David Laid

{{Infobox person

| name = David Laid

| image = David Laid thirst tweets video for Gymshark 2021 03 (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Laid in 2021

| birth_name =

| birth_date = January 29, 1998 (age 27)

| birth_place = Estonia

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Influencer|YouTuber|fitness model}}

| years_active = 2013–present

| known_for =

| notable_works =

| website = {{URL|davidlaid.com}}

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality

| subbox = yes

| channel_handle = DavidLaid

| channel_display_name = David Laid

| genre = {{hlist|Fitness|vlog}}

| subscribers = 2 million

| views = 236 million

}}

| module2 = {{Infobox Instagram personality

| subbox = yes

| page = davidlaid

| page_display_name = David Laid

| followers = 5 million

| stats_update = October 4, 2024

|

}}

David Laid (born 29 January 1998) 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 in 2023.

Early life

David Laid was born in Estonia when his mother, Nino, moved from Estonia at the age of 23. After David's father died from falling off of a docked cruise ship when he was three years old, she immigrated to the United States with her son. Laid was raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and attended Mainland Regional High School, where he received average grades.

Weightlifting and later career

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.{{cite web |last1=Hicks |first1=Jesse |title=This Guy Stuck to a Basic Lifting Routine and Packed on 20 Pounds of Muscle |url=https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a29613521/fitness-muscle-lifting-routine-push-pull-legs-20-pound-transformation/ |website=Men's Health |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=October 30, 2019}} 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.{{cite web |title=Bigorexia: When the Obsessive Desire for Muscles Is a Dangerous Medical Condition for Some Men |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/bigorexia-obsessive-desire-muscles-dangerous-medical-condition-men/story?id=41123534 |website=ABC News |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=August 4, 2016}}{{cite web |last1=Chapin |first1=Angelina |title=17 and Swole |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/17-and-swole |website=MEL |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=February 3, 2016}} He had 800 thousand YouTube subscribers in 2019.{{cite web |last1=Twardziak |first1=Kelly |title=David Laid's Most Shredded Posts on Instagram |url=https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/david-laid-s-most-shredded-posts-instagram/ |website=Muscle & Fitness |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=June 26, 2019}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Hawes |first1=Spencer |date=September 28, 2023 |title=Elliott Atwell seeks delay; Charlottesville bodybuilder's trial now seems slated for July |url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/elliott-atwell-seeks-delay-charlottesville-bodybuilders-trial-now-seems-slated-for-july/article_7d5431a4-5bda-11ee-9cca-338d86eed5e9.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 3, 2024 |website=The Daily Progress}} By 2021, Laid had over 1.7 million followers on Instagram.{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Christopher |title=Bigorexia: Instagram blamed for dangerous bodybuilding obsession among teenage boys |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/bigorexia-instagram-blamed-for-dangerous-bodybuilding-obsession-among-teenage-boys/news-story/8a51dd782727ade9f0faa1d9687b5f3a |url-access=subscription |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=October 7, 2021}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Hazlehurst |first1=Beatrice |title=Inside the world of L.A.'s gym-fluencer ecosystem |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-17/inside-the-world-of-l-a-s-gym-fluencer-ecosystem |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=July 17, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Machell |first1=Ben |title=How Ben Francis built the billion-pound fitness brand Gymshark |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/social-media/article/how-ben-francis-built-the-billion-pound-fitness-brand-gymshark-crls00h2n |website=The Times |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=December 5, 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Bowler |first1=Hannah |title=Why Gymshark has handed over creative control of the brand to an influencer |url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/02/24/why-gymshark-has-handed-over-creative-control-the-brand-influencer |website=The Drum |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=February 24, 2023}} He had over 4.9 million followers on Instagram in 2024.{{cite web |title=Prominent bodybuilding coach based in Charlottesville pleads guilty to child sex crimes |url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/prominent-bodybuilding-coach-based-in-charlottesville-pleads-guilty-to-child-sex-crimes/article_3e64c2c2-2b5c-11ef-8041-8f30af94aff3.html |website=The Daily Progress |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=June 15, 2024}}

Personal life and image

Laid announced in 2020 that he was vegan.{{cite web |last1=O'Reilly |first1=Anthony |title=David Laid Is Trying Out a Vegan Diet, and He Likes It |url=https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/david-laid-is-trying-out-a-vegan-diet-and-he-likes-it/ |website=Muscle & Fitness |access-date=October 4, 2024 |date=August 5, 2020}} He is based in Los Angeles {{As of|lc=y|2023}}.

Laid has stated that he does not use anabolic steroids and that he has suffered from body dysmorphia.{{cite podcast

| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVlpTvm2Z4Q&ab_channel=ChrisWilliamson| title=Why So Many Gym Bros Continue Feeling Sad | website=Modern Wisdom | publisher= | host= Williamson, Chris | date= April 29, 2023 | time= | access-date=October 3, 2024 |format=YouTube video }} 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". 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".{{cite web |last1=della Cava |first1=Marco |title=The buff body type is back in style. On social media, teens find inspiration, dangerous trends |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/11/16/bodybuilding-instagram-tiktok-danger/8590745002/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p |url-access=limited |website=USA Today |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=November 16, 2021}} In an interview with Vice, fitness influencer Baby Zyzz described Laid as one of "the top dogs" in the fitness community in 2022.{{cite web |last1=Fenwick |first1=Julie |title=Preaching the Gospel of Zyzz: An Interview With Baby Zyzz |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/preaching-the-gospel-of-zyzz-an-interview-with-baby-zyzz/ |website=Vice |access-date=October 3, 2024 |date=September 28, 2022}}