Fitness pros are many.
But great ones are few.
The industry has been changing over the past few years, and the cream has risen to the top.
Science, evidence and experience based fitness professionals have emerged with some of the best information and content on the internet. It’s time to ring in the new year with the best of the best to follow in 2015!
#1 Dan John
Dan is an All-American discus thrower and has competed in the highest levels of Olympic lifting, Highland Games, and the Weight Pentathlon. He even holds an American record in the latter. In addition to his achievements as an athlete, Dan has also spent tons of time in both academia, and coaching athletes. He runs weekly workshops, lectures, writes full-time for several big publications, and has just had a new book published- Fat Loss Happens on Monday.
#2 Andy Morgan
Andy hates nonsense in the fitness industry and has made it his mission to change the industry all together. With his newly redesigned site, rippedbody.jp, Andy has put out some incredible guides on dieting, macro counting, and intermittent fasting. He has gotten hoards of clients ripped using his version of the LeanGains approach. I expect he’ll put out tons of killer content in the coming year.
#3 Greg O’Gallagher
Owner of Kinobody Fitness Systems and co-host for the Road To Ripped podcast, Greg kills it with actionable content to get you that Hollywood physique. Everything from easy dieting to proportional muscle gain and aesthetics, Greg knows what it takes to look like your heroes from the big screen. Add the fact that his articles and podcasts are littered with awesome movie quotes and following this guy is a no-brainer.
#4 Bojan Kostevski
Being an MD and a science geek, Bojan has a huge interest in the science behind training, nutrition, and supplementation. He’s located in Sweden and works as a physician in the emergency medicine field. Needless to say, the dude is busy. He takes the research on goal setting and habitual changes and turns it into useable information to help you on your path to looking sexy as hell. This year he published (for free, mind you) a comprehensive study looking at the research to date on intermittent fasting, and you can expect he’ll continue making an impact in 2015.
#5 Menno Henselmanns
A former business consultant in the field of statistics, we can all be thankful Menno switched his career to fitness. He is now an online physique coach, fitness model, and scientific author who uses his background to help people with what he’s truly passionate about: Attaining their ideal physique. With an evidence-based approach and scientific wherewithal, Menno is definitely someone to follow this year.
#6 Spencer Nadolsky
As a physician of family medicine, Spencer pushes lifestyle before drugs and views fitness as preventative medicine. He’s the medical editor for Examine.com, a former wrestler, and is currently focused on bodybuilding. If you’re a fan of lifting, eating, sleeping, and laughing, you and Spencer will get along just fine.
#7 Greg Nuckols
Greg is an elite, drug-free powerlifter, and owner of the website “Strength and Science”. Step 1: Combine a thorough knowledge of the research, a vast amount of experience under the bar, and a heavy coating of critical thinking. Step 2: Add a dash of craft beer, a 755 lb squat, a 475 lb bench press, and a 725 lb deadlift. Step 3: Cook on high for 15 minutes. The end result? Greg Nuckols.
#8 JC Deen
Owner of JCDFitness.com, JC has a focus on making fitness compliment your life instead of ruling it. What’s JC best known for? How about the idea that clean eating is a scam? How about his killer program LGN365 (which stands for Look Good Naked 365)? JC will help you look your best, without having to completely overhaul your life, by showing you how to incorporate fitness into your life.
#9 Precision Nutrition
John Berardi and the folks over at Precision Nutrition have been putting out some seriously solid content for the past few years now. With a unique approach to nutrition, they preach building up the habits necessary for reaching your goals to make your diet as easy to follow as possible. They’re constantly on top of the latest research and break everything down to make it incredibly easy to understand.
#10 Dick Talens
Co-founder of Fitocracy and online fitness coach, Dick has a talent for breaking things down into measurable analytics. He trains a ton of clients each year, some as notable as Miss America 2013, and has even started coaching coaches on how to coach. He loves destroying large quantities of food, and has completed the “Pho Challenge” (1 hour to ear 5 lbs of Pho) in 13 minutes.
#11 Eric Cressey
Owner of Cressey Sports Performance, Eric is a highly sought-after coach who works with many different athletes, at all different levels, in a wide variety of sports. He owns facilities in Hudson, MA and Jupiter, FL, and best known for his extensive work with baseball players and his specialty in biomechanics and kinesiology. Eric has created several products, written hundreds of articles, and holds several state, national, and world records.
