Learning about the best Instagram trainers to follow is a fun and productive way to update your workout and wellness routine. There are plenty of fitness pros on the ‘gram who are dishing out the best sweat sessions to get rid of your belly pooch or achieve toned, sleek dancer arms. They’re offering how to sculpt a beach-ready body without going to the gym, along with how to channel your own post-workout smoothie era. (Sign us up for that!) So long as you’re aware of the best trainers to follow, recommended by personal trainers themselves, you’ll be set to totally slay your next workout.
We spoke with Tim Fraser, CPT, Blink Fitness, and Tyler Read, the founder of PTPioneer.com and a personal trainer who has been involved in the health and fitness world for the past 15 years, who share their input on the absolute best Instagram trainers to follow. Keep reading to learn all about them, and when you’re finished, don’t miss the 5 Best Personal Trainers to Follow on YouTube if You Want to Get Fit.
Amir Zandinejad—aka @beardthebestyoucanbe on Instagram—is a certified mobility specialist with a whopping one million followers on the platform. Fraser recommends giving Zandinejad a follow—and for good reason. “As we get stronger, we need to continue to work on our mobility and range of motion,” he explains. “Amir does a great job at explaining the why and how through daily tips and tricks.”
In one of Zandinejad’s videos where he shares some facts about himself, he explains his job is to teach his followers about mobility training and how to flow through movements “with less pain and more freedom.” From posts on how to train intentionally and how to start mobility training in the first place, to full-body “CARS” (controlled articular rotations) for beginners, you’re sure to use plenty of useful info from Zandinejad.
Michelle West is a fitness and nutrition coach and NPC bikini competitor (@chelleywest on Instagram). “Follow her stories as she breaks down every meal she eats to prep for competitions and perform in Broadway shows,” Fraser says. “She’s very open and honest and is ready to answer any questions you might throw her way. Need to know what to eat to get snatched? Follow Michelle.”
As West puts it in one of her videos where she’s lifting weights, “Every workout is a chance to redefine your limits and set new milestones. Embrace the discomfort and embrace the progress.”
Fitness trainer Jack Hanrahan (@jackhanrahnfitness on Instagram) is serving up major inspiration on everything you need to know about rebuilding your body “stronger, fitter, and healthier than ever.” Hanrahan offers insight on how to successfully perform an overhead press, boost your mobility, overcome pain in your lower back, and build up your “relative strength.”
“Not sure what good form looks like? Not sure where to start in the gym or what move works what muscle? Jack breaks down moves simply and concisely,” Fraser says. “Learn a new move every single day with Jack and watch yourself get stronger.”
Layne Norton (@biolayne on Instagram) has a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences and is an IPF World Champion 93kg M1. He’s also the co-founder of Carbon Diet Coach and Outwork Nutrition (science-based supplements). According to Read, “Layne Norton does an amazing job of debunking common nutrition myths. He always brings in a scientific perspective and cites all the claims he makes.”
Fitness trainer Bret Contreras “The Glute Guy” Ph.D., CSCS (@bretcontreras1 on Instagram) has 1.2 million followers, and it’s easy to see why. Contreras is the inventor of the barbell hip thrust and is known for the amazing way he approaches glute training. “If you want to grow a bigger ‘peach’ (guys or gals!), then Bret is the account to follow,” Read says.
Mike Israetel (@drmikeisraetel on Instagram) is an NPC bodybuilder, a professor at Lehman College, and the co-founder of Team Full ROM and RP Strength | Nutrition & Training. “Mike Israetel is a great resource for science-based bodybuilding advice as well as funny memes related to fitness,” Read explains. From vacation leg training to insight on training until failure for muscle growth to protein-packed pre- and post-workout meal inspiration, Israetel is your guy.
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Alexa Mellardo
