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David Laid

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David Laid
Laid in 2021
Born1997 or 1998 (age 26–27)[1]
Estonia
Occupations
  • Influencer
  • YouTuber
  • fitness model
Years active2013–present
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers1.89 million[2]
Total views233 million[2]
Instagram information
Page
Followers5 million
Updated: October 4, 2024
Websitedavidlaid.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.

Life and career

[edit]

Laid was born in Estonia[3] and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Laid's mother, Nino, is a café owner who moved to Estonia from Russia and, after David's father died from falling off of a docked cruise ship when he was two years old, immigrated to the United States with her son. Laid attended Mainland Regional High School, where he received average grades.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6][4][7] He had 800 thousand YouTube subscribers in 2019.[8] 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.[3] By 2021, Laid had over 1.7 million followers on Instagram.[9]

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.[10][11][12] He had over 4.9 million followers on Instagram in 2024.[13]

Personal life and image

[edit]

Laid announced in 2020 that he was vegan.[14] He is based in Los Angeles as of 2023.[10]

Laid has stated that he does not use anabolic steroids and that he has suffered from body dysmorphia.[15] 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".[4][6] 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".[7] In an interview with Vice, fitness influencer Baby Zyzz described Laid as one of "the top dogs" in the fitness community in 2022.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Weston, Sabina (February 16, 2023). "Gymshark appoints first creative director". Drapers. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "About David Laid". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ a b c Chapin, Angelina (February 3, 2016). "17 and Swole". MEL. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b "Bigorexia: When the Obsessive Desire for Muscles Is a Dangerous Medical Condition for Some Men". ABC News. August 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ Twardziak, Kelly (June 26, 2019). "David Laid's Most Shredded Posts on Instagram". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Harris, Christopher (October 7, 2021). "Bigorexia: Instagram blamed for dangerous bodybuilding obsession among teenage boys". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Hazlehurst, Beatrice (July 17, 2023). "Inside the world of L.A.'s gym-fluencer ecosystem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Machell, Ben (December 5, 2020). "How Ben Francis built the billion-pound fitness brand Gymshark". The Times. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Bowler, Hannah (February 24, 2023). "Why Gymshark has handed over creative control of the brand to an influencer". The Drum. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "Prominent bodybuilding coach based in Charlottesville pleads guilty to child sex crimes". The Daily Progress. June 15, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  14. ^ O'Reilly, Anthony (August 5, 2020). "David Laid Is Trying Out a Vegan Diet, and He Likes It". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Williamson, Chris (April 29, 2023). "Why So Many Gym Bros Continue Feeling Sad" (YouTube video). Modern Wisdom (Podcast). Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Fenwick, Julie (September 28, 2022). "Preaching the Gospel of Zyzz: An Interview With Baby Zyzz". Vice. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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