Fitness influencers on Instagram: 40 creators with measured engagement (2026)

This is a list of 40 fitness influencers on Instagram, grouped by size, with numbers we measured ourselves. For each one you get the follower count, the engagement rate of their typical post, how often they post, one recent post and a note on which brands they suit. We picked them from 2,001 fitness creators that Virev's crawler read between August 22 and September 30, 2026, and opened every profile by hand on October 2.

The pages that rank for "fitness influencers" are a Reddit thread, a few database exports and lists of famous names. Influencer Hero's top 120 gives an engagement rate for each account but no date and no word on how it was counted. WodGuru's list starts with Kayla Itsines and Tibo InShape and has no engagement numbers. None of them says what a sponsored post gets. So this list has 22 creators under 100,000 followers, splits fitness into strength, running, yoga and general coaching, and measures 1,070 real sponsored posts.

How to read the numbers

• Typical ER is likes plus comments on the creator's median post, divided by followers. We use the median post because one viral Reel can lift an average far above what a sponsored post will get.
• Posts/wk is the pace across their 12 most recent posts.
• Recent post links to a post close to their typical numbers, with the date and the likes we read on Instagram on October 2. Instagram rounds counts above 10,000.
• Followers come from Virev's last read of each account, between August 25 and September 26, 2026. Three accounts have grown a lot since; the notes say which.

To check a fitness account that is not on this list, paste the handle into the Instagram engagement rate calculator. It shows the average and the median-post rate side by side. For TikTok creators, use the TikTok engagement rate calculator.

For context, the median fitness creator's typical post ER is 3.62% for nano, 1.34% for micro, 0.78% for mid and 0.53% for macro accounts. 37 of the 40 creators below beat the median of their tier.

Nano fitness influencers (1,000 to 10,000 followers)

• Danny (@danny.bag.of.donuts), US. A natural pro bodybuilder with stage routines, posing and contest prep, six posts a week. His bio carries a referral for a meal-prep shop in Cherry Creek, Denver. Fits meal prep, gyms and natural supplements.
• Paige Atwell (@paigemarie.atwelllifting), UK. A British Army strongwoman with world and British titles in the under-75 kg class. Training with her twin, 4.5 posts a week. Fits lifting gear, strongman events and armed forces charities.
• Dominique Harris (@dominiqueeharris), Stuart, Florida. Prenatal and postpartum yoga, mommy-and-me classes and local class schedules. Fits maternity activewear, baby gear and wellness businesses in South Florida.
• Carli Geller (@carli.geller), New York. Private yoga and breathwork on the Upper East Side, plus class schedules at local studios. Her first yoga photoshoot post got 79 comments on 254 likes. Fits NYC studios, mats and coffee brands.
• Johnathan Gonzales (@jackedup_johnny), Texas. IFBB Pro, coach and pastor. 23 of the 44 posts we read from him this year carry a discount code, for Eminent Nutrition, Flavor Gang, Gasp and Better Bodies. Those deals cover supplements and apparel, so pitch equipment, gyms or events.
• Tilly Anema (@tilly_anema), Cardiff, UK. A club triathlete. Her "new bike day" post thanks Ridley and TriHarder. Fewer than one post a week. Fits UK triathlon and cycling brands.
• Lane Peters (@_coachlp), US. A former Army Ranger and retired Division I wrestler. Ranger School prep, loaded carries and home-gym sessions. Highest typical post in this tier, 11.53%. Fits rucking gear, boots and military-prep programs.
• Kyle Townsend (@ktown327), US. ISSA trainer and bodybuilding coach, a sponsored athlete for MNM Prolabs with a code in his bio. Four posts a week. Fits apparel, gyms and meal prep; supplements would compete with his sponsor.
• Quinn Robinson (@_quinnrobinson), Nashville. A three-time CrossFit Games athlete. Competition clips, recovery updates and faith posts. One post lifts her average to 14.43%; her typical post is 7.44%. Fits CrossFit equipment and recovery brands.
• Reece Fallon (@reecefallon). Official HYROX ambassador for North America, with race results and personal bests. Carries a Transparent Labs code. Posts every two weeks, so book one post, not a series. Fits hybrid training gear and race nutrition.

