The Opposite of Candy Bars: Inspiring Male Fitness Trainers

The former wide receiver for the Ravens and the Giants left the NFL after just two seasons in favor of opening Training C.A.M.P., a gym focusing on overall health, not just muscle gains. Side hustle? Fitness director for the Under Armour Performance Center, no big.

Tip you can try today: Copy his super-lean meal for dinner. (Or if you’re local, add his free group workout this Saturday to your calendar—an outdoor sweat sesh at Pier 66.)

Location: New York, NY

Followers: 24.4k

The Mike Marchese method isn’t for everyone. That’s because quick fixes, like shortcut fads and crash diets, don’t have a place at his gym, MRG Fitness, the studio he opened after so many people asked him for fitness advice that he realized he had a loyal following. For his clients, bodyweight training is at the core, but he mixes in circuit and HITT training, so you’re never bored, and neither are your muscles.

Tip you can try today: practice holding a handstand against the wall for 15 seconds. It’s the first step to the human flag—one of Mike’s go-tos.

Location: Staten Island, NY

Followers: 30.4k

You don’t need to join a fancy fitness center to train like this life-long athlete and bar expert. Just find your local outdoor gym (most city parks have them) and start practicing on the bars. No matter how you move, gravity will get you ripped. Or you could study up on push-ups, pull-ups, and aerial feats with Scott himself at his gym, BarStrength.

Tip you can try today: Plant your palms at the edge of a hip-height table and lean over till your feet come off the ground; hold that pose. That’s how Scott kills time at airports, apparently.

Location: Santa Monica, CA

Followers: 94.2k

This multi-hyphenate fitness wonder danced in heels in a Madonna video, but that’s not the reason you can trust him for training. He’s a British boxing champion whose hard-earned physique won him modeling contracts (Calvin, Givenchy, to name just two) while serving as an advertisement for his no-whining training program. For clients, he essentially customizes every detail of their lives from eating times to well-being strategies.

Tip you can try today: Old-fashioned tried-and-true sit-ups. And one that works at the office, too: Don’t share all of your secrets.

Location: Warwickshire, UK

Followers: 139k

Ruffo is a speed bag phenomenon who fell so hard for boxing workouts that he built iMuscleUp, the largest calisthenics park in the country. He offers training advice in your feed: Follow @trainlikeruffo and you’ll get fitness tips as you scroll.

Tip you can try today: Treat yourself. Everything in moderation. And by extension of that logic, get on the ground and give us 20—seconds of planking, that is.

Location: Lake City, FL

Followers: 76.8k