Social media is flooded with people posting selfies. Here a selfie at the club, beach, mall, an extravagant vacation spot. You name it. Because of the addictive nature of social media, we mindlessly scroll for hours, absorbing the highlight reel of a person's life. Some fitness accounts are the same way. The pictures are at the best angle, in the best outfit, at a super fancy gym. It is hard to sift through all of those accounts to find ones that give raw advice on what lifting takes. Don't worry, I've done the scrolling for you.
Here are my 5 favorite fitness accounts that I follow:
Dr. Aaron Horschig is a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in body mechanics that are used during big lifts. This account is for those of you who thrive off of knowing the nitty gritty on lifting and want to improve the quality of your lifts.
He literally wrote a book called "The Squat Bible." It is an excellent read and very interesting for someone who is into optimizing their performance. The content on this account ranges from motivational to educational. He includes videos that breaks down the mechanics of multiple exercises and mobility tips to help improve your performance. He debunks cues you have been given your whole life, such as "Drive through the heels." Squat University has a website where you can find blog posts and many more resources. Personally, I have learned a ton from following this account.
2) @Haparican
Amanda Kohatsu is the CEO of Doughnuts and Deadlifts apparel, as well as an online coach. She includes different workouts on her stories, offers tips on how to maximize your lifts, and offers up real motivation when you need it most. Her lifting videos, as of late, have been of her killing it in her garage gym. This shows her audience that you don't need a whole lot to get moving. I think it has served as a true inspiration for those feeling down because their gym is closed during COVID. The main reason why I love her account so much is because she is raw. She is no bullshit and shares the struggles she has had during her lifting journey. Every week, like most accounts I follow, she does a Q&A on her story and every week she answers bluntly. I think it is so important to have women speaking their truth about anything, really, but especially about the fitness community. Because of all the things women have been told about fitness and what "fitness for women" should be, it is a breath of fresh air to see someone that doesn't give a shit about the standards and makes her own path.
Kenhide is a strength coach and personal trainer. You will often see her featured on the Women's Health Instagram page, and on their website. Her account contains a lot of diverse content. She showcases different strength training exercises by using a variety of equipment. Kenhide gives her audience some tips on mobility, and how to improve their form. My favorite content that she shares are tips on how to better engage your core during training. I struggle with this a TON! She wrote a whole guide on core training. It is up for pre-sale right now, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. If you're interested in your own copy, click the link in her Instagram bio! I think the reason why I am drawn to her account is because she gives off such an empowering vibe. Her information is easy to understand and she looks like a total badass in all of her videos.
4) @MegSquats
Meg Gallagher, aka MegSquats, is a trainer and powerlifter. On Meg's account you can find a mixture of content. She posts her own lifts, product reviews, and answers a lot of follower questions. The best content, in my opinion, that she posts are snippets from her online program (I'll get to that in a minute.) Her workouts cater to those who has access to a gym and those who are working out at home. It is literally for everyone. Strong Strong Friends is the name of her company. They provide a beginner, and intermediate lifting program for CHEAP (literally $8 a month) and a nutrition course. Meg offers one one one nutrition coaching, as well. Strong Strong supply is the apparel and equipment company founded by Meg. They offer basic equipment, such as belts, wraps, and resistance bands. Her instagram is great, but her YouTube channel also contains a TON of useful information. I love following Meg because of her personality. She's really quirky and doesn't hide it in her stories. She makes corny jokes, laughs at herself, and is unfiltered. She remind me a lot of myself. It is fun to see someone let their weird flag fly, even when they have half a million followers on the gram.
5) @DocJenFit
Dr. Jen Esquer is a doctor of physical therapy. She sits on the Women's Health Magazine Advisory Board, and is the co-host of a podcast called "The Optimal Body." Jen shares a lot of useful information about mobility. From Achilles tendon tightness to shoulder mobility limitations, she covers it all. Her videos go through symptoms you may have due to a mobility issue and exercises to help fix them. She has a full program and app called "The Optimal Body," which challenges you to test you mobility and improve muscle compensations you may have. The resources are unlimited when it comes to mobility, but I choose to follow her because of how easy she makes things seem. She breaks down the issue and exercise in a way that caters to all fitness levels. Dr. Jen has more educational materials on Youtube and in her podcast.
Final Thoughts:
These are just a few accounts that I have been loving lately. I'm sure there are many more that I should pay attention to. If you have an account that you think I should be following/ sharing from, drop it in the comments or shoot me a DM! I love finding new content and inspiration from people who are already doing fitness well. With that being said, if you follow accounts that stir negative feelings in you when you see them posting, unfollow them! It is that simple. Social media should be an uplifting place we go for motivation and inspiration. Do yourself a favor and only fill your feed with things that inspire you.
To you, my Maiden Friend, - Coach CoJo *I do not own the rights to any of the included photos.