Micro fitness influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers)

• Derrick Mathy (@derrickmathy), Chicago. SFG kettlebell coach who runs kettlebell flow classes at local studios. Managed by 10 Management. Fits kettlebells, mobility tools and Chicago studios.
• Scott Traer (@runfastah), US. Run coach and ultrarunner, 2025 USATF national champion, on the Janji, Topo Athletic and GU field teams. Fits trail shoes and race nutrition.
• Leon "Sweets" Lewis (@sweetslewis), South London. A 2:33 marathoner aiming for sub 2:30 in Berlin, who once ran 355 km over four days. Has run a John Lewis campaign. Fits running shoes, watches and UK retail.
• Ce Clerger (@clerge.fitness), US. Online coach with athletic training splits and meal ideas, with Prozis and Gymshark codes. Followers grew from 16,128 at our read to 31.9K on October 2. Fits activewear and supplements.
• Grayson McFarlin (@graysondrake), New York. Running in NYC, managed by Digital Brand Architects. Typical post 7.29%, under one post a week. Posted for Icy Hot in June (see the case below). Fits running shoes and city races.
• Chris Green's Garage Gym (@greensgaragegym), US. Home-gym training for fathers, with sobriety and discipline themes, five posts a week. His eight labeled posts this year got a median of 0.17 times his usual response, while his four code posts for Bucked Up and a Polar Dive cold plunge got 1.7 to 2.6 times. Fits home-gym equipment, on a code deal.
• Run to Remember (@runtoremember2977), US. Running 2,977 miles, one mile for each person killed on 9/11, naming the people each run honors. Followers grew from 27,515 to 48.9K. Fits brands that support the cause, not a product push.
• Alexandra Michael (@alexandra_michael), London. Fitness and Pilates instructor with a sports science degree, Gymshark and Oner Active codes in her bio. One post lifts her average to 21.77%; her typical post is 7.49%. Her 15 code posts this year got 0.40 times her usual. Fits wearables and activewear.
• Power Hour with Ilona Maher (@powerhourilona), US. Rugby Olympian Ilona Maher's weekly workout show, with a new guest every Thursday. Typical post 29.23% at 57,833 followers; the account had 80K on October 2, so the rate per follower will fall. Fits women's strength apparel and equipment.
• Kipping It Real (@kippingitrealcrossfit), US. Grant Hooper's CrossFit and HYROX memes, five a week, with his own Frog Grips code. Fits functional fitness brands that want humor.
• Jeff Browning (@gobroncobilly), US. A veteran ultrarunner and coach, sponsored by KEEN, UltrAspire and Injinji. Four posts a week. Fits trail gear and endurance nutrition.
• Dr. Emily Dow (@dremilydow), US. PhD, registered dietitian and strength coach who teaches sports nutrition to camera. Four of her five MacroFactor posts got 1.05 to 1.37 times her usual response. Fits nutrition apps and sports nutrition that can stand up to a dietitian's review.

Mid-tier fitness influencers (100,000 to 500,000 followers)

