No races and lockdown means YouTube is the big winner in the first half of 2020 so far. Honey has a YouTube channel about remote controls and he’s been doing pretty well with it lately too. I occasionally make an appearance on there but if you appreciate the cinematography on there, you’re welcome! I figured you might be stuck at home and looking for some fitness themed entertainment. Like everyone else I watch a lot of YouTube usually while I’m writing this but most of it isn’t fitness themed. I usually subscribe to a channel based on the creator’s personality so it crosses a lot of genres. If someone gives out crap information that doesn’t fly with me whether its a running channel or a beauty guru. I thought now might be the perfect time to compile a list of creators that you might like too if you like me! I’ll tell you who they are, why I like them and what to expect as well as a link to their channel. I actually subscribe to less than 50 channels so you could say I’m pretty selective. Almost none of these channels post workout videos and if they do that’s not what I’m there for generally.
PS Something weird was going on with the links in the channel names but you’ll figure it out since I couldn’t.
Abby Pollock: Abby is mostly a lifter but she also has an engineering degree and a love for science. She digs into the science of what she’s talking about and it’s always bang on! Like charts and references to peer reviewed articles. You can expect gear reviews, metabolism information and really detailed videos. I love her because you can tell she’s very specific and thoughtful about what she posts and she has a great energy.
Hopescope: The self proclaimed legging queen does do a lot of legging reviews but she is just as cute as a peach and so is her dog. She reviews a lot of clothes and even has a lumen meter for her squat tests. I love her because she does everything from Lululemon to wish. She’s up to pan or endorse either by the way. She is really funny, sweet and down to earth. She also does lots of giveaways and you can tell she does a lot of investing in her channel and loves her viewers.
Keltie O’Connor: If there is one gal on this list that deserves more love it’s Keltie! She’s mostly a fitness YouTuber now but she’s also a Canadian gal. She does some fitness modeling so she is in fact super fit but she’s an advocate for moving your body in a way that feels good to you. She has done and continues to lots of challenge videos but rather than ending up as click bait type videos there are actually full of quality balanced information. Plus she’s super cute and funny while she does it! She lifts, runs, golfs, hikes and does lots of other things too. Recently she’s added Vlogging to her channel but she still does challenges, try-ons and lots of other stuff too. You should seriously go check her out, you’ll love her!
Michelle Khare: Michelle is probably one of the bigger voices in women’s fitness without being someone who is mostly just trading on sex appeal and ‘instagram worthy’ content. She also does challenges but with her reach they are way cooler than what other YouTubers are doing right now. She has a series called challenge accepted where she goes through training for the coolest things! It might be training to be an FBI agent or professional figure skater. She’s incredibly honest, down to earth and believe it or not her videos sometimes tug at my heart strings and bring a tear to my eye. Other than her challenge videos she helps people with fitness transformations and her content is next level engaging and varied.
My thoughts will probably offend you: I love her and I could say that I struggled with whether or not to include her on this list but that wouldn’t really be true. Also I thought about it and I don’t think she ever said anything that offended me… Also named Michelle she is a personal trainer, formerly overweight and adult cosplayer. Which means she does a lot of her videos dressed up in crazy outfits. She’s great at telling it like it is and calling out bull$hit that I would be afraid to. She goes after the fitness freaks, body positivity and leery gym goers alike. I think she would be really good for someone who is just starting out for motivation, decent balanced information and realistic information. Also #noexcuses! Her characters are hilarious and she’s also not afraid to laugh at herself.
Natacha Oceane: Natacha is a former iron man triathlete who does the odd fitness challenge. Now I think she more so focuses on lifting but girl still has some mad endurance skills. In one of her recent videos she ran an ultra with like almost no training. Her longest run in the last 6 months was 8k to demonstrate the power of believing in yourself. I don’t love or watch all of her content but the stuff I like I really like. She does have her own fitness plan line but save for the odd video here and there she doesn’t push it that often. She’s cute as a button, sweet as a pea and what that girl can do with her body is amazing. Apparently she has a PhD in biophysics too. Check her out if you like her I’ll bet you really like her.
