YouTube is an excellent place to learn how to take your physical fitness to the next level. There are thousands of highly informational videos that you can learn from to improve your gym routine and diet.
Unfortunately, however, YouTube just like any other social media platform has plenty of misleading and straight-up inaccurate content. After all, anyone can create a fitness YouTube channel and speak their mind no matter what their credentials are. Just because a fitness YouTuber seems knowledgeable based on his or her physique, it doesn’t necessarily mean that person is a reputable source of information. “Bro science”, or gym tips that have no real scientific support, has no short supply on YouTube.
However, although there are dozens of questionable fitness YouTubers out there, YouTube fitness channels backed by research tend to be much more reputable. After all, you can’t argue with scientific fact, and if you are serious about taking your physique to the next level, it might be best to learn from real fitness and nutrition research.
Here you can find the best science-based fitness YouTube channels to learn from.
1. Jeremy Ethier
Jeremy Ethier is one of the most qualified YouTubers to give fitness advice given his credentials.
As a kinesiologist, and personal trainer certified by NASM (National Acadamy of Sports Medicine), with a functional movement screening certification (FMS), Jeremy certainly knows his stuff. For what its worth, Jeremy also has the muscle development to further prove his credibility as a dependable fitness resource.1
This YouTube channel is focused around working out strategically so that you can get great results from your limited gym time. By working out “smarter” you can spend fewer days a the gym on a weekly basis while still effectively achieving your fitness goals.
Jeremy’s channel is full of incredibly in-depth videos covering all aspects of fitness. However, Jeremy’s channel is particularly well known for its science-based tutorials for growing certain muscle groups. By incorporating detailed scientific research with high-quality video demonstrations of exercises, Jeremy provides extremely helpful advice that you can put into action in your next workout.
2. Thomas Delauer
Thomas Delauer has built an extremely popular YouTube channel due to his depth of knowledge. He is particularly notable for his expertise in nutrition and intermittent fasting.
Given Thomas’s background, he is not your typical fitness YouTuber. Unlike most fitness gurus who seemed to have been in amazing shape their whole lives, Thomas was once overweight at about 280 pounds before he became a renown fitness icon. By working in the healthcare space his whole career and by gathering data from his research team, Thomas brings to the table a wealth of knowledge for his followers to benefit from.2
Although Thomas has some videos regarding working out at the gym, most of his content revolves around diet and nutrition. Much of his content is focused on the keto diet as well as intermittent fasting. Not only does Delauer explain the benefits of his approach to nutrition but he goes into extremely detailed scientific explanations on how the right diet can take your fitness game to the next level. Given that nutrition is just as important as your workouts, it is most certainly worth checking out this channel.
3. Biolayne
Biolayne was created by Layne Norton, who takes on a no-nonsense approach helping others reach their fitness goals.
Given his academic background in nutrition and fitness, Layne is most certainly a credible resource to learn from. Norton has a BS in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences. In addition, Layne currently does bodybuilding and powerlifting professionally while also providing fitness coaching services. Since the early 2000s, Layne has regularly competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions and has further contributed to the scientific community through his fitness science publications.3
Layne’s channel is chock-full of videos covering every aspect of weight lifting and nutrition. The videos are extremely informational given that Layne gets into the nitty-gritty of the concepts he brings up. Layne commonly references the latest scientific research to prove his points and even makes it a point to debunk common “bro-science” misconceptions.
4. Athlene-X
When it comes to science-based YouTube fitness channels, Athlene-X is undoubtedly the most popular channel. Given the outstanding quality content put out on a regular basis, it is completely understandable why this is the case.
Jeff Cavaliere, the creator of the channel, has created a fitness business empire through his YouTube channel. Jeff is armed with a master’s degree in physical therapy, a BS in physioneurobiology/premedicine, and a certification in strength and conditioning by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. With his extensive academic background in fitness, Jeff has worked with hundreds of professional athletes in numerous different sports as well as celebrities. Very few other “fitness gurus” have the experience in the fitness industry and depth of knowledge as Jeff does.4
On his channel, Jeff regularly posts videos on injury prevention and effective lifting technique for muscle growth. However Jeff doesn’t just show how to lift more effectively, but he explains in fine detail the mechanics of the exercise. He is well-known for drawing all over his body with markers to explain exactly where and how your muscles are being activated during certain movements.
5. Bodybuilding.com
Bodybuilding.com is one of the most reputable fitness and nutrition website you can learn from today. The site has created a plethora of video content that you can find on the official bodybuilding.com YouTube channel.
This channel has a wide variety of fitness-related videos, however, not all of them are necessarily science-heavy videos. Many are simply workout sample videos or recipe related videos. However, there is still a good amount of science-based content that you can view on this channel.
For instance, the “Brain Gainz” category of this channel goes into depth on the latest research regarding training, nutrition, and supplements. Fitness experts are commonly featured on this channel who walk you through the science behind fitness concepts.