• Andy Paredes (@andypbodybuilding), US. IFBB Pro and two-time Olympia competitor, with Revive MD, RAW Nutrition and Kontrolled Insanity in his bio. One post lifts his average to 3.55%; his typical post is 1.22%. Already tied to several supplement brands.
• Hercules Nicolaou (@hercuules), UK. Ultrarunner training for the Moab 240, with cinematic Reels. Ran a De'Longhi coffee partnership around a long run across Greece. Under one post a week. Fits coffee, endurance gear and travel.
• Hayley Allyn (@hayleyallynfit), US. ISSA trainer and nutrition coach. Leg and arm workouts plus grocery hauls at Costco, Aldi and Whole Foods. Fits food and grocery brands.
• Dallin Pepper (@dallinpepper), US. Second Fittest Man on Earth in 2024 and 2026, five-time CrossFit Games athlete. Posts for PBfit, YETI and GOWOD. Fits food and recovery brands.
• Sam Long (@samgolong), US. Professional triathlete with swim, gear and race content. His five labeled posts this year got 0.23 times his usual. Fits triathlon gear; price on the lower figure.
• Callie Vinson (@callievinsonn), US. An ultrarunner who lost 200 pounds and now runs 200-mile races, and coaches with a body-diversity focus. Posted for Icy Hot and Topo Athletic. Fits inclusive running apparel and trail gear.
• Jayson Hopper (@jhopper3), US. 2025 Fittest Man on Earth, six-time CrossFit Games athlete. TYR, Rogue and Garmin in his bio. Under one post a week. Fits strength equipment, if those sponsors leave room.
• Jake Taylor (@jaketm11), London. Filmmaker and runner with a Gymshark code (JT10). His 11 labeled posts this year, for brands including Gymshark, H&M Move and Maui Jim, got 0.53 times his usual response. Fits running apparel and filmed campaigns.
• Emily Jane Fairs (@emilyjanefairs), UK. Running and ultras, 8.6 posts a week. Oner Active ambassador with ESN, Runna and Salomon codes; 13 ad or code posts this year. Fits UK running brands; check what is already running.
• Kevin Carnell (@kevincarnell). Strength training, Pilates and natural bodybuilding, with his own training app. Typical post 3.24% on 315,142 followers, under one post a week. Fits activewear and equipment.

Macro fitness influencers (500,000+ followers)

• Justin Medeiros (@justinmedeiros34), US. Two-time Fittest on Earth, with Gymreapers, Rogue and GOWOD in his bio. Fits CrossFit equipment and events.
• Chayse Byrd (@chaysembyrd). Running and gym humor, with a Runna code. Her eight labeled posts this year, for Reebok, L'Oreal Paris, Philips, Balega, Icy Hot, Rest, BODi and Instant Hydration, got 0.13 to 0.40 times her usual response. Her code posts got 1.09 times.
• Madeleine Abeid (@madeleineabeid), Boston. Certified Pilates instructor, trainer on the Alive app, with a Gymshark code. Fits Pilates equipment, apps and activewear.
• Adriene Mishler (@adrienelouise), Austin. Yoga With Adriene. Her Instagram is a personal account with lifestyle and political posts; the yoga classes live on YouTube. Typical post 0.51%. For a yoga product, book her on YouTube.
• Autumn Calabrese (@autumncalabrese), US. Midlife fitness and perimenopause education, founder of Good Mood Brew. Her three labeled posts this year, one for a Ninja drink maker at Sam's Club and two for supplements, got 1.35 to 1.62 times her usual response. Fits women's health and kitchen brands.
• Nick Walker (@nick_walker39), US. Bodybuilder; his bio says 2026 Mr. Olympia. Darc Sport and Morphogen Nutrition codes, about ten posts a week. Typical post 0.52%, about 10,000 likes and comments. Price on that, not on 1.9 million followers.
• Caroline Idiens (@carolinescircuits), UK. Personal trainer for 25 years, author of Fit at 50 and a Telegraph columnist. 20 to 30 minute home circuits. Typical post 0.26%, but that is still about 6,300 likes and comments, and her posts ask people to save the workout, which Instagram does not show. Many posts sell her own program with a 30% off offer or a "comment the word start" prompt, which lifts comments. Fits women over 40 and home equipment.
• Joey Swoll (@joeyswoll), US. "Gym positivity" videos about gym etiquette, 6.5 a week. Owns Taste Flavor Co and is tied to RYSE. His typical post gets about 74,000 likes and comments. Fits gyms and brands that suit his anti-shaming message; skip competing supplements.

Fitness creators against all creators

We compared the 2,001 fitness creators with the 53,934 individual creators in our Instagram engagement rate benchmarks. Both groups use the same rule: likes plus comments, averaged over the 12 most recent posts, divided by followers.

Fitness creators sit a little below the field at every size. The gap is small, 0.06 to 0.23 points. It is also a crowded niche: 2,001 fitness creators, against 455 pet creators and 625 Christian creators measured the same way.

