Switching up your routine and committing to a new lifestyle isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do, but health is wealth and it should be taken seriously. Whether you’re a gym rat or just starting your physical fitness journey, there’s never a right or wrong time to start giving your all to healthy living. So, with that said, the Black Love team has compiled a list of 10 Black fitness gurus to follow, be inspired by, and pick up some tips and tricks from to start the year off strong and right.
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- JEANETTE JENKINS
One of the most legendary and respected trainers in the game is Jeanette Jenkins with 28 years of experience under her belt and a client list that includes stars like Kelly Rowland, Alicia Keys, P!nk, Mindy Kaling, and more. Also an entrepreneur, Jeanette is the founder of the Hollywood Training Club where over 500 workouts and 150 recipes live and the author of The Hollywood Training Plan.
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- BRITTNE JACKSON
At 24, Brittne Jackson — aka Brittne Babe— has been running her fitness empire since she was in college leveraging her brand through social media. With her mother Kimberly by her side as her business partner, Brittne, a certified trainer, has developed the #BrittneBABE21DayChallenge to encourage fitness, health, and wellness among her community of 1.4 million followers with $5000 in cash prizes for the challenge’s top performers. She was also recently featured in the fitness and wellness episode of Red Table Talk.
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- ROB “BOSS” EVERLINE
Trainer Rob “Boss” Everline has gotten celebrities like Kevin Hart, Ne-Yo, Adrienne Bailon, and Trey Songz into the most amazing shape of their lives, but he has also made sure to keep the community first. In order to emphasize the importance of health and fitness in the Black community, Rob co-created the C.J. the Workout Kid program in Atlanta to fight childhood obesity. To take it one step further, Rob also developed the Teachers Get Fit program to make sure that students are led by example and see how important physical health is in their day-to-day life.
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- JESSAMYN STANLEY
Jessamyn Stanley is a world-renowned yoga instructor who is on a mission to bring yoga to people all around the world through her app The Underbelly which will be released this year. The Underbelly app will bring yoga classes directly to people across the globe that are engaged on different levels of their journey of the practice, all at the tips of their fingers. A standout quality of Jessamyn’s practice is enforcing body positivity through her teachings making sure that people focus on how they feel and not just how they look by using high energy vinyasa flow.
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- BRIANA OWENS
With spin classes being a workout trend across the country, one thing that they are not is diverse. Due to this very obvious void, Briana Owens took it upon herself to become a certified spin instructor and went on to found Spiked Spin to create a safe, comfortable space for women of color to workout. With wellness and the mission to support the Black community in that space, Briana has made Spiked Spin a class that you don’t want to miss!
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- TRAVELLE GAINES
The motto of the Athletic Gaines gym is “The Season Favors The Prepared,” so it is clear that the athletic trainer in charge, Travelle Gaines, means business. Travelle trains some of the biggest names in the WNBA, NBA, and NFL including Taj Gibson, Candace Parker, Todd Gurley, Saquon Barkley, and more through customized workouts and more importantly, a positive attitude.
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- SHAUN T
With a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Theater and Dance, Shaun T has put all of his talents to use as a trainer and actor. In 2007, Shaun T became the mastermind behind the mega successful Hip Hop Abs home fitness program which catapulted him into fame in the fitness world and homes everywhere. Just two years later, Shaun debuted Insanity which has changed the fitness industry forever becoming one of the most successful and recognized fitness programs of all time. Since then, Shaun has released a self-help book entitled T Is For Transformation along with countless other workouts and fitness challenges that inspire people daily to make a change and keep fitness first.
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- MASSY ARIAS
With 2.5 million Instagram followers, Massy Arias is a health and fitness star. The certified personal trainer has dedicated her time and made it her life’s work to inspire millions of people across the globe to live a healthy lifestyle and achieve physical, mental, and emotional health after battling depression. As a fitness expert, Massy has been featured in multiple publications including The Undefeated, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost and more spreading her wellness message to women everywhere.
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- CURTIS WILLIAMS
From 2005 to 2007, Curtis Williams was a wide receiver in the NFL, but his career did not stop there. After stepping away from the field, Curtis became the owner of Training C.A.M.P. and a sports performance coach. A certified Performance Enhancement Specialist, Curtis helps improve the athleticism of athletes that he works with by focusing on improving movement and not body parts in order to guide them to being more agile, faster, and less vulnerable to becoming injured on or off the field. All of his training can be performed by people of all levels while always making sure that clients “work with a purpose.”
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- AARON “ACE” SIMPSON
Los Angeles-based trainer, Aaron “Ace” Simpson says training is where his passion met his purpose to inspire people to live life as their best selves through the power of positivity and fitness. While keep his faith at the forefront of his mission, Ace trains people of all ages and abilities making sure that goals are not only set but hit with results through a healthy diet and regular workouts.
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