10 Trans Fitness Professionals to Follow on Instagram and TikTok
Workout vicariously with your newest online gym crush.
Instagram / Courtesy of Them.
This article was originally published on them.us by James Factora. It has been shortened here for length.
The start of the Gregorian calendar year comes with lots of resolutions to get back into working out — or to embark upon a fitness journey for the first time. But if you’re trans, you likely face more barriers to working out than just predatory gym membership practices. When you already feel a baseline level of discomfort with your body, as many trans people do, it’s understandable that you might feel hesitant to take the plunge into fitness culture, which often enforces toxic ideas about what one’s body should look like, not to mention a literal history of white supremacist standardization. Even simply finding trans or gender-nonconforming fitness professionals doesn’t guarantee that those professionals won’t just reinforce gendered body norms, but “wokely.”
But aside from the mere aesthetic benefits of working out, there are endless reasons to begin a regular movement practice. We’re sure it’s not news that exercise is good for your body, but it’s also amazing for your mental health. (You know that thing where you finally break free from the clutches of the couch at 4 p.m. after doomscrolling nonstop, you go on a little walk, and all of the sudden all of the ills of the world disappear? Yeah.)
Also, let’s be serious, taking care of our physical health is one of the best things that we can do to individually prepare ourselves to weather whatever is in store for trans people in the next few years.
To lighten the mood a little, working out, especially with friends, can actually be fun. You just have to find what feels best for you. Even starting to figure out what your movement practice of choice may be, whether dance, weightlifting, running, basketball, or whatever else, can feel difficult if you’ve never seen people like you reflected in fitness spaces. That’s where we come in. Read on for a list of trans creators, influencers, and training professionals on TikTok and Instagram who you can follow for inspiration wherever you’re at in your fitness journey.
Landyn Pan
Landyn Pan’s Instagram bio says they’re focused on “helping LGBTQ+ ppl build strength, muscle and confidence without toxic bro-culture or strict diets.” Sign us up! In addition to posting workout tips and instructional videos from their experience exclusively working with queer and trans clients, they also offer nutrition advice.
James Factora is an L.A.-born, New York-based writer and musician. Their work has also appeared in Teen Vogue, Slate, Refinery29 and others.
