ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines the key roles of personal trainers and group class instructors in gyms. The charisma of these individuals makes them models for gym members and fitness enthusiasts. We especially focus on Morgan, a personal trainer, and on Sophia, a fitness instructor who teaches in-person gym classes and virtual synchronous Zoom classes. Drawing on the notion of micro-celebrity culture, associated with the platformization of self-help through social media, we show how Morgan and Sophia promote specific brands of fitness alongside their own social personas. By being dedicated and loyal to their members, they are thus able to build groups of very committed followers. Through their charismatic power, trainers/instructors promise to change bodies, eating habits, and lives more generally. Gym trainers/instructors can not only influence potential gym members to join a gym but they can also become part of their personal lives in unexpected ways. Some instructors also open their lives to gym members by organizing extra activities outside the gym. Some class takers have indeed developed strong “family”-like connections and friendships. In their stories, for example, gym members confessed that they belong to the gym because of Sophia or Morgan.