The running channel: This is my newest subscription on the list. There are two main presenters and the odd guest presenter and they deliver very clear, concise information about running. Their videos are really well done and well edited. A lot of the information is the kind of thing every runner should learn eventually and they’re really good at commenting on current events like racing and COVID-19. I would say this is a good first source to go to if you want basic running information in video format. Plus you can really tell everyone on the channel is really passionate about running, sharing good information which is really cool.
VO2maxproductions: This channel is hosted by an elite (vegan I think) marathon runner. That’s pretty much three things I’m not. Admittedly the presenter’s personality is a little dry, don’t tell him though I don’t think he knows yet. But… just like the last channel is great for basic running information I think that’s what this guy thinks he’s doing too… Not sure but it reads that way. What it vo2max actually does is offer you a glimpse into the mind of an elite runner. He dives into the minutia of the sport on a regular basis. Things like heart rate training in different types of speed work and the nitty gritty details of carb loading way beyond eat lots of pizza the day before. I love it though! I race and take my races seriously but it’s a really cool glimpse into another running world. I’ve found some really great next level tips and information on here that I can incorporate none the less. Overall it’s just made me appreciate the lengths elite runners go to for their craft and that’s pretty inspiring.
Every damn day fitness: So I dis actually struggle with whether or not to include Al’s (maybe Alan, he talks really fast!) channel or not. I do like it and watch a lot of his content but I’m not totally sure whether he’s recommendation worthy or not. So I’m watching his videos now and thinking hard about how to sum him up. I think I’ve figured it out though. Let’s start with saying the information he shares is spot on and in your face. He mostly posts videos that are too short for multiple ad breaks and he’s incredibly passionate about what he says. Which is to say it doesn’t seem like he’s in it for the money. He goes after fat acceptance, fitness influencer culture and gym a$$holes pretty equally. While he’s a big advocate for fitness he’s a bigger advocate for health. If you can get passed his delivery his message is always balanced in the end. Whether it’s the fitness obsessed or body positive messages he’s going after no one gets away with anything on his watch. So here’s what I figured out if you have a need for a classic, big big personal trainer to yell at you and curse a lot in your life this might just be they guy for you! Like even if you have a mug that says ‘mommy has a potty mouth’ it’s still a lot!
Honorable mention
There are a few more channels that aren’t strictly fitness but either deal with fitness sometimes but do fall into the category of health. Check them out too!
Doctor Mike: I love me some Doctor Mike! I suspect that he makes more from his videos now but he continues to work as a doctor. He’s super engaging and animated but my favorite thing about him is that he actively works against miss-information and he recently became a runner. He also comments on being a doctor so its also a peak behind the scenes. Check him out I promise you’ll learn something neat!
Wheezy waiter: This guy is stand up comedian funny. The stuff with his parents is pure gold. Go watch it out you’ll see what I mean. He does challenge videos sometimes about fitness and usually health stuff. He also digs deep into why people do those things. It’s part challenge, part information and part documentary and the catch is he’s just a regular guy. Also he is too a runner, a really funny one!
Jordan Shrinks: Another Canadian girl! Jordan has lost an extreme amount of weight and kept it off long term. She’s straight up and really real about it though. If you want to lose some weight too check her out because that girl has her head screwed on straight! She’s really cool and smart too. She’s not afraid to talk about the stuff you might be afraid to ask about either. Jordan is also a runner!
So if you’re all cooped up and looking for some new stuff to watch then here you go. I don’t even mostly watch fitness stuff on YouTube so I kind of think that the creators that I do watch must be pretty awesome. Plus I know it gets said all the time that these folks work really hard just to entertain us and produce quality content so we should all show them some love. I’d love to hear about your favorite health and fitness creators or check out your channels so leave them in the comments below!
Sweat Sweetly 
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