David Laid

Last updated
David Laid
David Laid thirst tweets video for Gymshark 2021 03 (cropped).jpg
Laid in 2021
BornJanuary 29, 1998 (age 26)
Estonia
Occupations
  • Influencer
  • YouTuber
  • fitness model
Years active2013–present
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers1.92 million [1]
Total views236 million [1]
Instagram information
Page
Followers5 million
Updated: October 4, 2024
Website davidlaid.com

David Laid is an Estonian-American fitness influencer, YouTuber, and fitness model. He became popular with his transformation videos on YouTube, which showcased his changing physique starting at 14 years old as a result of weightlifting. He was named Gymshark's creative director of lifting in 2023.

Contents

Life and career

Laid was born in Estonia [2] and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Laid's mother, Nino, who used to be a café owner, was born in Estonia. After David's father died from a tragic car crash when he was two years old and immigrated to the United States with her son. Laid attended Mainland Regional High School, where he received average grades. [3]

While playing hockey, Laid was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 14, and soon after—inspired by fitness YouTubers such as the Hodgetwins, Marc Fitt, and Jeff Seid and by mockery from his peers for his then-thin frame—he began working out and bulking. [4] He later became known for his transformation videos on YouTube beginning at that age, uploading his first, an 18-month-long transformation, in December 2013. His second, uploaded in August 2015, documented his body's changes from ages 14 to 17 and became especially popular, earning over 14 million views by 2016 and 43 million views by 2021. [5] [3] [6] He had 800 thousand YouTube subscribers in 2019. [7] Laid also became popular as a trainee of bodybuilder Elliott Atwell, who, in 2023, was arrested and charged with six felony counts, including accusations that, from 2013 to 2020, he pressured his underage training clients to record themselves having sex and to send the videos to him. [2] By 2021, Laid had over 1.7 million followers on Instagram. [8]

After having previously been an athletic model for the direct-to-consumer fitness brand Gymshark, Laid was appointed its creative director of lifting in 2023, also launching and curating the brand's lifting social media accounts. [9] [10] [11] He had over 4.9 million followers on Instagram in 2024. [12]

Personal life and image

Laid announced in 2020 that he was vegan. [13]

Laid has stated that he does not use anabolic steroids and that he has suffered from body dysmorphia. [14] MEL 's Angelina Chapin wrote that Laid had become a "role model" for young boys on YouTube by 2016, while, that same year, ABC News wrote that he "look[ed] to be the poster boy for physical perfection" and compared his habits to "bigorexia". [3] [5] For USA Today , Marco della Cava wrote in 2021 that Laid's fitness journey had become a "touchstone for many teens", with many commenters on his YouTube videos "debat[ing] whether Laid took steroids". [6] In an interview with Vice , fitness influencer Baby Zyzz described Laid as one of "the top dogs" in the fitness community in 2022. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodybuilding</span> Control and development of musculature

Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Olympia</span> Annual bodybuilding competition

Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider'sOlympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanctioned by the IFBB Professional League. Joe Weider created the contest to enable the amateur Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with Larry Scott winning his first of two straight titles. The equivalent female title is Ms. Olympia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Coleman</span> American bodybuilder (born 1964)

Ronald Dean Coleman is an American former professional bodybuilder, who is widely regarded as the greatest bodybuilder of all-time. Known as "The King", Coleman shares the all-time record for most Mr. Olympia titles at eight with Lee Haney. The winner of 26 IFBB professional titles including the Mr. Olympia for eight consecutive years, he is also renowned for his combination of size and conditioning, dominant body-parts and extremely heavy workouts, making him the strongest Mr. Olympia of all-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Scott (bodybuilder)</span> American bodybuilder (1938–2014)

Larry Dee Scott, nicknamed "The Legend" and "The Golden Boy," was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. He won the inaugural 1965 Mr. Olympia competition and defended the crown at the 1966 Mr. Olympia contest before retiring. He also won the Mr. America title in 1962 and the Mr. Universe title in 1964. With his Olympia victory in 1965, Scott became the first man to win the three major titles of his era. A student of Vince Gironda, he became best known for his arm development, particularly his impressive and unusually long biceps. He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 1999.

William Nathaniel Phillips is an American entrepreneur and author. He wrote Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength with Mike D'Orso. He is also the author of Eating for Life and the founder and former editor in chief of Muscle Media magazine and the former CEO of EAS, a performance nutritional supplement company. Other books that Phillips has authored are Anabolic Reference Guide,The Natural Supplement Review, and Transformation: The Mindset You Need. The Body You Want. The Life You Deserve. Phillips made a promotional movie called Body of Work which was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada and chronicled the first EAS Challenge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Cutler (bodybuilder)</span> American bodybuilder (born 1973)

Jason Isaac Cutler, known professionally as Jay Cutler, is an American retired professional bodybuilder. An IFBB Pro League bodybuilder, Cutler is a four-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010; and a six-time runner-up, the most in history. He also won consecutive Arnold Classic titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004. During his career, he was known for his rivalry with Ronnie Coleman. In 2021, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris Kyle</span> American bodybuilder (born 1974)

Iris Floyd Kyle is an African-Indian American professional female bodybuilder. She is currently the most successful, female or male, professional bodybuilder ever. She has a total of twenty professional bodybuilding titles, with ten overall and two heavyweight Ms. Olympia titles and seven overall and one heavyweight Ms. International titles.

