Chris Duffin, Kabuki Strength Lab is located in Oregon. One of the strongest guys of all time, Chris combines his experience as an athlete and his engineering background to bring elite training information and equipment to the rest of us. If you’re training towards some “Grand Goals” and want to become “Anti-Fragile” both mentally and physically, Kabuki is the place for you.
Dr. Stefi Cohen is Venezuelan, holds 25 world records as a strength athlete, and stands at a small but mighty 5 feet tall. One of the strongest women in the world lb for lb, she is also incredibly educated and provides excellent advice for both men and women who want to become their strongest selves.
