How to Start a Fitness Instagram (Post Ideas Included)

Wondering how to start a fitness Instagram?

This post shows you how!

Read to the end to get 11 fitness Instagram post ideas that will take your account to the next level.

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Who doesn’t love a good fitness Instagram post?

Coming across a fitness post online MOTIVATES you to get to the gym and start working out.

(Although most of us never actually make it to the gym!)

People love to dream about getting in shape and forging their ideal body.

Which is why fitness posts do so well online!

Their success creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs in the fitness industry.

Maybe you:

• Own a gym
• Sell a health product
• Blog/vlog about fitness and health

Or maybe you just like helping people get healthier!

Whatever your reasons are, here's the truth:

Creating a fitness Instagram is a great way to get followers AND grow a business.

In this post, we'll cover:

• Why you should start a fitness Instagram
• How do I start creating fitness content?
• 11 fitness Instagram post ideas to grow your page
• How to use Post Planner to grow your fitness Instagram

How to Start a Fitness Instagram (Post Ideas Included)

This article is going to answer all your questions about starting a fitness Instagram account:

• What type of content should I post?
• What’s the most efficient way to discover new fitness content?
• How do I make my fitness on Instagram POPPIN'?

We’ll also give you 11 fitness post ideas designed for MAX engagement!

Why you should start a fitness Instagram

Get on Instagram.

You’ll see tons of fitness content floating around.

It seems like almost EVERY other post has something to do with health or fitness.

Is it even worth it to try to get in on the fitness viewership online?

YES!

Starting a fitness Instagram is an EXCELLENT way to get to develop a committed base of followers.

It can also be an amazing way to push viewers to your website and make MONEY.

Here are 2 HUGE reasons why you should start a fitness Instagram.

Reason #1: Fitness is a popular topic online

Fitness is EXTREMELY popular online.

As I’m writing this article, the #fitness tag on Instagram has about 500 MILLION posts!

And that doesn’t even include the health and fitness posts that don’t use that hashtag!

In other words, there's a GIANT market for fitness content on Instagram.

That might mean it’s harder to get your foot in the door.

But it also means you can make MASSIVE gains.

Because of fitness’s popularity on Instagram, you can gain large amounts of followers.

However, it also means you’ll need to carve out a unique niche for yourself.

Reason #2: Fitness pairs well with Instagram’s visual medium

Let’s compare 2 different niches on Instagram:

1. Finance

2. Fitness

Finance is super boring when it comes to photos. It’s all about numbers, personal responsibility, and budgeting.

On the other hand, fitness works perfectly with Instagram’s visual medium.

Seeing people work out and get in shape is inspiring and motivating.

There are hardly any niches that lend themselves better to visual content than fitness does.

Use that to your advantage.

Make amazing visual content that appeals to your viewers online!

How do I start creating fitness content?

Here’s the good news:

There's a TON of fitness content online.

So much of it is EXTREMELY good if you know where to look (we’ll talk more about that later).

But here’s the bad news:

For every 1 good fitness post online, there are probably a dozen TERRIBLE posts.

Learning how to differentiate between GOOD and BAD fitness content is key to running a good page.

Here are 3 tips on how to create and/or find fantastic fitness content on Instagram.

1. Determine your niche and your aesthetic

In a crowded niche like health and fitness, carving out a super-specific niche for yourself is CRITICAL to your success.

Imagine you’re scrolling through Instagram, and there are 10 fitness pages posting the exact same stuff and 1 posting something unique.

Which one are you most likely to follow?

The unique one, of course!

Make your Instagram the UNIQUE one by choosing a unique aesthetic and an interesting angle, and you’ll see your followers grow.

2. Create high-quality images with useful information

People don’t get on Instagram to look at grainy pictures of you in the gym mirror.

They want to see high-quality images that help them on their fitness journey!

When it comes to enticing new followers, there are no 2 things more important than:

• High-quality posting (both image quality and content quality)
• Usefulness (whether it’s information, motivation, or entertainment)

Your rule-of-thumb when posting ANYTHING to your Instagram should be answering these questions:

Would this help me?

Would I spend time looking at this?

If the answer is no to either question, DON’T POST IT!

3. Find valuable posts around the web

You probably don’t have enough time to create high-quality posts every day.

(Most sources recommend posting even more often than that.)

So what should you do to fill in the gaps?

