Fitness Modelling

Fitness modelling is a section of the modelling industry that allows athletic people to showcase their amazing physiques and talent. They are commonly used to advertise gyms, lifestyles, diets, healthy food companies, and other health-related businesses.

As people have become more concerned with their fitness and overall health, the need for fitness models has grown. Fitness models are there to show customers what they can achieve themselves with hard work and dedication.

Read on to find out if you have the requirements to become a fitness model.

Fitness Models Vs Regular Models

The difference between fitness and regular models is all aesthetic. Both work to create aesthetically pleasing physiques by working out and eating well. However, fitness modelling requires more muscle mess and tonage in both male and female models.

Height is less of a problem for fitness models, as are facial features. While fitness models still need to be attractive, their job is far more about their body shapes than their facial beauty.

Fitness models are also expected to be able to provide more action and energy at shoots. They are regularly asked to jump, lunge, lift weights and show off their impressive musculature at photoshoots.

While their body fat percentage is as low as a usual models, their muscle percentage is far higher. They train completely differently to normal models because they are each working towards a different goal; while regular models do cardio and weights in order to keep muscles toned and slender, fitness models usually lift much heavier and more often. Fitness models must also fuel their bodies differently as their muscles mean more protein and overall calorie intake must be higher.

Models Vs Athletes

Many sports brands are now hiring celebrities in place of regular models because they tend to have a larger reach on social media. For example, Kylie Jenner was hired to advertise Puma’s new running shoes and her sister Kendall also posed as a ballerina in a Vogue photoshoot.

There was outrage about this because genuine, hardworking athletes were overlooked for models who are not athletes in these areas. It gives fitness athletes less opportunities when companies choose random celebrities to face their campaigns purely because of their number of fans.

Social Media

Fitness models are able to make a name for themselves on social media. YouTube and Instagram in particular are ideal for showcasing workouts, meal plans and lifestyle images. Fitness models Jen Selter and Ana Cheri both made an impact after using Instagram/going viral.

How to Become a Fitness Model

If your hobby is working out and spending time at the gym and you know you have a good body, fitness modelling may be for you.

To be considered as a fitness model, you must:

• Be in excellent shape. How you do this is up to you, but most agencies want to see defined muscles (particularly abs).
• Have a specific sport or exercise that you are good at. For example football, ballet, weightlifting, tennis… whatever you do, agencies like people who are authentically good at what they do.
• Good skin, hair and a nice smile are all important factors.
• They must photograph well. Some fitness models may look good in person, but unless your toned legs and abs show up on camera there won’t be much work for you as a model.
• Be passionate. A fitness model must ensure their body is in peak condition all year round if they want to have a successful career. Only someone who is passionate and enjoys fitness will have the stamina to meet these demands.
• Knowledge about fitness. A fitness model must understand basic fitness and nutrition in order to build the type of body required for fitness modelling.
• Know how to pose. Fitness models must pose differently to normal models because they need to showcase muscles in a natural but effective way. This means plenty of practice in the mirror.

Fitness models should also sign to a modelling agency that specialises in fitness. This way, they will be more likely to be signed and the agency will work with more brands and companies that are looking for fitness models; basically, there will be far greater opportunities for them.

Is Fitness Modelling Just for Men?

While in the past men may have been more thought of in terms of fitness, women have definitely caught us. There is just as much demand for female fitness models as there are men.

Women in particular have been good at utilising social media and working it to their advantage. A lot of opportunities can come out of having a strong social media presence.

Men tend to be more successful when they are particularly good at a specific sport of exercise. Ross Edgley is a good example; he first became famous after swimming around Great Britain. His popular book also won him fans. He now has a successful Instagram page as well as a YouTube channel where he collaborates with others in the fitness industry. This has lead to endorsements and further collaborations with brands like GymShark and PhDNutrition.