Of course, you can also find high-quality science-based videos elsewhere on the channel scattered about. People with academic backgrounds in fitness such as Dr. Jacob Wilson are often presented to share their thoughts.
6. Omar Isuf
Omar Isuf has undoubtedly created one of the most popular YouTube fitness channels. Not only is his content supported by good research but Omar’s humor makes the channel quite entertaining as well.
Back in his college days, Omar decided to begin lifting at the gym given that he wanted to change his somewhat pudgy appearance. As he continued to go to the gym and continued to study fitness and nutrition, Omar developed a real passion for weight lifting. Eventually, Omar became a personal trainer and after he started his YouTube channel, his career as a fitness personality took off.
Given that Omar is a personal trainer, he naturally posts a good amount of content on proper lifting form, effective muscle building exercises, and general lifting advice as well. Furthermore, Omar challenges many of the common bodybuilding myths and misleading advice promoted on many muscle building YouTube channels.
7. Jeff Nippard
Jeff Nippard is another bodybuilding/fitness expert who only puts out research-based content on his channel. No fluff. Just valuable, informational content.
With a BS in biochemistry, and years of research, Jeff has the academic background to put out valuable science-based videos. Through his talks on training and nutrition concepts, Jeff has made a name for himself in the fitness science field. Jeff also has a team that helps him do research in order to continue to put out high-quality content. Additionally, Jeff’s personal experience competing in the fitness industry makes him a trustworthy resource for practical lifting advice. He earned the Mr. Junior Canada for Natural Bodybuilding in 2012 and even held the Canadian national record for the bench press in 2014.5
Jeff is known to put out excellent videos mainly about training techniques. In his videos, Jeff frequently sites research studies and other academic literature while demonstrating lifts to provide support for his arguments. The level of detail he goes into in his videos is staggering to many.
8. PictureFit
PictureFit is a highly educational YouTube channel that is excellent for anyone who wants in-depth scientific explanations on fitness concepts.
This channel is known for its animated videos with voice-over narratives. These animated videos inform about diet and exercise in a visual way that makes concepts easy to understand.
What makes this channel “scientific” you might ask? For one, the channel discusses advanced topics regarding biochemistry and physiology. The channel also lists various research studies in the description of each video, proving that the videos are well supported with sound evidence. You can even read up on the studies cited yourself for a more thorough explanation.
This channel is an excellent resource for anyone who wants a thorough explanation of fitness concepts without bias or opinionated discussion.
9. Muscle Monsters
Muscle Monsters, created by Alain Gonzalez, is an excellent channel for anyone who wants to better understand straight to the point how to lift more effectively at the gym to build more muscle.
Alain claims that he is not a fitness guru or bodybuilder per se. He simply states that after studying tons of scientific fitness literature that he has been able to stack on tons of muscle in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, he has also done for the many clients he has worked with.
The Muscle monsters channel is packed with videos on lifting techniques and the best ways to go about growing certain muscle groups. Not only that but Gonzalez also commonly cites scientific literature and case studies to support his arguments.
10. Shredded Sports Science
Shredded Sports Science, created by James Linker is comedic yet extremely informative YouTube channel dedicated to providing quality lifting advice.
With his witty humor, James is known to challenge the advice of some of the popular YouTube/Instagram-famous bodybuilders. In claiming that these social media stars preach misleading or inaccurate information, James clears the air about what information is true and what information simply bogus based on scientific research.
Of course, James doesn’t just bash internet celebrities on his channel. This channel also discusses various fitness concepts to provide actionable advice for people interested in improving their physique. In doing so, James commonly references up to date scientific literature to support his points.
Although many would find science-based YouTube content to be dry, James’s humor and engaging videos make learning about the subject quite entertaining.
11. Muscle and motion
Muscle and motion is an excellent resource to reference for learning about how to do exercises properly and effectively.
This channel walks you through the anatomical analysis in various exercises. In these videos, animated human skeletons with overlayed muscles and ligaments demonstrate certain exercises while a narrator walks you through how certain muscle groups are engaged. Many of these videos demonstrate how wrongly doing these exercises can be dangerous and what you can do to make sure you are doing them properly.
Ultimately, this channel is a very visual way to learn exactly how your body performs various movements. That being said, if at any point you want to learn about your body’s mechanics and proper lifting form, this is an excellent channel to reference.
- “About us“ www.builtwithscience.com, https://builtwithscience.com/about-us/
- “143: Thomas DeLauer on Reducing Inflammation, Curcumin, Keto for Women, & Easy Weight Loss” www.wellnessmama.com, https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/thomas-delauer/
- “About Layne” www.biolayne.com, https://www.biolayne.com/about/
- “The Coach” www.athleanx.com, https://athleanx.com/the-coach
- “Jeff Nippard” www.jeffnippard.com, https://www.jeffnippard.com/about-2
