How Social Media Has Boosted Interest In Fitness
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or TikTok – whatever platform you use, there is access to view everything, anywhere in the world. If your algorithm has picked up a general interest in sports or you follow fitness-related influencers, you will get recommended related content.
Social media has increased interest in activity because it allows anyone to document their journey and inspire those who may not originally come from a fitness background. Positive content of health, physical and mental benefits of exercise have been shared billions of times which encourages people to get involved with exercise – increasing participation.
There are 3 main reasons why social media has impacted the popularity of fitness, these include:
- Access to viral clips and videos.
- Content being difficult to fake.
- Individuals want to look good for their posts.
Why Viral Fitness Clips Have Boosted Participants
Selected clips and videos of professional athletes go viral once uploaded to a social media platform. The type of content will determine how many people view it; nonetheless, if it’s engaging, high production, and entertaining, people from all backgrounds will want to watch.
Viral fitness clips have increased involvement in activity because it is recommended to lots of people’s feeds, leading to them learning more about a training method/sport and, eventually, participating. Without viral clips, lots won’t be inspired to start or try a new activity as they are unaware of its existence or benefits.
Examples of content could be a video of someone doing push-ups with beautiful background scenery, an impressive trick on rings, or a powerlifter pulling an immense weight. These videos can flick a switch in somebodies brain to motivate them to start a new activity or training method.
Check out some of our favorite viral fitness videos:
This is the Bring Sally Up Push-up challenge – a video for you to participate in. You must synchronize the music to your push-up timing. Sounds easy, but it is more challenging than you think.
This video got 16 million views in a month! An elite powerlifter is acting to be a cleaner but is more strong than he looks. Anatoly goes around his gym and effortlessly lifts enormous weights in front of an unexpected crowd!
How Fake Fitness Content Has Influenced It’s Popularity
Once fitness content creators noticed their clips had the chance to go viral and make a lot of money, many frauds began to hop onto this idea. This led to a lot of fake fitness content being distributed to people’s timelines, for example:
- A photoshopped six-pack.
- Lifting fake weights that are lighter than they claim.
- Running under a certain time, which has had the video sped up to make it seem faster than it actually is.
Fake content has increased the number of people exercising because, despite it being in-genuine, individuals still consume and react to it. This only causes it to do better on social media platforms and spread to more people. Every individual will react differently to fake content; however, research suggests it is more likely to get more people active, rather than putting them off exercise.
This may seem confusing, but here is why:
- Some individuals disbelieve it is fake and want to action it themselves.
- Some individuals want to one-up the fake content creator and perform it authentically.
- Some individuals become inspired to make their own content, but true.
How Social Media Profiles Have Boosted Fitness Participation
Most people want low body fat and high muscle definition, enabling them to show their six-pack and muscle tone to their followers. With the rise of social media influencers and individuals concerned about their online presence, the demand to look chiseled has become higher, leading to more individuals getting into fitness.
Many enthusiasts have created a fitness page – an online presence separate from their main account that only posts fitness-related content. Individuals with small pages (less than 1,000 followers) may feel a sense of duty to post fitness content routinely. This is substantial – not only does it keep the page owner in shape, but the content inspires their audience.
Those with larger profiles can get paid through sponsorships, shoutouts, or product placement. Having a money motivator means they will only have an income if they are keeping in shape and pushing content. While this ensures you stay fit, it can take the enjoyment away from the exercise.
| Social Media Platform | Popular Fitness Content |
|---|---|
| TikTok | Short form content with music in the background, often edited to be motivational for the watcher. |
| Youtube | High production long content, containing tutorials, tips or vlogging exercises videos. |
| Content is made to create a theme page, rather than a one-time show. Can also be used as a documentary tool. | |
| Snapchat | Designed to show picture or video for 24 hours. Exercise routines don’t tend to be shared, but mostly progression pictures. |
| A platform used for advice or following celebrity athletes. |
It’s debatable whether it’s healthy for your motivation being impressing your followers or to constantly be comparing yourself to other influencers; however, this is the reality of many. If you can, find motivation elsewhere to train because it pays a lot more dividends in the long run.
Has Social Media Been Good Or Bad For The Fitness Industry
It’s debatable whether or not social media has improved the fitness industry. In our opinion, despite it having numerous advantages, we would argue its effect has been more negative than positive. This is mainly due to people comparing themselves to others who ‘seem’ to be stronger or fitter, leading to them raining on their own progress.
To start with the advantages, social media has enabled:
- Allowed fitness influencers to find financial freedom and share their knowledge with people around the world.
- Build communities through forums and chats for people to make friends and share their thoughts.
- Increased creativity as content creators want their videos or pictures to stand out from everyone else’s.
While these advantages benefit numerous people, the impact the disadvantages have are a lot more significant. For example:
- Seeing everyone’s content puts you in competition with everyone too. Comparing your progress to someone else’s can be disheartening. Moreover, some of the content is fake – resulting in some competing against something that isn’t achievable.
- Individuals can get too desperate for views and perform dangerous. For example, lifting dangerously heavy or overexerting yourself for views.
- Developing a habit of having the need to be validated by your followers about your progression.
Check out GQ’s interpretation to why social media fitness challenges do more harm than good.
- Can You Film In The Gym – The Brutal Truth
I run a fitness blog and YouTube channel. And while writing is hassle-free, getting my camera, tripod and microphone out in the middle of the… - Can You Use The Holes In Bouldering
Have you ever seen the holes drilled into the bouldering/climbing wall? When I first went climbing I was confused as to what they are, who… - Does Climbing Increase Testosterone
Muscular, veiny, hairy, tall, and deep-voiced… All of which derive from high testosterone levels. Is it possible they derive from climbing too? Let’s find out……