#12 Jordan Syatt
5X World Record Powerlifter. Westside Barbell Certified coach. Precision Nutrition Certified coach. These are just some of the things that describe Jordan. As a strength training and nutritional consultant, Jordan has helped hundreds of clients get both lean and strong.
#13 Bret Contreras
Best known as “The Glute Guy”, Bret’s focus is top-notch training for strong, well shaped buns of steel. Using his strong understanding of strength science and the most current research, Bret applies his knowledge to creating killer programs and coaching. He even created a piece of gym equipment called “The Hip Thruster”. He’s also a part of the Strength and Conditioning Research Review with Chris Beardsley, which takes complex research and makes it easy to understand.
#14 Alan Aragon
As the slayer of broscience, Alan takes the latest research and applies it to training and nutrition practices to find the truth behind what works best and why. He runs a monthly research review that is absolutely stellar at dissecting the most recent and notable research.
#15 Layne Norton
In addition to being a highly accomplished natural bodybuilder, established fitness writer, and PhD in Nutritional Sciences, Layne runs the “Physique Science Radio” podcast and blogs at his site biolayne.com. As if that weren’t enough, he regularly contributes to the scientific literature on physique optimization. You can expect more of this awesome type of work from him in the coming year.
#16 Jon Goodman
As a former personal trainer, Jon Goodman now runs the Personal Trainer Development Center, which is easily one of the best resources out there for fitness professionals. Jon has written several killer books and products which never cease to amaze, and continues to improve the industry with his forward thinking.
#17 Armi Legge
As the founder and editor of Evidence Magazine, Armi helps people automate their fitness so they can spend their time on other areas of their lives. Watch out for Armi this year as he’s still young (under 20 years old), and hasn’t even reached his potential.
#18 Mike Samuels
Specializing in fat loss and strength performance, Mike is a trainer and online coach based in the UK. He loves lifting heavy, eating at Subway, and writing about how to make yourself look better. As a former fat boy, he’s been through the struggle himself and knows what it takes to make the change.
#19 Mike Vacanti
Owner of “On The Regimen”, Mike believes that fitness will change you for the better, in every way you can imagine. From the physical, to the mental, to achieving your dreams, he’ll show you how fitness will improve your life and make you strong and attractive while you’re at it.
#20 Brad Schoenfeld
Brad is the “Hypertrophy Specialist”. In other words, he knows a thing or two about muscle growth. Having an entire alphabet listed after his name, Brad is the writer of several best-selling fitness books, is internationally recognized, and has won many natural bodybuilding titles. He’s recognized as a leader in the field of training for body composition.
#21 Ben Bruno
Ben is known for his unique exercises and killer challenges. You’re guaranteed to learn about some new exercises you’ve never heard of before, and if you follow him, you’ll get some awesome training tips while you’re at it. If you decide to try one of his challenges, make sure you have a trash can nearby for when you toss your cookies.
#22 Christian Finn
In all areas of fitness, from training to nutrition and beyond, Christian is incredibly focused on one thing: Results. He speaks not only from the latest research, but from experience as well. Since he hates wasting time (and hates wasting yours as well), he doesn’t care about fads – only what will work to get you into amazing shape.
#23 Lee Boyce
As a former nationally-competing sprinter and long jumper in college, Lee is now a self-proclaimed junkie on all things training. By keeping an open mind, exploring new training concepts, and learning from great strength coaches, sports doctors, and therapists, he’s learned what it takes to take your fitness to the next level.
#24 Anthony Mychal
Having overcome his own “skinny-fat” physique growing up, Anthony works to show you how to beat it too and create the coveted “X”-frame physique. He is an avid lifter of heavy things, an acro-athlete, a Dragon Ball Z fanboy, and can do some gymnastic moves with his body, from a sport called “Tricking”.
#25 Neghar Fonooni
Do you believe in eating mindfully? Training intuitively? Living joyfully? So does Neghar, and she teaches people how to get in shape through exercise and nutrition in a way that will enrich your life. If you’re tired of feeling like your fitness is subtracting from your life rather than adding to it, Neghar is the fix you need.
#26 Jason Ferrugia
Jason is the founder of Renegade Fitness, where he helps readers and clients gain muscle and strength, and overcome bad genetics. A rebel by nature, he challenges the status quo and rises above the norm. Want to get jacked and prevent injuries? Jason’s your guy.
#27 Nick Tumminello
Owner of Performance University International, Nick trains clients for strength and conditioning, along with training fitness professionals all over the world. He’s become known as the “Trainer of trainers” for his hybrid fitness training concepts and immediately applicable solutions to common problems.
