The days of getting your fitness advice exclusively from magazines (or, worse yet, your high school gym coach) are dead and gone. Social media certainly comes with its own perils, but one of the best things about Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok is that there’s probably a creator or health coach out there who gets you — if you know where to look.
Like any industry, fitness influencers are a mixed bag. Some take great care and work full-time jobs to put forth top-tier, evidence-based, applicable content. Others sling shlock and hope it sticks. If you’re interested in filling your feed with information and resources to help you build muscle, burn fat, get flexible, or simply feel better on a day-to-day basis, we’ve got you covered.
These are BarBend‘s picks for some of the best fitness content creators to follow in 2024. Some are already industry leaders, while others are on the come-up in a big way. But they all produce diverse, accessible, thumb-stopping content tailor-made to help you become your best self.
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1. Renaissance Periodization (@rpstrength)
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Why You Should Follow: Helmed by PhD in Exercise & Sport Science and competitive bodybuilder Dr. Mike Israetel, “RP” produces dedicated bodybuilding content for physique athletes of all levels. Israetel’s recommendations are steeped in real science, but he isn’t afraid to crack a joke (usually at his own expense) along the way. Renaissance Periodization is a great place to start if you’re looking for solid, thorough advice on bodybuilding workout plans, nutrition, and habits.
Where to Find Them: You can find Dr. Israetel on Instagram at @drmikeisraetel. Renaissance Periodization’s Instagram is @rpstrength, and their YouTube is Renaissance Periodization.
2. Fit To Function (@fittofunctionrecovery)
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Why You Should Follow: We believe that strength is for everyone here at BarBend, but most run-of-the-mill training advice on social media is aimed squarely at able-bodied folks. But what if your needs differ from the “norm”?
Fit to Function is a platform built around making exercise and healthy behaviors accessible to those needing more specialized care. Created by speech-language pathologist and certified brain injury specialist Jenna Muri-Rosenthal, Function’s primary … function is to provide exactly that. The page specializes in exercise prescriptions for survivors of brain injuries and strokes, but their work casts a wide net and is guaranteed to meet you where you’re at and, more importantly, get you where you want to go.
Where to Find Them: @fittofunctionrecovery is the Instagram page you should check out. For a more direct resource, you can head to their website fittofunctionrecovery.com.
3. Tony Bloom (@trainbloom)
– Bloom Training (@trainbloom)
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Why You Should Follow: Social media is an avalanche of information. With exabytes (yes, that’s real) of data funneling into your fingertips in real-time, it can be difficult to discern viable health and fitness advice from bad-faith arguments or creators with an agenda (usually, it’s selling you something).
Tony Bloom runs Bloom Training across Instagram, TikTok, and more. Bloom spends his time explaining complex or delicate concepts in a straightforward manner and debunking nonsense fitness advice: Think understanding what “skinny fat” actually means or how your bodily structure changes your technique in the weight room. Bloom relies heavily on scientific data but isn’t afraid to talk straight and tell you when you might be getting misled by a supplement or workout plan.
Where To Find Them: You can link with Bloom at @trainbloom on Instagram or follow along on TikTok at the same handle. Bloom has a YouTube channel, but it currently doesn’t contain any videos.
4. MegSquats (@megsquats)
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Why You Should Follow: Women’s strength and fitness content is more popular than ever — we certainly don’t mourn the demise of gyrating belly bands and other extinct fitness fads aimed at women — thanks in no small part to tenured creators like MegSquats.
Meg Gallagher has been in the game longer than you probably realize. She fired up her YouTube channel back in 2011 and has focused on producing practical, top-tier fitness advice aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at women ever since. Gallagher is a veteran coach; squats are her selling point, but you’ll find her serving up much more than that to her “strong strong friends.”
Where To Find Them: On TikTok, she’s @meg_squats. On Insta, you can find her @megsquats, and her longstanding YouTube channel is the same.
5. Zack Telander (@coach_zt)
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Why You Should Follow: Zack Telander tells it like it is. “Tellie,” a former collegiate strength coach, began his social media career producing content for Olympic lifting and has expanded into a general fitness industry commentary channel over the years. There’s plenty of noise on social media as it is, but there’s also something refreshingly welcome about creators who aren’t afraid to get into the weeds on the issues and, as a bonus, teach you something along the way.
Telander’s educational content remains second to none for weightlifting, and if you’re a strength athlete yourself, he’s probably collaborated with one of your idols. If you want an honest perspective on the ups and downs of being a working professional in the online fitness ecosystem, Telander should be your first stop.
