Influencer Confusion: Why Wacky Workouts Are Hurting Real Progress

Walk into any gym today and you’ll likely see someone twisting, lunging, or flailing through a movement that looks more like interpretive dance than strength training. The culprit? Social media influencers who have no formal background in fitness, biomechanics, or sports medicine, but plenty of views.

These individuals often criticize traditional resistance training, claiming it’s outdated or “non-functional.” In its place, they promote bizarre movement patterns that lack structure, overload, or progression. Their videos rack up millions of views, and soon enough, inexperienced lifters are mimicking these routines in the gym, risking injury and wasting time.

THE RISE OF MISINFORMATION

Social media rewards novelty, not accuracy. Influencers know that strange movements and bold claims attract attention. They label squats and deadlifts as “dysfunctional,” then showcase twisting, bouncing, or unstable exercises that look impressive but lack physiological merit.

Most of these influencers have no credentials in kinesiology, strength science, or rehabilitation. They aren’t coaches, trainers, or therapists. They’re performers. And their audience, often young, impressionable, or frustrated with slow progress, takes the bait.

THE PROBLEM WITH MADE-UP MOVEMENTS

Functional training has a place in fitness, but it must be grounded in biomechanics and progressive overload. The issue isn’t creativity, it’s recklessness. Many of these viral movements:

• Lack joint stability and proper loading  
• Fail to recruit high-threshold motor units  
• Ignore principles of adaptation and recovery  
• Increase injury risk through poor mechanics

When someone twists through a loaded lunge on a Bosu ball while holding a kettlebell overhead, they aren’t building strength. They’re rehearsing instability. And when that same person shows up at the gym trying to replicate what they saw online, they often look confused, uncoordinated, and vulnerable to injury.

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING DONE RIGHT

Not all functional training is flawed. In fact, when applied correctly, it’s one of the most valuable tools in sport-specific programming. Athletes benefit from movement patterns that mimic the demands of their sport, whether it’s rotational power for golfers, lateral agility for tennis players, or explosive triple extension for sprinters.

True functional training is purposeful. It reinforces coordination, joint integrity, and neuromuscular control in ways that directly translate to performance. The difference is intent. When movements are designed to support a specific skill or sport, they become functional. When they’re designed to attract views, they become noise.

WHY STRENGTH TRAINING STILL WINS

Foundational lifts like squats, presses, rows, and deadlifts have stood the test of time for a reason. They:

• Build muscle and bone density  
• Improve joint integrity and movement efficiency  
• Enhance athletic performance and injury resilience  
• Support metabolic health and longevity

These movements are scalable, measurable, and backed by decades of research. They aren’t flashy, but they work.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF REAL COACHES

Fitness professionals must speak up. It’s not enough to roll our eyes at the latest viral nonsense. We need to educate, correct, and guide. That means:

• Teaching proper mechanics and progression  
• Explaining why certain movements are ineffective or unsafe  
• Helping clients distinguish between entertainment and evidence

The gym should be a place of learning, not mimicry. When misinformation spreads unchecked, it undermines the hard work of coaches, therapists, and educators who prioritize safety and results.

CONCLUSION

Not every movement that goes viral deserves a place in your workout. Strength training isn’t broken, it’s being misrepresented. If you’re serious about progress, ignore the circus tricks and stick to principles that work. Because in fitness, results come from effort, structure, and science, not from chasing views.

Functional training has its place, especially when it’s tied to sport-specific performance. But when it’s stripped of context and repackaged for clicks, it loses its value. Train with purpose, not popularity.