Three more differences matter when you plan a campaign:

• They post a little more. Micro fitness creators post 2.0 times a week against 1.6 for all creators, and macro creators 2.4 against 2.0.
• The paid label is no more common. 6.4% of fitness creators had Instagram's paid partnership label in their last 12 posts, against 6.6% of all creators.
• Discount codes are everywhere. 607 of the 2,001 fitness creators, about 3 in 10, posted a discount code or affiliate link without a paid label this year, most of them for apparel and supplements. Above 100,000 followers it is close to 4 in 10. Check which codes a creator already runs before you offer yours.

Strength, running, yoga and general fitness

Each creator's Virev profile names a main niche, such as "Fitness and bodybuilding", "Running and endurance sports" or "Pilates and wellness". We grouped them into four sub-niches. Home workouts would have been a fifth, but only 13 creators name it as their main niche, too few to measure, so they sit in general fitness.

Paid label: share with Instagram's paid partnership label in their last 12 posts. Ran a code: share that posted a discount code or affiliate link in 2026. Sponsored: median sponsored post against the creator's usual post.

• Runners beat the field. Running and endurance creators are the only fitness group above the all-creator median, at 5.84% for nano and 2.86% for micro accounts. Their posts are race results, training blocks and personal bests.
• Strength creators use codes, not labels. Only 1.3% of strength and bodybuilding creators had a paid label in their last 12 posts, but 37% ran a discount code this year, the highest share of any group. Their deals are mostly supplement and apparel codes.
• Yoga and Pilates trail. Their median is 3.57% for nano and 1.75% for micro accounts, below the field. Their labeled posts lose the least, 0.80 times the usual, but that rests on only 25 posts.

Sponsored fitness posts get 0.60x the usual response

We found 1,070 sponsored posts on 336 fitness creator accounts, posted between January 1 and September 23, 2026. A sponsored post here has Instagram's paid partnership label or an ad tag such as #ad, #sponsored or #PR, the same rule as our study of 175,104 sponsored posts. For each one we compared its likes and comments with the median of the same account's posts that carry no ad marker, code or giveaway. The median sponsored fitness post got 0.60 times the usual response, and 73% got less than usual. Across all creators the figure is 0.69.

• Fitness loses more than the average niche. 0.60x matches the fitness and health row of the flagship study (0.60x on 3,203 posts). Only pets, music, sports and comedy creators lost more there.
• Bigger accounts lose more. The median sponsored post got 0.85 times the usual for nano creators, 0.62 for micro, 0.56 for mid-tier, 0.39 for 500,000 to 1 million followers and 0.45 above 1 million. The flagship study found 0.91, 0.75, 0.60, 0.52 and 0.50.
• A code costs less than a label. The 3,417 posts with only a discount code or affiliate link got 0.84 times the usual response. Gymshark is the clearest example: 100 posts naming Gymshark by 16 fitness creators. The 89 posts with a code and no label got 0.82 times; the 11 with a paid label got 0.53 times.
• Teaching posts did better. Dr. Emily Dow's MacroFactor posts explain carbohydrate fueling and electrolytes with screenshots from the app; four of five beat her usual post. Autumn Calabrese's three labeled posts beat hers too. Chayse Byrd's eight labeled product posts got 0.13 to 0.40 times hers.

Price a fitness creator on the lower figure. If a micro creator's typical post gets 1,000 likes and comments, plan for about 600 on a labeled post, and about 840 if they post with their own code.

Case: Icy Hot and #IcyHotPartner

In June 2026 Icy Hot ran a campaign with fitness creators, most of them runners, for its roll-ons, mainly a lidocaine three-pack sold at Costco and Sam's Club. We found 10 Reels by 8 creators between June 1 and August 14, all with Instagram's paid partnership label and the hashtag #IcyHotPartner. Three of them are on this list: Grayson McFarlin, Callie Vinson and Chayse Byrd. On October 2 we re-read the likes and comments on all 10 posts on Instagram.

