Legit, Certified Instagram Trainers to Follow for Serious Fitness Motivation

This beauty is far from just a trainer on The Biggest Loser. She's a health and fitness expert in all respects, with NASM, Dynamax Master Trainer, and CrossFit Level 1 certifications under her belt, as well as a book: Diet Right for Your Personality Type. Scroll her Instagram feed for workout inspo, ideas, and her latest projects—then load up on her advice in our 40-Day Crush-Your-Goals Challenge to get just a taste of what makes this lady so special. 

Looking for some strong and inspiring ladies to add to your feed? Look no further than Katie Crewe (a certified strength and conditioning specialist, nutritional practitioner, and health coach), who stocks her Instagram feed with impressive fitness feats, #realtalk lessons in body positivity, workout ideas for every taste, and super-important form tips—even correcting some of the other mistakes you might see on IG. (Case in point: Watch her demo proper glute engagement during these common exercises.)

Ben's no-nonsense training vibe is to work hard and smart—no excuses. He cut his teeth working at one of the most well-respected gyms in the business—Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning in Boston. Now, he has clients (celebs like Kate Upton, Chelsea Handler, and Jessica Biel) pushing heavy weights and running up and down the streets of LA (literally) pushing weighted sleds like it's NBD. His feed is full of casual workout vids of his clientele ("Bruno's Bitches") and himself crushing some classic strength work, as well as doing some new moves you probably haven't seen before, which is refreshing.

There's a reason trainer Kira Stokes' website reads, "20 years. 11 certifications. 0 bullsh*t." This woman means business when it comes to fitness. She holds personal training and performance-enhancement specialist certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as specialized certifications in Schwinn Cycle, pre- and postnatal fitness, TRX, SBT-Suspended Body Weight Training, ViPR, and Kettlebell Concepts. She trains her clients—including Candace Cameron Bure—using The Stoked Method, her namesake training style rooted in science. (Want a taste? Try the 30-day arms challenge or 30-day plank challenge that Stokes created just for us.) 

Anna Victoria doesn't just serve up fitness motivation and ideas (per her FitBody Guides or new Body Love app)—but she serves up a lot of real talk too. For example, in this Instagram post, she explains exactly why she's not afraid of looking "manly" from lifting weights.

Jen Esquer, a self-proclaimed "avid mover," has been active since she was a kid, participating in gymnastics, track and field, and dance. She turned her love of movement into a career, becoming a doctor of physical therapy as well as a Pilates instructor and yogi based in Los Angeles. Her specialty, though, is mobility: She created an entire program called The Mobility Method, hosts free mobility challenges online, and serves up functional movement tips daily on her Instagram feed. You can rest assured knowing that anything you get off her IG is backed with serious knowledge of the human body and how it works. 

Following Joe Holder (a Nike trainer and run coach and fitness nutrition specialist) will not only give you a peep into how Victoria's Secret models and fit-lebrities like Hannah Bronfman train, but will also give you a dose of exercise science education and a kickass reading list too. Holder is a perfect example of the phrase "never not learning." His expertise goes far beyond "trainer." The former college football player has coined his own holistic health theory, The Ocho System, and taps into both nutrition and exercise to train his clients for performance and functional movement—not just six-pack abs. 

You've likely seen this superfit lady going viral on the internet—and for good reason. Not only can Kaisa Keranen come up with the most insane Tabata workouts ever, but she can find ways to work out anywhere, anytime. (Just watch this toilet paper workout she created.) And there's brainpower behind her gym acrobatics. The former track and field athlete has a master's degree in sports performance and injury prevention as well as a performance enhancement specialist certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Put simply, Harley Pasternak knows all the things. He has a master of science in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto and an honors degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. Plus, he's certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, and he served as an exercise and nutrition scientist for Canada's Department of National Defense. It that's not enough to wow you, know this: He's also trained celebs like Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, Amy Schumer, and Alicia Keys. 

Follow him on IG to see his healthy meals and his training with celeb clients, and to get a peek of his personal life—including the adorable ways he stays fit with his kids. (This Lady Gaga post may be the MVP.) Get a feel for his philosophy by reading about why he says exercise is the least important part of weight loss and what happened when one editor tried his Body Reset Diet.

A former Australian pole vaulter, Amanda Bisk turned to fitness and nutrition when she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. Now she has degrees in sports science and exercise rehabilitation as well as coaching certifications in CrossFit, yoga, and pole vaulting. Her Instagram feed is full of too-pretty-to-be-real-life yoga landscape shots as well as yoga flow videos, gym exercise ideas, and shots of her two pups (who have their own account, naturally, @westcoast_weenies). 

Don't let his nickname, the "Glute Guy," fool you. Bret Contreras is serious about fitness. (Just peep his Ph.D. in sports science and a strength and conditioning certification from the National Strength & Conditioning Association.) His feed is full of strength training inspo and creative techniques for building muscle all over (and, yes, especially in those glutes).  

As a doctor of physical therapy, certified strength and conditioning coach, fitness nutrition specialist, and certified personal trainer, Laura Miranda has almost every inch of fitness knowledge covered. She's dedicated to helping women get fit, strong, and healthy—and her Instagram feed is the perfect example. She posts moves and routines that prove you can "do fitness" everywhere—not just in a gym. 

Alex Silver-Fagan started her fitness career fresh out of undergrad at New York University. She's accumulated personal training, functional strength, nutrition, kettlebell, flexibility, and yoga certifications, and doesn't just "work out," but "trains to live." Scroll through her feed for inspiration for everything from acro yoga to CrossFit, and be sure to watch her Instagram stories for a peek into her daily gym routine and moves to try on your own. (Or try the 30-day squat challenge she designed.)

Jeanette Jenkins goes by The Hollywood Trainer, and she's earned the title; the fitness rock star has worked with Pink, Alicia Keys, and Amber Rose, among other A-listers. (Remember that awesome aerial performance Pink did at the 2017 AMAs? Here's a killer core workout from Jenkins inspired by Pink's training.) But her star-studded client list isn't the only reason she's a top trainer. With a degree in human kinetics from the University of Ottawa and 18 other international certifications covering nutrition and training styles, Jenkins has the education to back it all up.

Bonus: She's generous with workout tips on her Instagram. Follow Jenkins for a balanced mix of workouts, healthy recipes, and motivational quotes. 

Artemis Scantalides' motto is all you need to hear to become an instant fan: "I am not afraid to lift." Though her fitness life began with ballet and later Kung Fu (she's a black belt, FYI), she moved on to become a certified personal trainer, pre- and postpartum trainer, StrongFirst Team Leader, Certified Kettlebell-Functional Movement Specialist (CK-FMS), spin instructor, sandbag instructor, and Precision Nutrition Level I coach. Her posts will inspire you to pick up the heavy kettlebells and to find a sweat squad who will do it with you.