Would you trust an overweight trainer?

riffraff2112

One of the trainers at our gym is not in great shape, in fact your could say he is substantially overweight. While I do not know his training schedule for sure, he seems to be pretty active with clients and from what I have seen says all the right things, is encouraging and knows how to deal with the level of person he is working with.

Anyway I overheard some member say something like "why would anyone take advice from him?"

It kind of struck me as strange. On the one hand, a great coach doesn't need to be a great player, just like a great teacher doesn't necessarily have to be the best mathematician/writer etc to be good at inspiring or instructing in their job.

On the other, I can see how someone who is suppose to be giving advice on being your best, should model that same behavior and life habits.

What do you guys think?

mygrl4meee

It would be hard to take advice from him and if I was skinnier or in better shape than him I might feel bad talking about my problem areas.. like how he might feel cause I think my thighs are big but in reality they are small compared to him ect.. I did take zumba classes from someone bigger than me.. she is now after a few years and other types of workouts in great shape so not going to say no way would I consider him.

psuLemon

I would always judge someone by their knowledge, not appearance because you dont know what is going on in someone's life. It would potentially be a greater selling point for him if he was fit, but that is a a decision he must look at himself.

singletrackmtbr

I do believe in walking the walk, but even if the guy was fit his goals may not match yours, which shouldn't be held against him. Perhaps he's lost 200 pounds already, or is ridiculously strong.

If he knows his stuff I'll listen to him.

rileysowner

Have you ever seen a picture of Mark Rippletoe? I would love to have him as a trainer, but it isn't because of his buff body, but his knowledge. How a trainer looks is less important than whether they know what they need to know, and know how to motivate you.

deluxmary2000

Maybe not entirely fair, but no I wouldn't.

I also once refused to go to a dentist who had jacked up teeth. *shrug*

psuLemon

Also take into consideration the amount of ripped people saying dumb stuff and training like crap. I mean, why is anyone spending time on wrist curls.

leanjogreen18

I wouldn't have an issue.

People are much more than just their weight.

cerise_noir

psuLemon wrote: »

I would always judge someone by their knowledge, not appearance because you dont know what is going on in someone's life. It would potentially be a greater selling point for him if he was fit, but that is a a decision he must look at himself.

This, most definitely.

And this:

psuLemon wrote: »

Also take into consideration the amount of ripped people saying dumb stuff and training like crap. I mean, why is anyone spending time on wrist curls.

Bro curls.

Azdak

It's called "personal" training for a reason, so you can choose whom you want for any reason--good or bad.

I will say that there is little or no correlation between the physical appearance of a trainer and their knowledge or ability. Good and bad trainers come in all shapes and sizes.

lkpducky

rileysowner wrote: »

Have you ever seen a picture of Mark Rippletoe? I would love to have him as a trainer, but it isn't because of his buff body, but his knowledge. How a trainer looks is less important than whether they know what they need to know, and know how to motivate you.

With the mention of Mark Rippetoe...
/thread

riffraff2112

rileysowner wrote: »

Have you ever seen a picture of Mark Rippletoe? I would love to have him as a trainer, but it isn't because of his buff body, but his knowledge. How a trainer looks is less important than whether they know what they need to know, and know how to motivate you.

No, Rippletoe is in much better shape then the guy at our gym.

Not questioning his knowledge and to be honest I don't think when I started out I would have worried too much about how he looked, so long as I was getting good advice on form, diet etc..and I was seeing results.

Just wondering what everyone else thought.

slimsue28

Wouldn't bother me, never know he/she may be on their own healthy weight loss journey - I'd prefer to train with someone who either has been in the same situation or is still working on their goal than someone who never had an issue with weight or their health. I personally think they would understand what we are going through.

vixtris

Is he muscular at all, or is he a couch-potato figure? Basically, if I were to see a personal trainer to improve in strength rather than lose weight, and he/she happened to be 'fat' yet visibly muscular (muscle under the fat) I would think its ok. However, if they are not in some sort of good physical condition then I would not pay them for their services. If it were to lose weight, I would want a personal trainer that can show me they are able to take control of their own weight (be in a normal weight range) as well as helping others, too.

jemhh

Rippetoe is a strength coach. If I wanted a strength-focused plan I would go to him (theoretically, not literally.)

