A little background… I get asked every day by males (14 to 40 years old) about reliable sources of fitness information on the internet. Most of the questions pertain to males on YouTube that discuss exercise, nutrition, and similar topics. Since there are so many channels, it’s extremely time-consuming to keep up with all of them and often, their opinions aren’t the same. This confuses a lot of beginners (and even intermediates) so this list will make your life easier. If you’re going to look to YouTube for some advice, subscribe to these.
The criterion is based 90% on my professional opinion and 10% on my personal opinion, if that makes sense. I’ve met two of these men but I am neither friends nor acquaintances with any of them. I get nothing from putting their names on the list and nothing from keeping other people off it. Now this isn’t based solely on popularity, number of subscribers, net worth, age, race, the heaviest combined lifts, the biggest biceps, the most attractive, the most educated, the most clients for online training, the most certified, etc.
Some of the criteria include who provides consistent quality content, who makes the fewest mistakes, who makes topics interesting and understandable, who cares about helping you more than promoting themselves, who has both education and practical experience, and who you can believe because you can relate to them. I also take into consideration who interacts with their fans the most, from what I can see and the stories I’ve heard. I don’t take into consideration if anyone takes steroids or is a horrible athlete outside of bodybuilding and powerlifting. This list is not intended to be the Top 5, but rather my top 5 FOR YOU. (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets are not being taken into consideration.)
Without boring you any further, here are a few honorable mentions and then the top 5, in no particular order. (It’s not a contest.)
Honorable Mentions:
Scooby gets a lot of hate in the industry, but he deals with it like a true gentlemen. His page started in 2006 and has focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a low budget. He provides workouts with household objects and simple, economical meals. Although he claims to focus on bodybuilding, Scooby also demonstrates a lot of calisthenics and he even has a passion for endurance sports, which his travel videos show. If you can’t afford supplements, expensive protein, and a gym membership but want to build balance, strength, and muscle mass, Scooby is your guy. While he might come out with some off the wall stuff sometimes, he doesn’t take himself too seriously and offers a lot of disclaimers. His explanations are straight forward, which is exactly what a lot of people need.
I’ve been watching Tuan’s videos since 2007 and I have a lot of respect for him. He constantly is willing to go outside of his comfort zone and change his workout routine to not only make himself better, but use that experience for his clients. I don’t know him, but I feel like he trains 40 clients a week. At 5’7, 185 lbs, his strength and physique are extremely impressive and motivating, especially for the average individual since he’s not larger than life. Tuan offers some of the best videos on demonstrating and explaining how to perform exercises, ranging from body weight to kettlebells to recovery, including foam rolling. He speaks slowly, so he’s easy to understand for non-native English speakers and his presentations reflect his knowledge in the field of training. If you want to learn how to perform specific exercises correctly, with proper biomechanics, subscribe to Tuan. He does, however, lack some energy so you’ll need patience. (If Tuan can travel a bit more and do more events in the community he will move even higher.)
I have to honestly say, I think Hungry & Fit would be best friends with Furious Pete & Mel Diva, but that doesn’t affect this choice.
Pete has potentially put more effort, blood, sweat, and tears into his past eight years on YouTube than anyone else. I’ve witnessed that having been subscribed to him since 2007 for his competitive eating videos, and now everything. It seems like he wasn’t a ‘natural born athlete’, isn’t a certified personal trainer, etc, but that just makes me respect his desire to increase his presence in the fitness industry. I do have to knock him down a bit for labeling himself as a “Fitness Guru,” but I think he’s on the track of being there one day. He is painfully easy to relate to for so many men out there (literally, he survived testicular cancer and some other scary hospital visits) and he comes out of these battles tougher than before, like a true Saiyan. (I can’t help myself.) He just works out for health; he does bodybuilding, but tries powerlifting, throws in olympic lifting, eats all sorts of crazy stuff, travels all over the place. He takes on ridiculous challenges, and survives. If you want a reason to be motivated, or dedicated to a cause, or dedicated for life, you need to subscribe to Furious Pete. He will make you realize that anything is possible. (And if Pete increases his fitness qualifications he’ll be in the top 5 in no time.)
Top 5:
Screw it, PhD or MD, I’ll call you a doctor. You went through an insane amount of school to earn that and along the way you learned a ridiculous amount of information about a topic. For Dr. Norton, that’s nutritional sciences. He actually knows about protein synthesis and is the authority in the industry for what you need to consume. The big three include exercise, nutrition, and recovery…. well, here is your go to source of information for nutrition. He also is an experienced, competitive powerlifter with an insane physique. He’s down to earth and does a great job making complex ideas understandable, which is what you need. I will say that he might not be quite as active as some other YouTubers, despite starting in 2006, but we all know that quality is more important than quantity. I also respect the fact that he sticks with his team and doesn’t do much work with the larger YouTube group of personalities.