Robert Michael Cicherillo is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike O'Hearn</span> American actor, trainer and bodybuilder

Michael O'Hearn is an American bodybuilder, actor, personal trainer and model. He has been featured on over 400 magazine covers, and was Fitness Model of the Year seven times. He appeared as the gladiator "Titan" on the 2008 revival of American Gladiators and portrayed Marvel Comics character The Hulk in an episode of webseries Epic Rap Battles of History. He is the founder of Power Bodybuilding, a subscription based exercise program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Quinlan (wrestler)</span> Film actor, model, and american professional wrestler

John Joseph Quinlan nickname "Stoneface", is an American actor. He is a former bodybuilder, professional wrestler, fitness model, fashion model, art model and romance cover model. In 2012 he was an official image model and brand ambassador for the supplement company Nutrabolics. In December 2015, Quinlan was signed on as the lead male actor for the 2019 film, A Sense of Purpose: Fighting For Our Lives by producer Jillian Bullock. In February 2020, Quinlan was selected to play the villain role of Marvel Rhino for the TV/Web Series: Spider-Man And The Monsters of Manhattan set to be released in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kai Greene</span> American personal trainer and bodybuilder

Leslie Kai Greene is an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and artist. Nicknamed "The Predator" and "The People’s Champ", he is known for his leg development and artistic posing routines. He came second in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 editions of the IFBB's Mr. Olympia competition and won the Arnold Classic competition in 2009, 2010, and 2016. He was known for his rivalry with Phil Heath. He is often regarded as one of the best bodybuilders to have never won a Mr. Olympia. He has not competed since 2016, though he never formally announced his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janae Kroc</span> American powerlifter and bodybuilder

Janae Marie Kroczaleski is an American who previously competed as a professional powerlifter and competitive bodybuilder.

Francis McGrath is a Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder and model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Piana</span> American bodybuilder and internet personality (1970–2017)

Richard Eugene Piana was an American bodybuilder, businessman, and YouTuber. He won the National Physique Committee (NPC) Mr. Teen California title in 1989, NPC Mr. California in 1998, and NPC competitions in 2003 and 2009.

Chuck Kirkendall, known professionally as Kali Muscle, is an American bodybuilder, YouTuber and actor who has appeared in commercials for Taco Bell, GEICO, Snickers, Comcast, Honda, Go-Gurt and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cook (bodybuilder)</span> American bodybuilder (born 1984)

Steven Cook, known professionally as Steve Cook, is an American professional bodybuilder and two-time Mr. Olympia top ten finisher.

Gymshark is a British-based multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Founded in June 2012 by Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan, the company was initially focused on crafting and distributing its own line of fitness wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Francis</span> British businessman (born 1992)

Benjamin David Francis is a British businessman. He is the co-founder, CEO and majority owner of Gymshark, a fitness apparel and accessories company founded in 2012.

Christopher Adam Bumstead, also known as CBum, is a Canadian retired professional bodybuilder. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Bumstead made his competitive debut in 2014 and obtained his IFBB pro card after claiming the 2016 IFBB North American Bodybuilding Championship. After placing second in the Mr. Olympia Classic Physique category in 2017 and 2018, he earned six consecutive wins from 2019 to 2024, the most wins since the creation of the category. He is widely considered one of the best Classic Physique bodybuilders of his generation.

Johannes (Jo) Lindner, better known as Joesthetics on social media, was a German bodybuilder. He was also a model, and became one of the most famous German fitness influencers as well as co-owner of the food supplement brand Huge Supplements. He reached over nine million followers on Instagram alone over the course of several years. He also had a brand partnership with the fitness clothing brand YoungLA and with Father Sons Clothing.

References

  1. 1 2 "About David Laid". YouTube.
  2. 1 2 Hawes, Spencer (September 28, 2023). "Elliott Atwell seeks delay; Charlottesville bodybuilder's trial now seems slated for July" . The Daily Progress . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Chapin, Angelina (February 3, 2016). "17 and Swole". MEL . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ Hicks, Jesse (October 30, 2019). "This Guy Stuck to a Basic Lifting Routine and Packed on 20 Pounds of Muscle". Men's Health . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Bigorexia: When the Obsessive Desire for Muscles Is a Dangerous Medical Condition for Some Men". ABC News . August 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  6. 1 2 della Cava, Marco (November 16, 2021). "The buff body type is back in style. On social media, teens find inspiration, dangerous trends" . USA Today . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ Twardziak, Kelly (June 26, 2019). "David Laid's Most Shredded Posts on Instagram". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  8. ↑ Harris, Christopher (October 7, 2021). "Bigorexia: Instagram blamed for dangerous bodybuilding obsession among teenage boys" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ Hazlehurst, Beatrice (July 17, 2023). "Inside the world of L.A.'s gym-fluencer ecosystem". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  10. ↑ Machell, Ben (December 5, 2020). "How Ben Francis built the billion-pound fitness brand Gymshark". The Times . Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  11. ↑ Bowler, Hannah (February 24, 2023). "Why Gymshark has handed over creative control of the brand to an influencer". The Drum. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Prominent bodybuilding coach based in Charlottesville pleads guilty to child sex crimes". The Daily Progress. June 15, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ O'Reilly, Anthony (August 5, 2020). "David Laid Is Trying Out a Vegan Diet, and He Likes It". Muscle & Fitness . Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  14. ↑ Williamson, Chris (April 29, 2023). "Why So Many Gym Bros Continue Feeling Sad" (YouTube video). Modern Wisdom (Podcast). Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  15. ↑ Fenwick, Julie (September 28, 2022). "Preaching the Gospel of Zyzz: An Interview With Baby Zyzz". Vice . Retrieved October 3, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.