Youtube Gurus in almost all of the Youtube videos from what I jokingly refer to as “The Boys” use lines to these effects over and over again:

• “Here’s something that nobody ever talks about…”
• “And here’s something nobody will tell you…”
• “…having successfully trained over 25,000 people…”
• “Click on the link below for my free [calorie calculator]”
• “Click on the link below to download the free two-week trial of my fitness app”
• “Click on the link below if you want me or one of my staff to REMOTELY coach you through your fitness transformation”

Here’s one of my favorites: “I’ve been lifting for nearly 20 years.” Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. You’re less than 10% body fat and have arms like an oak tree. You wanna impress me, show me the pictures of your lazy, fat ass from 2 years ago and how you transformed into a Greek god since then. Otherwise, get your kale eating, 400-lb-bench-pressing, shredded ass back to Gold’s Gym. One of the influencers is all over Youtube (not pictured here), but neglects in his own videos to mention that he is an avid steroid user. And then is all arrogant about his success. Sheesh.

I get it. These guys spend a lot of time, effort, and expertise on making these videos and need to make money. But read the room. Don’t say what everybody else is saying (over and over again) and stop trying to get the people following you to “click on the link below”. We heard you the first 200 times.

Some guys I’ve followed and learned some stuff about fitness and getting leaner:

Jeremy Ethier – BuiltByScience.com – younger bodybuilder/trainer pushes his BuiltByScience app ALOT, but generates and has a lot of actual scientific research backing up his info. References scientific studies. Very watchable and shows a lot of “normal” people transforming. Just skip past his mandatory commercial for his app. https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyEthier

Max Pasternak – Gravity Transformations – A pretty good balance of common sense fitness advice. https://www.youtube.com/@GravityTransformation

Jeff Nippard – Fairly well known and well-respected young body builder who focuses on science-based body building. References scientific studies which gives him some serious credibility.
https://www.youtube.com/@JeffNippard

Jay Corprew – Fit After 50 – Good ole boy who gives us senior types some practical weightlifting advice. https://www.youtube.com/@FA50official

Paul Revelia – ProPhysique.com – big advocate of walking to get leaner and eating whatever you want as long as you stay in your macro targets, but invariably brags about his training, his free calorie calculator, and how long he has been an “all natural” body builder competitor. https://www.youtube.com/@PaulRevelia

Dr. Mike Diamonds – body builder competitor, physician, trainer, etc. Seems to promote “quick fixes”. His voice is a cure for insomnia. Not horrible advice, but if you are crunched for time, there are others who get there without pandering. https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorMikeDiamonds

Thomas DeLauer – focuses on the scientific and chemical aspects of nutrition and weight loss. Gets a bit too technical at times, but show pictures of him a 100 lbs ago. If you are into the scientific and technical aspects of mitachondria and insulin resistance, this guys for you. Big fan of fasting and autophagy, and that’s a good thing. https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasDeLauerOfficial

Jeff Cavaliere – Athlean-X – ultra lean trainer, that tends to lean toward gym rats. I mean really. Who does hand stand push ups? His own personal biases flavor his reviews of exercises, but it’s hard to argue with biceps like that. Unless of course you take into how LONG he has been training. Does have a great concept called “Effective Reps” though. https://www.youtube.com/@athleanx

Josh Hash – StrengthSide – All about flexibility and mobility exercises. Heavily recommend him even though I can’t do 1/10th of the exercises he recommends. https://www.youtube.com/@Strengthside

Eric Roberts – Prolific poster about nutrition, fitness, and weight loss. Uses analogies (ALOT) to make complex subjects easier to grasp. Not afraid to use colorful language to make a point. https://www.youtube.com/@ericrobertsfitness

I am NOT a fitness expert by any stretch of the imagination, nor a doctor, nor lawyer, nor an astronaut. But before ANY physical regimen or dietary change, you should consult a REAL physician for your specific situation. This is blog is not meant as medical advice, but as the story of my personal journey (and subsequent entertainment), and to be real frank, I KNOW I did not do it in a sustainable fashion, but with a barely thought-out plan to accelerate my goals (fat loss). Once I achieve that to a degree where I feel comfortable, I upped my caloric intake so that it was something I can maintain on a regular basis. Do NOT do what I did (unless of course you are a masochistic psychotic). I am not sponsored or get referral fees, so the content here is strictly my unvarnished, unsponsored opinion. Take it with a grain of salt, protein powder, and skepticism.