#28 Mike Tuchscherer
Mike is founder of Reactive Training Systems and has a training style that is all about auto-regulation and listening to your body. He’s created a system that allows you to know when to push it in the gym, and when it’s time to back off and recover. He’s produced world champions, world record holders, and dozens of national champions through his use of this system.
#29 Nia Shanks
Owner of Lift Like A Girl, Nia promotes the idea that women should lift heavy to get the results they want, and that being strong is sexy. Excessive eating habits and revolving your life around the gym won’t fly with Nia. By keeping things sane and simple, she’s helped hundreds of women get strong, lean, and sexy while improving their mindsets and lives for good.
#30 Roger Lawson
Know as “Rog Law”, Rog has honed in the “Art of Sexification”. He writes with a sarcastic tongue-in-cheek tone, includes numerous references to nerd culture, and teaches people how to lose fat, gain muscle, and look freaking incredible. What’s not to love?
#31 Lou Schuler
He is an award-winning journalist and certified strength and conditioning specialist. Lou has written a whole hoard of killer books on the topic of fitness, and collaborated with many other fitness professionals. He’s a regular contributor to some big fitness publications, and you will always learn something new from his work. Expect more great work in the coming year, and possibly a new book written with Alwyn Cosgrove.
#32 Sohee Lee
Growing up with an eating disorder, Sohee learned to overcome it with weightlifting and proper nutrition. From there, she’s made fitness her passion, learned everything she could, and even interned at Cressey Performance. Now she’s a regular contributor to bodybuilding.com, co-host of the “Physique Science Radio” podcast, and right-hand girl of BioLayne.com.
#33 John Romaniello
John is the owner of Roman Fitness Systems, the co-author of Engineering The Alpha, and is known simply as “Roman” on the interwebz. Roman recently did a complete redesign of his site and continues to put out killer content. There’s been rumor that he’s been working on a screenplay and possibly a new book. Only time will tell.
#34 Dean Somerset
Dean knows how to make you stronger, fitter, and in his words “Kanye-er” (whatever that means) faster. But what makes Dean special is his focus on injury rehab and prevention, as many of his clients are on some form of physical rehabilitation. He uses many different assessments to find out where you’re starting from and what imbalances you might have, then he’ll take that knowledge and build a plan that’s not only effective, but safe as well. Definitely someone to follow in the coming year.
#35 Tony Gentilcore
As one of the founders of Cressey Sports Performance, Tony has had his share of experience training athletes, trainees, and beginners alike. As a former baseball player in college, he has his share of experience as an athlete as well. As a writer, he includes an inordinate number of references to Star Wars while teaching you everything you’d ever need to know to get into incredible shape. Do you need any other reasons to follow him in 2015? I think not.
#36 Jen Sinkler
Jen takes a realist’s approach to fitness. She’s not going to offer a plan to melt 10 pounds from your frame in 10 days or a “Get Ripped Quick” scheme, but she will show you what it actually takes to get in awesome shape and look your best – whatever that may be for your individual body type and lifestyle. She’ll help you lose fat, shape your body, and find the joy that comes in training for the pure sake of training.
#37 Anthony Dexmier
As a self-proclaimed geek, meathead, and up and coming trainer in the fitness scene, Anthony knows a thing or two about keeping clients lean year round. Precision Nutrition certified, a former cyclist and tennis player, and a Biosignature practitioner, Anthony will remove your set of limiting factors through a uniquely tailored program.
#38 John Meadows
A former banker, John is now one of the leading bodybuilding and physique coaches in North America. Over this past year, John has coached some of the top bodybuilding athletes in the country, teamed up with Prime Nutrition to develop a fantastic intra workout supplement, and has influenced half of the people included on this list with his “Mountain Dog” training methods.
#39 Tim Berzins
Tim understands that the best plan isn’t the best plan if you can’t stick to it. With a focus on aesthetics and obtaining the “Hollywood physique”, he has an eye for creating proportional muscles by using specific exercises that challenge your body in just the right ways. He’ll show you how to look like your favorite celebrity while staying sane and enjoying the entire process.
#40 Jason Maxwell
Like every year, this list isn’t complete without Jason Maxwell. This past year, Jason has grown JMax Fitness into community of top quality material all backed by science. Switching to a publisher model, this has allowed Jason to bring only the best material to JMax Fitness readers. Next year, watch out for JMax Fitness to become one of the #1 authority fitness sites on the internet.
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