You should find AWESOME content from around the web!

Finding curated content can allow you to add variety to your content, which attracts more followers!

Don’t ignore curated content.

Instead, find what’s worked for other fitness pages and use it with your own followers!

11 fitness Instagram post ideas to grow your page

Figuring out what to post can sometimes feel like an impossible task.

Because figuring out what to post is so difficult, many people end up just posting the SAME type of content repeatedly.

Their pages get BORING, and they start bleeding followers.

To avoid that, we’ve created a list of 11 excellent post ideas that'll help your fitness Instagram experience massive gains (pun intended).

To maximize the benefit of these ideas, make sure you mix them all into your content schedule.

Don’t settle for just 2 or 3 ideas.

VARY your content, so your followers are less likely to get bored of your page!

1. Your workout routine

People follow fitness Instagram accounts because they want to get in shape, so why don’t you HELP them?

People love to see workout routines on Instagram.

These posts are also great because they encourage commenting.

If you pair a workout routine post with a caption like, “Comment your go-to morning exercise routine,” you'll get higher engagement.

You can also encourage people to tag a workout buddy in the comments like this post did:

When posting your workout routine, ensure you make the post interesting by posting a picture or video carousel instead of just plain text!

2. Fitness products you use

People often use Instagram as a source of information about things they’re considering purchasing.

Do you use any workout products that you might be able to give some info about?

• Workout machines
• Supplements, vitamins, protein, etc.
• Weights or bands
• Apparel

If you post about products you use, make sure to include helpful information that provides VALUE to your followers.

Otherwise, your posts will seem pointless.

Making a post about your favorite workout products can help your viewers make better purchasing decisions.

It might even eventually result in a paid sponsorship!

3. Meals for athletes

Athletes are OBSESSED with food.

They love to talk about how many carbs, grams of protein, or macronutrients they’re eating.

Eating the right food is an important part of getting fit, so try to contribute to this discussion online!

• What kinds of foods do you eat before a workout?
• After a workout?
• Do you have specific dietary restrictions like vegan or gluten-free?
• What foods do you avoid at all costs?

Taking a deep dive into your meals as an athlete will be valuable to your followers and help your page GROW!

4. News posts from your niche

No matter what niche you’re in, you’ll always be able to find something going on to talk about.

As a fitness Instagrammer, you should consider keeping up with the happenings in your niche as part of your job.

Making posts about current trends allows you to be a part of the discussion with your followers.

If you wait to post about news after weeks have passed, you’ll just seem out of touch with the present.

Make sure you stay up-to-date to avoid that problem!

5. Motivation posts

Every January, millions of people decide to get a gym membership.

By February, most of them never go back.

Why?

Lack of motivation!

One of the biggest ways you can help your followers is by motivating them to continue on their fitness journey!

There are several ways you can motivate your followers:

• Highlight success stories (other than your own)
• Give advice on how to overcome roadblocks
• Encourage your followers to keep up the good work

Mix in motivation and help your viewers stick to their commitments!

6. Quotes

Similar to motivation, fitness quotes can be a great aid to people who are interested in fitness.

There are tons of great sources of quotes on the internet.

One of the best is Post Planner’s quote Content Streams.

Quotes aren’t very visual, so we recommend only mixing them into your content strategy on occasion.

If you notice they’re getting high levels of engagement, you can mix them in more frequently.

When you post quotes, make sure they’re visually appealing.

Otherwise, they won’t perform very well on Instagram.

7. Blog posts

If you have a blog where you post fitness-related content, use your fitness Instagram to promote those posts.

If you don’t have a blog, try finding another fitness blog you can reference in your Instagram posts.

Instagram users are looking for value, and a well-written blog post can provide a ton of value to your followers.

That increased value will improve ENGAGEMENT and help GROW your page.

Keep in mind:

You might also link to your website for other reasons.

For example, you might be hosting a challenge or a giveaway, or you could be launching a new product.

Posting articles on Instagram is tricky.

But the most important thing to remember is to prioritize high-quality visuals.

If it looks good, MORE people will slow down enough to read the excerpt in the caption.

8. Informational posts

People who are really into fitness are constantly learning about the newest exercise theories.

You can appeal to that type of person by posting new information on your Instagram page.

For example, there might be new evidence that a certain type of lift is harmful to the spine.

Sharing that with your followers could be extremely valuable to him.

