Fitness “Influencers” Are Being Exposed. Here’s Where to Go For Inspiration and Information
Fitness influencers are being roasted across the internet — and it’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Chads like James from Shredded Sports Science put influencers on blast who lie about their obvious steroid use while promoting cheap supplements, crappy workout programs and duck eggs (seriously) as miracle solutions for muscle growth and fat loss.
Greg Doucette, a professional bodybuilder with a Masters degree in kinesiology, routinely calls out misinformation relating to body physiology. He preaches managing expectations, fitting fitness within the confines of your life, and doing your own research.
Oh and he promotes eating whole foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep for proper recovery, and performing regular cardiovascular exercise for heart health. Novel ideas, I know.
James and Greg are two of the many personalities calling out these charlatans, and more are jumping on the bandwagon every day. But most importantly, people are listening.
They’re unfollowing these freakshows. They’re not buying their products. They’ve stopped believing their lies.
How do we know this?
Fitness influencers are getting desperate. And in their desperation they’re resorting to crazier and crazier methods of gaining attention and recognition.
This dude thought it would be a good idea to combine pull-ups and the spin bike. Without wearing a shirt, of course.
This chick thinks slamming energy drinks loaded with hundreds of milligrams of caffeine in her underwear is a good way to sell product. Then she talks about how good the “tingles” make her feel…
Tingles is an adorable way to say heart palpitations.
“Fitfluencers” are on the way out. Once they started placing financial gain and personal fame (infamy?) over the needs of the people they claim to serve, they officially jumped the shark.
It’s not enough to simply look good anymore. People are waking up. A six pack and a great butt doesn’t rake in the cash like it used to. You’ve got to actually know what the hell you’re talking about.
People are voting with their wallets and the vote is in.
This begs the question(s) — where do we go now? Is there anyone left to trust?
Leave it to the professionals
It’s funny how things eventually come full circle.
For most of modern history there was no internet. People relied solely on their doctors, often family friends or acquaintances, for medical advice. These were well-respected members of the community who viewed medicine as a calling, not just a career. They had tremendous respect for the people under their care and the responsibility they bore.
It’s time we listen to our doctors once again.
The internet has given us TikTok, the Nigerian Prince email scam, and big-time influencer / resident fitness industry laughing-stock Mike O’Hearn. But the internet has also given us Dr. David Sinclair, Dr. Peter Attia and Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
Smart, driven all-stars in their respective fields.
Dr. Sinclair is doing fascinating research on the aging process. He believes we’ll soon be able to pause and even reverse aging. That aging is a disease to be cured, not an inevitability to endure.
Dr. Attia is more wholistic. He’s interested in increasing lifespan, health span and well-being. He looks for ways to optimize cognitive, physical, and emotional health.
Dr. Patrick focuses on nutrition and disease prevention. She is known for her ground-breaking work on the link between mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis (natural death of cells), and cancer.
These aren’t your grandparents’ doctors.
You don’t only see them once a year in some stuffy office. They come to you, and they’re out in force. Their studies are published online in original form. They’ve written books. They host podcasts and produce high-quality YouTube videos.
They engage with fans and colleagues at symposiums and seminars. They lecture at universities across the country. They appear on major podcast productions like the Joe Rogan Experience which, regardless of your feelings on Joe, reach hundreds of millions of listeners per month.
These are folks with respect for the people they care for. These are the folks who are called to the highest ideals of the medical profession, who understand the power of the internet — that to be as helpful as possible, they must reach as many people as possible.
Now to you
It’s hard to become a doctor, and for good reason. We need to make damn sure the people in charge of our health have what it takes. We need to know they’re driven by passion, not numbers in their bank account.
We need to know they know what the hell they’re talking about.
Listen to the doctors. Stop watching these influencers. Unsubscribe from their YouTube channels. Unfollow them on Instagram and TikTok. Stop buying their useless crap.
Yes, you won’t get the constant dopamine hits. Yes, you’ll lose out on “entertainment value.” But the flip side is better health and a better life.
Who’d say no to that?
This is great. It’s frightening to see people blindly follow influencer tips because it’s under the guise of being healthy. I am hopeful that more people start realizing the truth.
Great article. I like how forward you are when discussing the things that matter in the industry. I agree with you that everyone eventually shifts to “smart money.”
With that being said I’d be curious on your opinion of Dr Charles Brenners review of Lifespan, which was very critical. Along the same vein as influencers just cash grabbing.
I included it in my monthly roundup for September on my substack. I can post the link to Dr Brenners review here if you want your audience to see it also?