Where To Find Them: Zack mainly produces content for his YouTube channel, Zack Telander. You can find him on Instagram at @coach_zt, and he puts out most of his workout plans on Patreon @zacktelander.
6. Jason & Lauren Pak (@jasonandlaurenpak)
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Why You Should Follow: Jason & Lauren Pak are a husband-wife personal trainer duo. Their platform is constructed around presenting a “reasonable approach” to fitness. What does that look like? Simple (but effective) at-home workouts, quick tips to improve your form, and real-world advice on things like getting back into shape after pregnancy or how to stretch to improve your posture. Their presentation may not be extreme, but their advice is extremely high-quality.
Where To Find Them: As of this article’s publication, the Paks are on the cusp of cracking a million followers on the ‘Gram @jasonandlaurenpak. You can also tune in to The Reasonably Fit Podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
7. Landyn Pan (@fitlandyn)
(@fitlandyn)
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Why You Should Follow: Like any industry, things change slowly in the world of fitness. The wheel of progress is turned by those who are willing to put themselves out there and work hard to make health and exercise a welcoming, inclusive space. Progress has been made for the LGBTQ+ community on this front, but the work is hardly done. And Landyn Pan is hard at work.
Landyn Pan, or Fitlandyn as they’re known online, is a trans personal trainer and coach. They maintain accreditation as a NASM CPT, PPSC, and are PN1 certified. Their mission statement is simple — to help LGBTQ+ individuals get fitter without friction or toxicity along the way. Landyn uses their platform to provide trans-focused health advice, but they also put out plenty of simple, good-sense fitness content that anyone can benefit from.
Where To Find Them: If you want to engage with Landyn, check them out on Instagram @fitlandyn where you can find their client testimonials and plenty of other helpful resources.
8. Hunter Elam (@hunterelam)
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Why You Should Follow: Despite growing popular due to its association with CrossFit, weightlifting is a pretty niche interest. If you don’t have access to a good local coach, you’ll need quality attention from an online educator. Elam and her Move Mountains Training outfit shine here: Elam is a former Team USA athlete who competed at the World Weightlifting Championships. Nowadays, she focuses on teaching the fundamentals of Olympic lifting and general strength training. If you keep up with her social media, you’ll see that her clients’ results speak for themselves.
Where To Find Them: You can check Hunter out on Instagram @hunterelam and also follow along with her athletes on Insta @movemountainstraining.
9. Sohee Carpenter (@soheefit)
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Why You Should Follow: You don’t get yourself onto the cover of Women’s Health magazine by selling fake snake oil — you do it by providing consistent, top-quality health and fitness content to your audience. Sohee Carpenter has spent years building a following on social media doing just that, so maybe you should take a page out of her book.
Carpenter is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist who also happens to have her Masters in the field (and is currently working on her PhD). If that academic pedigree wasn’t enough, her industry tenure proves she can walk the walk. Active on YouTube for over a decade, Carpenter’s content focuses on science-backed training and diet advice: Simple, clear, and actionable.
Where To Find Them: You can find Sohee on Instagram at @soheefit. She also operates her own website at soheefit.com, which comes with e-book access and applications for one-on-one coaching.
10. Joe Bennett (@hypertrophycoach)
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Why You Should Follow: Bodybuilding coach Joe Bennett — known to industry pros as The Hypertrophy Coach — is one of the best in the business. Bennett, a competitor himself, positions his brand as advanced (but accessible) bodybuilding tutelage, such as optimizing joint angles and providing pro-level tips to his followers for free. Bennett works with professional bodybuilders like Terrence Ruffin full-time but is happy to let you peek behind the curtain to see how the best in the business build muscle.
Where To Find Them: You can download the Hypertrophy Coach app from the App Store if you want access to Bennett’s training platform. If you’d prefer a taste test, check out Bennett’s work on Instagram @hypertrophycoach.
11. Sharelle Grant (@sharellegrant)
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Why You Should Follow: Sharelle Grant is a WBFF pro bodybuilder and personal trainer who provides some of the most slept-on content directed toward women who want to build muscle. There’s a middle ground between hardcore powerlifting and ineffectual, frilly, booty-band-lateral-glute-medius-twirl-kickback “workouts” — that’s where you’ll find Grant, producing high-quality content aimed at women that is both practical and sensible.
Where To Find Them: Grant has her own training app called Women’s Health Movement. But you can find most of her content on Instagram, @sharellegrant.