And it'll position you as a THOUGHT LEADER.

Infographics work extremely well for this type of post.

They strike a great balance between information and visual aspects.

9. Behind-the-scenes posts

One of the main criticisms of the fitness scene on Instagram is that it’s too perfect.

Not many fitness Instagrammers are showing the less glamorous parts of their lives.

However, that’s exactly what many fitness viewers want.

They want to feel like they’re getting to know the real you!

Behind-the-scenes posts are all about showing the good along with the bad.

• Did you miss a workout?
• Did you have a cheat meal (and a milkshake)?
• Did you have a bad hair day?

Show your followers what you’re really like, and they will repay you with engagement!

10. Non-fitness posts

Let’s face it:

Not everything in life is about fitness.

Sometimes you’ll have something going on that has nothing to do with fitness or health.

It’s OK to tell your followers about it!

Is it your birthday?

Are you going on vacation with your family?

Tell your followers!

Remember:

Your followers want to get to know you!

Let them see the parts of your life that aren’t fitness-related.

However, remember:

You run a fitness Instagram, so non-fitness posts shouldn’t dominate your account.

Mix them in for some variety, but don’t let them dominate your content strategy.

11. Case studies and results posts

Nothing makes fitness people smile quite like a good ole fashioned transformation post.

Fitness transformations are satisfying because we get to see how someone turned their life around and got healthy.

It motivates us to try HARDER on our own journeys.

There are several ways to get case studies like that for your Instagram:

• Use your own journey
• Reach out to your followers for their stories
• Find other stories around the internet

However, you CANNOT forget the most important part of these posts:

The before and after pics!

Use results posts to educate and motivate your followers.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even motivate yourself while you’re at it!

How to use Post Planner to grow your fitness Instagram

Now that we’ve looked at 11 great post ideas for your fitness Instagram, let’s talk about how to put it together into a plan.

Post Planner is a social media scheduling tool that allows you to automatically post content from the internet. However, it also helps you quickly discover new content without scouring the internet!

If you aren’t signed up for Post Planner, make sure you sign up for the 7-day free trial, so you can follow along with this section!

Create a posting calendar

If you want to automate your fitness posts, you need to create a schedule for Post Planner to follow.

Go to the posts tab at the top of your Post Planner dashboard, then select “Queue Plans” on the left-side toolbar.

Select the days and times that you want to post to your Instagram account.

Then, select what type of content will be allowed at each posting time.

For example, you might post pictures every weekday and videos on weekends.

Tell Post Planner what content to post by selecting the appropriate icons.

Find posts in your niche

Now you can fill your posting schedule with fitness content curated by Post Planner.

Content Streams are the fastest way to find fitness content for your followers.

Just search for your particular fitness niche (we used weightlifting in the example photo) and browse Content Streams for that niche.

Post Planner gives each post a star rating.

Stars measure how likely a post is to earn engagement on your social media channels.

For example, you might see two weightlifting posts – one with 3 stars and one with 5 stars.

The 5-star picture has performed better than the 3-star picture, so it's likely to perform better on your page as well.

Automate your posting schedule

Now it’s time to start automating your Instagram.

When you find a post that you want to add to your content plan, hover over it and click “Create Post.”

Fill in all the details that you want:

• Caption
• Location
• Additional media (if making a carousel post)

Then click “Add to queue.”

Your post will be added to your posting schedule and will automatically post when the time comes.

Interact with your followers

You should now be able to see how much time you’ll be able to save by finding curated content using Post Planner.

What are you supposed to do with all that extra time?

You could use it to watch cat videos...

But we don’t recommend that if you want to grow your fitness Instagram page.

Instead, you should use that time to interact with your followers!

Interacting with followers and letting them get to know you is what truly increases engagement over time.

If your followers feel like they know you, they’ll be more likely to recommend your page AND any product you sell to their friends!

Want to blow up your fitness IG? Try Post Planner for FREE today!

Running a fitness Instagram is hard work, but these 11 post ideas should cut down on the time it takes to make a great fitness page.

As you begin to incorporate these posts into your content schedule, you'll see your followers being more engaged.

You’ll also see follower growth.

Post Planner can help you do all of that by making it much easier to find and schedule content.

Use automation to save time and find BETTER content.

Then, use the time you save to engage with your new followers!

Sign up for Post Planner for FREE today.

Good luck!