Fitness Advice on Social Media: How to Tell What Applies to You

Most fitness advice on social media is not wrong so much as aimed at someone else. A tip that suits a 24-year-old competitive lifter training six days a week may be useless, or risky, for a 45-year-old who trains twice a week around a job and children. To judge a post, ask four questions: who is saying it and what do they know, who was it meant for, what is the evidence beyond one person’s results, and what would it cost you to try it. If it promises a lot, quickly, with one trick, be sceptical. If it matches long-standing, boring principles, it is probably fine. And if it involves your heart, joints, pregnancy or medication, ask your GP, not the comments.

I spend a fair amount of time with clients unpicking things they have seen online. Here is the filter I use.

Why so much of it feels convincing

Short video rewards certainty and novelty. “Stop doing this exercise” gets more attention than “this exercise is fine for most people, depending on your history”. The people with the best physiques get the most followers, but their bodies are often the result of years of training, good genetics and sometimes things they do not mention, not the routine in the video. None of that makes them dishonest. It makes their advice hard to transfer.

There is also the algorithm problem. Once you watch one post about a topic, you will be shown fifty more, many contradicting each other. That makes it feel as though the field has no settled answers. On the basics, it largely does.

The four-question filter

1. Who is saying it?

Look for relevant training and experience, not follower numbers. A registered dietitian talking about nutrition, a physiotherapist talking about rehab, or an experienced coach talking about programming has a reason to know. Someone selling a supplement in the same breath has a reason to persuade you. Our post on UK personal trainer qualifications explains what the common levels mean, which is useful context when someone describes themselves as a coach.

2. Who was it meant for?

Ask what the person in the video does, and whether you look anything like them. Age, training history, injuries, available time, goals and equipment all change what is sensible. Advice for advanced bodybuilders about splitting a week across six sessions is not wrong; it just assumes six free hours and years of base.

3. What is the evidence?

One person’s before and after is an anecdote. “Studies show” with no study named is a slogan. Reasonable signs of solid ground include reference to mainstream bodies (the NHS, the UK Chief Medical Officers, recognised sports science organisations), acknowledgement of nuance, and a claim that fits with what you have heard from several unrelated, credible sources over years.

4. What would it cost to try?

Trying a new rowing variation for a month costs very little. Cutting out a food group, taking a new supplement, fasting for long periods or adding a high-impact plyometric routine to a body that has not trained in years may cost a lot more. Match your scepticism to the downside.

Red flags that should slow you down

• “The one exercise you are doing wrong” or “never do X again”, with no context.
• A precise result in an implausibly short time: a stone in two weeks, abs in thirty days.
• Claims to target fat from one area with a particular exercise. That idea has been well tested and does not hold; see our post on spot reducing fat.
• A product discount code in the caption alongside the “science”.
• Talk of “toxins”, “hacks” or a hidden reason that doctors and dietitians have all missed.
• Advice about medication, hormones or supplements in specific doses from someone who is not a medical professional.
• Pain framed as proof something is working.

Green flags

• The person says who the advice is for and who it is not for.
• They explain why, not just what.
• They change their mind publicly when better information appears.
• The advice is a bit dull: progressive overload, enough protein, sleep, walking, consistency.
• They suggest seeing a professional for anything medical.

How to test advice on yourself safely

When something passes the filter and you want to try it, treat it as a small experiment rather than a new identity.

1. Change one thing. If you change your split, your diet and your sleep at once, you will not know what worked.
2. Write down what you expect to happen, and by when.
3. Start below the level shown. Lighter weight, fewer reps, shorter session. Build up only if it feels good.
4. Give it long enough. Four to six weeks for most training changes. A day or two tells you almost nothing.
5. Measure something real: the weight on a lift, your waist, how you feel climbing the Highgate Hill. Not mirror selfies at different angles.
6. Stop if it hurts in a way that is sharp, joint-based or lingering, and get it checked.

The principles that rarely change

If you are overwhelmed, anchor to what has been agreed on for a long time. The NHS physical activity guidelines for adults recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity), plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days. Beyond that, a short list covers most of what matters:

• Lift progressively: a little more weight or a few more reps over time.
• Eat enough protein and roughly the right number of calories for your goal.
• Sleep enough.
• Move during the day, not only in the gym.
• Keep going for months and years, not weeks.

Anything on social media that clearly helps you do those things better is worth a look. Anything that distracts from them usually is not. Our post on why routines beat willpower covers the consistency side.

Where a coach fits

Part of my job is to be the filter. Clients bring me posts, and we look at whether the idea fits their history, goals and week. Often the answer is “fine, but not now”. In 1-1 sessions in the Highgate studio, that conversation happens with the bar in front of us, so we can test an idea with light weight rather than argue about it. Details of how sessions work are on the personal training page.

If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, have a long-term health condition or are returning after a long break or injury, check with your GP before following any new programme, from a coach or a feed.

Questions we get asked

Is fitness advice on Instagram reliable?

Some of it is excellent and some is not. Judge each post by who says it, who it is for, the evidence behind it and the cost of trying it.

How can I tell if a fitness influencer is qualified?

Look for recognised qualifications and relevant experience in their bio or website, and be wary when advice is tied to a product sale.

Why does fitness advice online contradict itself so much?

Much of it is aimed at different people with different goals, and short video rewards strong, simple claims over nuance.

Should I copy a celebrity’s workout?

Use it for ideas if you like, but scale it to your own history, time and recovery.

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