12. Eugene Teo (@coacheugeneteo)
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Why You Should Follow: A good bodybuilding coach knows how to think outside the box. The basics will take you pretty far in the muscle-building game, but at a certain point, you may want to broaden your horizons while also remaining firmly grounded. Australia-based coach and trainer Eugene Teo has carved out a niche in the social media ecosystem for his ability to condense large, complicated topics into digestible explanations.
Moreover, Teo loves to introduce, prescribe, and explain exotic or uncommon exercises without overhyping them as the “next big thing.” Despite being a bodybuilding competitor himself, Teo, by his own admission, is focused squarely on helping the everyday gymgoer move and feel better.
Where To Find Them: Teo produces content for Instagram (@coacheugeneteo) and YouTube (under the same handle). If you want him to guide your training from start to finish, you may consider giving his Ganbaru Method app a go.
13. Jonni Shreve (@JonniShreve)
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Why You Should Follow: Bodybuilding isn’t as straightforward as sports like powerlifting or Olympic lifting. There’s an artistry and instinct to building muscle that makes it extra valuable to digest information from various sources. Bodybuilding content creator Jonni Shreve serves up a little bit of everything, but his bread and butter is putting a fresh spin on your favorite bodybuilding exercises with actionable tips and shrewd advice.
Where To Find Them: Shreve cranks out a lot of high-quality content on YouTube @JonniShreve. If you’re on Instagram, look for him there @jonnishreveofficial.
14. Ryan VanNieuwenhuyze (@thebarbelldoc)
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Why You Should Follow: Many physiotherapists don’t know how to properly treat strength training-related injuries. While the advice is well-intentioned, you’re also fairly likely to be told by a medical doctor that heavy strength training is dangerous. Fortunately, there’s a growing collection of medical professionals who actually lift — and Dr. VanNieuwenhuyze is the cream of that crop.
The Barbell Doc is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy whose clinical practice focuses squarely on caring for lifting and sports-related ailments. His prescriptions aren’t about sidelining you for months of wishy-washy rehab; it’s about getting you back under the barbell quickly and, more importantly, safely.
Where To Find Them: If you’re based in Connecticut, you may want to pay a visit to Barbell Physical Therapy & Performance in person. If not, check out Dr. VanNieuwenhuyze on Instagram @thebarbelldoc.
15. Mitchell Hooper (@mitchellhooper)
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Why You Should Follow: Canadian strongman Mitchell Hooper burst onto the scene only a few years ago and rapidly ascended to the top of the sport, winning its most prestigious title in 2023. Since then, Hooper has been on a rampage online, rapidly expanding his brand and social media channels.
He’s still training hard, but his followers can also watch him undertake various challenges, experiment with different sports, and even see how many fourth-graders it takes to beat the strongest man in the world in tug-of-war.
Where To Find Them: Hooper is making a big push on his YouTube channel, @mitchellhooperstrongman. You can also find him on Instagram @mitchellhooper.
16. Fergus Crawley (@ferguscrawley)
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Why You Should Follow: Hybrid training is so in right now. The hybrid craze is all about balancing heavy-duty lifting with distance running or another form of vigorous cardio. However, it’s much easier if you have someone guiding you along the way.
Fergus Crawley’s achievements as an athlete speak for themselves. He’s famous for feats like running a 5:16 mile at over 200 pounds of body weight, plus doing a sub-12-hour triathlon and hitting a 1,200-pound powerlifting Total (the cumulative 1-rep max back squat, bench press, and deadlift) in the same day.
But Crawley doesn’t keep his training methodology secretive; he’s more than happy to explain the ins and outs of hybrid training and teach you how to use your body to its fullest potential.
Where To Find Them: Crawley mainly produces content on Instagram and YouTube. You can find him on Insta @ferguscrawley, and on the ‘Tube @ferguscrawley95.
17. Andy Chen (@dr.andychen)
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Why You Should Follow: Based in the Big Apple, Dr. Andy Chen’s credentials run almost as long as 5th Avenue itself. Chen is a Personal Trainer, Doctor of Physical Therapy, certified kettlebell instructor, and more. But more than anything, Chen is a healthcare professional dedicated to treating chronic sport-related injuries and getting his clients off the bench and back into the game.
Chen provides clinical services both remotely and in-person and, on the ‘Gram, spends his time communicating with followers on all things related to body and barbell. Sure, Andy can probably fix that nagging hip you’ve been ignoring, but he can also teach you how to optimize your row form on back day and make better muscle gains because of it.
Where To Find Them: Dr. Chen is responsive on Instagram @dr.andychen. His practice, @moment.ptp, provides consultations virtually and has offices in Soho and Long Island City.
Featured Image: Starstuff / Shutterstock
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