The Fitness and Health industry is full of information. Unfortunately, much of that information comes from sources who remain married to a single approach and often allow biases and financial influences to dictate their agenda.
Throughout the last 5 years I have spent an excessive (and probably obsessive) amount of time studying Exercise Science both in University and online. The majority of quality information I have consumed and put into practice came from the online realm.
This list is not in any order, and is meant to give credit to those who are doing good in the industry, remain rather objective and unbiased, and produce quality information that more people should be exposed to. All of these people have displayed the ability to adjust their approach, and admit when they have been wrong or don’t know something. This is a quality I deeply respect.
A few of these fine humans also offered suggestions on other people worth checking out. I have listed a few of those suggestions as well.
**In regards to the suggestions, many suggested the same people. Many also suggested people I already included in the list. There are a few instances where overlap in suggestions occurred. Oh well.
Phil has been in the industry for over 20 years, and has become one of the most respected educators out there. I first came across Phil’s work around 3 years ago, and found it to be quite refreshing and informative. He began a podcast in August of 2013 (you can it find at phillearney.com), which become one of my favorite sources of information due to the quality explanations of important concepts. He currently spends most of his time and energy educating fitness professionals through his seminars and workshops. I highly recommend studying some of Phil’s work if you at all interested in the nutritional aspects of physical transformations. (or any other aspect, honestly)
Most of Yoni’s work revolves around public policies in the realm of health and obesity, while also tackling articles on corporations, big food, and the financial implications of such partnerships. He has an uncanny ability to make very complex situations seem simple and logical, and almost always has a “level head” when approaching such situations. He blogs regularly at weightmatters.ca. However, if you find yourself to be an avid Coca-Cola fan… Yoni may not be your main man.
Yoni’s suggestions:
Alan Aragon , Kevin Klatt, James Fell, Spencer Nadolsky.
Ben is a personal trainer, fitness model, and PES sponsored athlete. I think the quality I respect the most from Ben is his transparency. He brings some of the more important, yet often overlooked aspects of the fitness and health industry to light on his facebook page…often putting himself out on a limb and using his own experiences as the example. This takes some balls. I applaud you, Ben.
Ben’s Suggestions:
“James Krieger, Eric Helms, Stu Phillips, Brad Schoenfeld. All these guys are worth a follow.”
Alan is known for his ability to cut through the BS that is present in both “Broscience” as well as published research. He has an uncanny ability of destroying dogma. You can find most of his work either on his facebook page or his website: Alanaragon.com. I would also suggest checking out The Alan Aragon Research Review (AARR), which is: “An unbiased monthly critical analysis and application of the latest research pertaining to nutrition, exercise, and supplementation.”
I became AARR’d about two weeks ago, and have spent an excessive amount of time (to the dismay of my professors) reading the last years worth of archived information.
I would argue that Brad has pioneered and polished the intersection between science and practicality in regards to muscle hypertrophy. He has over 70 peer-reviewed studies published, while also having a few bodybuilding titles under his belt as well. Academic prowess meets applicable practices would be a good slogan for this fella. If you are at all interested in muscle hypertrophy, I would check out his website and other work. Brad is one of the most respected men in the industry for good reason.
Sol and Kamal co-founded the most incredible resource for quantifying supplementation and nutrition efficacy, Examine.com. I would highly suggest utilizing this website when researching any supplement or nutritional aspect of health. I would argue, however, that Sol may actually be better known for his 3 pound Kit-Kat creation than any of the work he did for Examine.com. Sol also gave me the hint of possibly planning of a giant Twix bar. That alone could be worth checking out. UPDATE: Here is the Twix bar. Oh my. Yum.
Sol’s Suggestions:
Gillian Mandich and the rest of the Examine.com team. (Kamal Patel)
Nia has done some amazing work in the realm of influencing more females to begin strength training. Her goal is to emphasize simplicity and sanity while helping other females grow stronger both physically and mentally. Her website, niashanks.com is a great resource for any female looking to take up strength training.
Ben is one of the most genuine guys in the industry. He labels himself as an “Opinionated Nutritionist, Educator, and Speaker”, yet he tackles topics in a very tasteful and objective way. I think I discovered Ben through his podcast, Ben Coomber Radio, and have been a fan ever since. One of the aspects I like most about Ben is that he manages to keep a level head. I have witnessed multiple occasions on his facebook page where he would respond in the most polite manner to some of the most ignorant comments. Well done, sir.
Ben’s Suggestions: Phil learney, Layne Norton, Brad schoenfeld, Bret Contreras.
Like lifting heavy things? Greg does too. He has held 3 all-time world records in powerlifting, as well as a few records in writing good shit. Greg comes out with some of the most comprehensive, yet easily digestible information out there in regards to strength training principles and methods. His website, Strengtheory.com, has been an incredible resource for me and many others.
Greg’s many quality suggestions:
Examine.com, Dr. Eric Helms, Dr. Jose Antonio, Paul Ingraham, Dr. Mike Israetel, Adel Moussa, Aaron Swanson, Dean Somerset, Dr. Bret Contreras, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, Alan Aragon.
The fitness industry is full of nonsense. Andy does an incredible job of providing nonsense free content that aims to simplify the process of losing body-fat. His website, RippedBody.jp, contains some of the highest quality guides I have ever come across. Seriously. Those babies are thorough AND applicable.
Eric is one of the smartest men out there. He runs a company (3DMuscleJourney) that specializes in contest preparation. I would suggest that EVERYONE take the time to watch his youtube series on the Nutritional Pyramid and the Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid. These should become mandatory study material for anyone interesting in physical transformations and the hierarchy of focus to achieve them.
This article started off very simple, but has turned into an incredibly high quality list of good people doing good things. Thank you to everyone who made suggestions and provided some quality insight. I hope those of you reading this found a few more resources to add to your health and fitness education toolbox.
If anyone featured in the article wishes to change anything or add suggestions please let me know.
It should also be noted that NONE of the links are affiliate links. They are just links put out there to give you access to some of the highest quality information from people I respect.
My name is Josh, and I am currently in my senior year studying Exercise Science at the University of Montana. I have been attempting to figure out a way to make the gym a more positive and personable place. You can check out the project here: Humans of the Gym.