Professional wrestler. Movie star. Record-setting powerlifter. Inventor. Gym owner. Mark Bell’s only limitation for the general population is that he specializes in powerlifting, so the majority of his content is there. Now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t talk about nutrition, athletics, and other healthy living topics, because he does. Mark just chooses to focus on bench press, squats (skwat), and deadlifts because that’s his specialty. He has one of the best training facilities in the country. He has invented amazing products to help protect you during those exercises and he gives explanations for how to use them on his page. I met him and I don’t think he’s all about selling his product but he obviously believes in it, which I respect. Plus, Mark has the experience putting his body on the line, and I know what that’s worth. He’s probably been in pain and he doesn’t want to see you in pain, so listen to him. For everything powerlifting, bench press, squat, deadlift, subscribe to Mark Bell. But, since he’s in the top 5, has one of the best fitness podcasts ever, and has provided YT content since 2007, I would just subscribe to him anyway!
Big J has this x-factor that makes him really enjoyable. He is more active with his fans than most YouTubers. He’s always supportive and polite in his responses, even though he doesn’t need to be. He’s only been on the YT scene since 2009 but he’s made a huge impact and has done tons of collaborations because, like I said before, who can have anything against Big J. He’s older than most others but still puts just as much, if not more, effort into his workouts. He has his own fitness facility, bends horseshoes, recently started his own supplement line, and has just been doing so much in the industry lately that everyone is finding out who he is. While his focus is bodybuilding, I’d classify it as intense bodybuilding. He performs tremendous feats of strength, including one arm barbell snatches and deadlifts. His commitment to his cause and intensity make him a huge source of motivation for individuals that are in their 40s and later. They can say if Big J can do it, why can’t I at least try? I’m really looking forward to Big J’s future projects but watch him now as a source of motivation, something to increase your intensity.
Thinking of these stupid titles, I can’t help but put The Machine for Marc. This man clearly works around the clock. When I met him for an early morning workout, he burst through the door with an insane amount of energy. Still, that enthusiasm isn’t his most useful tool for you. His experience throughout every corner of the fitness industry makes him an invaluable resource. Add that to his life experience of being a father to multiple children and businessman, and this is one guy you would want to take professional advice from. If you’re watching YT fitness channels to enter or advance in the industry, watch Mark. He will tell you what to do in interviews, how to not be a personal trainer in a major gym chain, and other great advice for aspiring professionals. He doesn’t do many instructional exercise videos but one of his “life” videos is worth far more than a good leg workout. A great leg workout won’t change your healthy lifestyle, but some of his videos might. He puts out a ton of content and makes it extremely entertaining; he has little to no filter but is professional enough, since he doesn’t want to be sued. His insight in the industry seems unmatched and you need to watch his videos if you’re serious about fitness. Oh, and he joined YT in 2009, but if you want to see his resume, check his LinkedIn. It’s too long for me to list all the companies he has founded, but I will say that MTS Nutrition is one of the best supplement companies. Period.
Scott Herman – The Poster Child
Scott Herman. As much as I’d like to consider his being a fellow nerd and fan of Dragonball Z, I can’t do that. He still makes the list, easily, without that. He honestly might be the gold standard for Male YouTube Fitness personalities. He’s insanely fit, has an incredible physique, and it looks achievable. People can relate to him, he is extremely charismatic, interacts with his fans a lot through his website, and provides chances for them to engage in his channel. His workouts are high quality and he provides instructions for how to perform them. When people ask me online how to perform a muscle up, I still to this day send them the link to his video, which seems like it came out years ago. I’ve seen his growth since he started in 2009 although it feels like he has been around since the beginning. He was even on the Real World. He’s all over the place, has tons of positive energy, a thick NY accent, and both the knowledge and experience to provide amazing content. He is an absolute must subscription for everything workout related.
Because subscribing to the right people on YouTube is essential (if you’re a young or middle-aged man) to stay hungry & fit.
BONUS KITTY PIC
Sleepy Sajah
Could you write up a similar blog post about the best female inspirations within the fitness industry? Would be interesting to read
Absolutely! It will be fun to include every female in the industry rather than just on YouTube, not to mention the dynamic ingredient of pure inspiration! Thanks Sofia!
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