Scooby1961 20yr YouTube Anniversary!
I was the first fitness trainer on YouTube in 2006, read about my journey.
20 years ago I was the first fitness trainer on youtube and since then I have uploaded at least one video every single week for a total of over 1500 videos. First, a big thanks to everyone who has been on this amazing journey with me!
Unlike most trainers on YouTube, it was never a business for me which is why I have outlived many of my peers. I was here long before they arrived and I will be here long after they depart. I started my fitness website and channel after I retired to give back to the sport that gave so much to me. In high school, I was the awkward one who hated PE class because I was a weak, uncoordinated, awkward introvert who was the last to be picked every time teams were chosen. My years of lifting gave me self confidence that helped me in every aspect of my life.
Humble Beginnings: Static website with AVI files users could download.
Technically its 20 year anniversary of uploading home workout videos to my website - My 20 year YouTube anniversary will come next year. In 2005 before I started YouTube I hosted my own fitness website and allowed people to download my how-to videos from there. It was a static website but rather than being hand coded HTML, it was generated with Microsoft Front Page - very advanced :)
My first website was called scoobysworkshop because Scooby is my name and the website was to showcase my workshop where I made furniture and was building an airplane - hence, scoobysworkshop.
Around 2005 I got disgusted that there was no good workout information on the internet. If you looked for bodybuilding workouts, all you would find is advertisements for Bowflex. No youtube videos, no home workout website, no workout plans, no nutritional info - nothing. Because fitness and bodybuilding had made such a positive difference in my own life and my own self confidence I wanted to help others find that same joy so I turned scoobysworkshop into a fitness website fitness.scoobysworkshop.com. Here is the chest workout page courtesy of waybackmachine.org:
I also had this home workout page with a chart showing complete workouts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced lifters:
Bandwidth charges killing me!
I then had a very short video clip showing how to perform it that you could click to download it and view it. The catch was that in 2005, for internet you had to pay for bandwidth. I figured that I was paying about 25 cents every time someone downloaded one of my videos but it was worth it because people really were appreciative.
I know this all looks and sounds archaic but lets do a 2005 reality check. Smart phones with screens did not exist. It was a flip phone with chicklet keys. There was no internet connection on phones. If you wanted GPS directions you had to carry a separate Garmin GPS unit. If you wanted to watch movies, you had to carry a DVD player. If you wanted music, you had to carry your iPod. If you wanted to take movies you had to carry a big camcorder with a magnetic tape cassette. And of course, for pictures you needed your canon sure shot camera.
My first videos were filmed on a digital camera that filmed short sequences of 640x480 video but without sound. What I had to do was add the sound after filming.
My first videos had no sound at all, here is my video that illustrates the proper form of the pushup:
So, as thrilled as I was that people found my website helpful, the bandwidth charges were getting expensive.
YouTube hosts videos FOR FREE!
About this time, I heard about this company YouTube that would host your videos FOR FREE! No hosting charges! I updated my workout website so that the links to the exercises videos no longer downloaded an AVI file but played a video on youtube. Pretty friggin cool.
I then started dubbing the videos to make them complete sources of information that would stand alone without needing my website. The first was called "Killer Home Chest Workout" which showed people how to do a great superset for chest at home with just a set of dumbbells - got 40M views. Then I did a similar video called "Killer Home Arm Workout" and it got 18M views.
It was many years and many millions of views before I heard about the "partner program" at YouTube that would let me choose my own thumbnails. Sounds stupid but early on, you could not choose a thumbnail, it was whatever frame was at the 50% point in the video and it drove me bonkers. Lots of other stuff in the partner program blah blah blah but all I cared about was the ability to upload my own thumbnail. About 4 months later, I got a really weird letter from YouTube that had a check in it for a really large amount. I literally thought it was either a mistake or one of those stupid promotions where if you cash the check you get signed up for some expensive vacation time share in Nepal so I didn’t cash it. Next month another check, pretty annoying. Third month, a bigger check yet. Finally I went to the website and read what the partner program was ... oh shit. They are literally giving me money - I just wanted a place to host my videos for free.
My most important video
If I had to choose the most important video I have filmed in the last 20 years, its definitely the one titled "Do to do your first pullup (then 8 more!)". It doesn’t have the most views but it has helped more people than any other video I have done. It showed people who could not do a single pullup how they could build up their strength using "Walk the planks" (negative reps) to the point where they could do 8 pullups. We would call this a progression video today and they are everywhere on youtube now but to my knowledge, this video was the first:
YouTube algorithm changes and doxing
Then something tectonic happened under the covers at YouTube which drastically changed what videos people saw. For the first years I was on youtube, those who subscribed to my channel got notified every time I released my weekly video so each new video got hundreds of thousands of views. Then YouTube implemented their recommendation algorithm. Rather than showing people the videos they had asked to see, YouTube would recommend alternative points of view. This was in response to some extremist channels gaining popularity. Anyway, overnight my views dropped to 1/100 what they were before. This algorithm changed happened about the time of the doxing so most people assumed that it was the doxing made me disappear when in fact it was the algorithm. I have uploaded at least one video every single week like clockwork since 2006.
Anyway, I never expected to get paid for my videos so it didn’t change anything when my popularity dropped to 1/100. People like sixpackshortcuts who were just in it for the money dropped out at that point but I kept on with my weekly videos. In many ways, I was relieved to be out of the spotlight. Once my popularity dropped, the comments on YouTube became more thoughtful and entertaining and I actually started to look forward to answering each and every comment when I woke up in the morning. Everything always works out for the best.
The future
One thing you will note is that these days, I only do a fitness and nutrition video when I have something new to say. I have no interest in re-doing my bicep curl videos just because those get the views. I am pretty passionate about teaching people about saving, investing and financial independence so you will notice a lot of videos on that subject now. Also, I inflict my flying videos on people just because I love the artistic nature of filming our amazingly beautiful country from the air.
Again, thanks to everyone who has been a part of this amazing 20 year fitness journey with me! I'm active on all these platforms if you want to find me elsewhere:
Hi Scooby,
Congrats on keeping going.
I remember that video well because I tried over and over at home with my house pull-up bar.
Over the years, you have helped me so much physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I consider you one of my biggest mentors.
God bless you.
Thanks for all you have done for the fitness community, Scooby.
I’ve been watching you since I was 16 years old, and now I am 29. I’m getting so old! hahaha. But everything I’ve learnt is from you. When I look at the fitness content in social media today it kind of disgusts me compared to your genuine content you made back in the day. You kept it simple and real with the intent to help people more than for self gain.
I no longer watch any fitness content on social media nowadays, because I only have to follow everything you have taught me. I maintain my body fat at 10% whilst gaining muscle very slowly each year. This is all thanks to you. Thanks scooby for the impact you had on my life as a teenager growing into adulthood :).