health

Meet the Insta trainers who are taking body transformation out of the gym and onto your phone.

In our world of instant gratification, where people want their dream bodies #yesterday, Instagram has become the go-to fitspo source. You no longer have to go to the gym or even hire a trainer: Workouts, transformations and healthy recipes are a scroll away. Fitness expert Emily Skye’s bikini photos and tutorials attract one million followers, while Jen Selter—famous for having the best butt on Instagram—is seven-million fans strong. Some 750,000 people follow ballerina Misty Copeland, and 1.6 million probably feel more Zen after a look through Yoga Girl Rachel Brathen’s feed.

“It’s democratizing for those making the media and those consuming it, who feel like they, too, can achieve the life,” says Ramona Pringle, an assistant professor in Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media in Toronto. She argues that this trend is unique to Instagram in part because of its visual platform—you can “craft a narrative by integrating inspirational content with how-to training.” Here’s a snapshot of some of our faves.

HANNAH BRONFMAN

@ HANNAHBRONFMAN

193,000 FOLLOWERS

A fitness muse rather than a trainer, Bronfman is the founder of the healthand-lifestyle website HBFit and curates workouts and meals so you don’t have to. Warning: Her life is pretty awesome—she’s also a DJ and Clinique ambassador—so prepare for some serious Insta jealousy. Why Insta? “I post workouts that range in difficulty, which keeps my feed both attainable and inspirational. When you surround yourself with positive motivation, it makes you want to be successful.” Workout wardrobe “Adidas by Stella McCartney.” On-theroad inspo “When I travel, I look up hashtags and read people’s reactions to trainers or classes, which is how I decide whether to try them.”

KAYLA ITSINES

@ KAYLA_ ITSINES

3.6 MILLION FOLLOWERS

The bouncy Aussie is like your best workout buddy—you know, the one who will text you until you’ve dragged yourself out of bed for your 6 a.m. class and sweat it out (while smiling) beside you. Her Instagram feed is just as infectious. Itsines intersperses before-and-after images of people on her program (dubbed the Bikini Body Training Guide) with exercises, selfies and snaps of her pups. Why Insta? “Being able to connect with girls from all over the globe has changed my life. These women help me strive toward being a better person.” Every little bit counts “My 28-minute high-intensity workouts are easy to fit into a busy schedule—they’re only 2 percent of a day.” On mastering the selfie “Just be confident, because you deserve to feel proud of all the dedication you have put into your healthy-lifestyle journey.”

MARK LANGOWSKI

@ BODYBYMARKWELLNESS

26,700 FOLLOWERS

A fitness Energizer Bunny, Langowski makes exercise look fun (and deceptively simple). We also like how he turns the world into his personal parkour course. Top move “The mountain-climber pushup. After you do a push-up, bring your right knee to touch your left elbow and then your left knee to touch your right elbow.” Insta advice “Many ‘fitness’ accounts of personal trainers are simply photos of themselves modelling. Try to find accounts that provide a real education on exercises, healthy meals to cook and inspirational quotes.” Workout must-haves “Pandora [Internet radio] and my Beats By Dre wireless headphones. I just can’t get myself going without them. I have a few pairs of the headphones in case they run out of batteries mid-workout!”

KAISA KERANEN

@ KAISAFIT

22,700 FOLLOWERS

Previously of the personal-training duo Two Bad Bodies—which had 360,000 followers—the former track-and-field athlete recently went solo. We love how she incorporates everything from stairs to babies (!) into no-equipment-necessary workouts. Top move “My most popular videos are the ones where I am jumping around and doing explosive movements—plyometrics.” Group effort “I love @followthelita, @nolatrees, @fitqueenirene.” #foodporn “I like posting food images because people always want to know what I’m eating and I think it’s important to be honest about my choices. I don’t follow any diets. I just try to eat real foods and home-cooked meals as much as I can.” n