Should You Follow a YouTube Fitness Instructor?

Virtual workout
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

In this day and age, there are about a billion different ways to receive guidance in the world of fitness. You can choose to sign up for a gym and hire a trainer—or you can opt to work out at home and follow any of the multiple different online YouTube fitness gurus. These influencer types promote their work on social media, hoping to gain a following, but also seeking to help out individuals looking for mentors. But should you go this route?

Like so many other things in life, deciding whether or not you should follow a fitness instructor on YouTube really depends on what kind of person you are. Because as helpful and knowledgeable as so many of these online instructors can be, it’s not always prudent to receive guidance from them.

Some people require a bit more of a hands on approach, for a couple reasons. One, an online instructor won’t always hold you accountable when you miss a day—and that can throw you off if you haven’t established enough self-conviction in yourself yet. Two, some people just respond better to in-person training. The only way to know for sure is to try it out, and see how you respond. If you start to see success from following a YouTube instructor, then clearly it’s right for you!