What the posts show:

• Every post got less than 0.4x. The median post got 0.21 times the creator's usual likes and comments. Together the 10 Reels got 6,985 likes and comments; the same creators' usual posts would have got about 44,000.
• Fewer people saw them. Plays fell to a median of 0.39 times each creator's usual Reel. Chayse Byrd's July 2 Reel had 131,548 plays against about 587,000 on her usual Reel.
• A real story did not save it. Callie Vinson tied the product to shoulder soreness from a running vest in her first 200-mile race. A physical therapist, @oliver__payne, filmed it during his own calf rehab. Both got 0.20 to 0.22 times their usual post.
• The script repeated. Nine of the 10 captions send viewers to a store: Costco, Sam's Club or Walmart. Two creators posted twice, and both second posts did no better; one got 0.06 times the usual.

Set the budget on the response this kind of post gets. Across these 8 creators that was about a fifth of their usual post. If the goal is reach for a retail launch, these posts did not deliver it on their own: plays fell to 0.39x.

How to use this list

1. Start with the typical post. Compare it with the fitness median for the creator's tier above, not with the all-creator figure.
2. Check the gap between average and typical. A large gap (Ilona Maher's show, Alexandra Michael, Andy Paredes) means one viral post lifts the average.
3. Count the codes already running. Johnathan Gonzales has a code in 23 of 44 posts this year. Read how to check a creator's sponsorship history before you send an offer.
4. Match the deal to the sub-niche. Runners and their race content get the strongest response. Strength creators expect a code deal, and a code post loses less than a labeled one.
5. Give educators room to teach. The sponsored fitness posts that beat the usual post explained something. A product demo with a store line lost four fifths of the response.

How we built this list

1. Find candidates. We took every public Instagram account with 1,000 or more followers that Virev read between July 1 and October 2, 2026. We kept accounts whose Virev creator profile is an individual creator and whose main niche names fitness, gym, bodybuilding, strength, CrossFit, running, marathon, triathlon, yoga, Pilates, calisthenics or workouts. Gymnastics, and cycling, swimming or skiing niches without a fitness or running word, were left out.
2. Measure. For each account we used up to 12 recent posts from its own feed, at least three days old when read, not pinned. 2,001 creators had six or more such posts. We checked a random 30 of them by hand: 21 post mainly about fitness. The other 9 mention fitness in their profile but post mostly about family, travel, makeup, film or comedy.
3. Pick. We favored English-language creators in the US, UK, Canada and Australia who posted in the last six weeks, beat the median of their tier, and gave a spread across sub-niches and tiers. We opened 60 profiles.
4. Check by hand. On October 2, 2026 we opened every one of the 60 profiles on Instagram and read the bio and recent posts. We removed 8 as off-niche or not a fitness creator: a trainer whose profile now sells an income course, a hockey player, a hockey coach, a dad account that turned to parenting, an outdoors and lifestyle account, a second account of a calisthenics coach, a UGC account and a runner who now posts mostly lifestyle. We left out 12 more for balance across tiers and sub-niches. None looked AI-generated.
5. Example posts. We re-read one post per creator, and all 10 Icy Hot posts, on Instagram on October 2.

Sponsored posts: we read every post from January 1 to September 27, 2026 on the 2,001 accounts and kept posts at least three days old with like counts shown. A post's usual response is the median likes plus comments of the same account's posts without a paid label, ad tag, gifted tag, code, affiliate link or giveaway; accounts needed four such posts. A hand check of 25 code posts found 22 real brand codes.

Limits: Instagram does not show saves, shares or story views, so they are not in these rates. The 2,001 fitness creators are the accounts Virev crawls, which lean toward accounts brands search for, not a random sample of Instagram. Of the 91 macro fitness creators we measured, 25 write in Portuguese or Spanish; this list is mostly English-language. We list only public business details. Contact creators through the channels on their profiles.

Find more fitness creators

The 40 creators above are a starting point. Virev creator search for "fitness" lists every fitness creator we track, with the same engagement numbers, and lets you filter by follower count, country and engagement rate. The fitness influencer marketing page explains how brands use it, and our live ranking of top fitness influencers sorts the largest accounts by followers. To save a creator's Reel for a brief, use the Instagram downloader.

For other niches measured the same way, see the lists of golf influencers and dog and pet influencers. For the numbers behind the comparisons, read the sponsored post study and the Instagram engagement rate benchmarks.