Eshal Firoze | The Chronicle
As fitness and gym content creation grows, students at Mason High School (MHS) continue to strengthen their online presence by sharing their fitness journeys.
For senior Ben Green, lifting has evolved from a hobby into a potential career in content creation. After starting out in eighth grade as part of the Mason Middle School (MMS) wrestling team, Green now shares his passion for fitness on social media and hopes to become a full-time fitness influencer.
Green said the gym can be intimidating at first, but over the years, it has become a space to improve and find community. Through research and learning from other gym-goers, Green said his approach to lifting has evolved, and building strength has become a serious commitment.
“I started looking into more of the science aspects of [lifting], and that’s when I started taking it more seriously,” Green said. “I started doing research on how to perform better and learned a lot about different kinds of hypertrophy.”
Green said creating content allows him to reach a wider audience, with his most-watched Instagram video garnering more than 12,000 views.
“The first three seconds [of a video] are the most important,” Green said. “I’ve realized if you don’t have a good hook, you’re not going to be able to gain the views that you need. I hope [viewers] grow in knowledge and can change their workouts to do better [in the gym].”
Joshua Morneau back squats during a workout, creating fitness content on Instagram.
Green currently works with The Gym Culture and POWERWING, both gym clothing brands. He said securing additional sponsorships would help him monetize his platform and become a full-time content creator.
“[Content creating] is time-consuming, and it’s hard,” Green said. “Getting a big brand sponsorship would be fantastic, and mak[ing] a career off of [content creation] would be the big dream.”
While Green hopes to turn his online presence into a career, senior Joshua Morneau uses his social media account on a different scale. Morneau created an Instagram platform to document his progress in the gym and hold himself accountable.
What began as going to the gym with his brother has become an integral part of Morneau’s daily routine. He began sharing his journey shortly after starting to work out to track his improvement and stay motivated.
“I was saying to myself, ‘I already lift every day. So why not just document it?’” Morneau said. “I do it for myself. But if people want to watch my journey, then they’re able to.”
Morneau said he also uses social media to follow other creators and learn from their experiences. Along with new techniques and exercises, he gains insight into nutrition and makes informed choices for his goals.
“Social media is definitely part of [learning],” Morneau said. “There are people I look up to [on social media], so [for example] if I see a meal I think looks good, I’ll try it.”
For junior Brooklyn Howard, fitness is closely tied to her goals as a cheerleader on the MHS cheer team. Since beginning her fitness journey as a freshman, Howard has prioritized strength training to improve her performance and pursue future cheerleading opportunities.
Howard uses social media to showcase her progress and skills. She said documenting her fitness journey motivates her and allows her to encourage others.
Brooklyn Howard takes a bite of her Better Blend Power Bowl, promoting the brand.
“Pushing myself, seeing results and getting stronger is something that really feeds me,” Howard said. “When [I] take lifting seriously, [I] can see that I’m tumbling better and a stronger stunter.”
What began as a way to share her progress has also led to sponsorship opportunities. Howard currently partners with Better Blend, a juice and smoothie bar that emphasizes high-protein options. She said the partnership gives her access to healthier ingredients as she works toward her fitness goals.
Howard said social media can pressure people, especially women, to be small, negatively impacting body image. She has learned to prioritize strength and skill over unrealistic expectations.
“A lot of people struggle with body image,” Howard said. “I just feel like it’s too normalized to be so skinny. It used to be a big deal to me to count calories, and now it’s just [about] making sure I’m eating enough and fueling my body.”
Howard said that it is easy to get discouraged when you are in constant comparison. She said it is important to stay focused on and improve one day at a time.
“Everyone starts somewhere,” Howard said. “Don’t compare yourselves to other people, whether that’s how much people are lifting, eating or what they look like. So whether that be going to the gym by yourself [or] taking [fitness] classes, you have to start somewhere.”