If I wanted a general fitness trainer or a physique trainer I'd go elsewhere and I'd expect either type to be in good shape.

ccsernica

People can be out of shape for any number of reasons not connected with ability or knowledge. I'm seeing a PT for my shoulder right now. He's in OK shape, not great, largely because a very active life has left him with a large collection of injuries that now limit how much he can exercise, sometimes severely. You never know what body part he's going to have wrapped in tape when you see him.

As others have said, I want a trainer for what he knows, not what he looks like.

jennybearlv

It wouldn't stop me from hiring him. I'd be more interested in his experience and credentials. There are plenty of out of shape professional sports coaches, so why not a chubby trainer? For all we know he's out of shape because he's too busy working on his PhD in exercise physiology.

spiriteagle99

I would ask what his story is. Credentials and experience matter. Has he lost 100 pounds and still has some to go? Some of the Biggest Loser contestants decided afterwards to become personal trainers to pass on what they had learned. Is he an experienced athlete who is able to compete despite his weight? I know some multiple marathoners and ultra runners who are overweight. How long has he been training, and what kind of results has he had? Is he someone who was fit but has been dealing with injury or illness and lost fitness? Could be he's someone who is very good at motivating others, but not good at motivating himself.

riffraff2112

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

Could be he's someone who is very good at motivating others, but not good at motivating himself.

I can relate. I have been in and out of shape a few times in my life. It wasn't like I didn't know what was required, I just couldn't motivate myself to do it. But if someone asked me for advice, I would have been able to give them a good training and diet program!

ninerbuff

Lol, I'm deemed a bit overweight right now and have more clients than the most fit trainer in our gym. Why? Because I know a lot more than he does and am much better at assessment and designing the right programs for people.
There are lots of people who are in shape who are great trainers and lots of people who aren't in great shape who are great trainers. And vice versa.
The best way to assess a trainer IMO is seeing the results of their clients.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jdhcm2006

My trainer is overweight and she's the bomb! She's very knowledgeable and she was/is trained by an Olympic weightlifter which is why I use her bc I want to learn proper form. She's fantastic and I feel confident under her guidance. She also told me a bit about her story and she's dealt with anorexia and was in an abusive relationship in the past which I'm sure has affected her relationship with food. I say this bc you never know someone's past and what their individual struggles are. As long as she's training me with proper form and making sure I'm doing everything so I won't injure myself, I don't care how her scale reads.

Willbenchforcupcakes

My coach can't bench all that well. What he can do, and does amazingly well is analyze what's going on in your lifts and tweak your form to maximize your lifts. And he has over two decades of experience doing so.

I don't pay my coach to bench. I pay him to make me the best bencher and powerlifter that I can be. So yes, I look for knowledge and skills over appearance and personal ability.

sgt1372

Not for weight loss.

Body building and lifting would be another matter. Lots of overweight people who can lift incredible amounts of weight. Also assessment of lifting technique is primarily a matter of observation.

You don't have to be skinny to do that but, if you are giving advice about how to eat well and lose weight, you should be able to walk the walk to give the talk about that. Just my POV.

canadianlbs

riffraff2112 wrote: »

On the other, I can see how someone who is suppose to be giving advice on being your best, should model that same behavior and life habits.

What do you guys think?

i think you just crystallized something for me. i've got some kind of oppositional-defiant issue, maybe i HATE the idea of being shown how to 'be' by anybody. nobody's ever 'inspired' me by being someone i wanted to be. or even someone i wanted to be 'like'. even people i admire don't make me want to be like them. they just make me idk, pay attention to them and see whatever i can pick up. but i'm still me and i've never changed anythign about myself just because someone else was already doing that thing.

i know it works for a lot of people and i'm not knocking it. the whole 'inspiration' and 'leadership' 'modelling' thing. it's just that to me it all feels like copy-catting and i just can't be doing with it. so i like training to be more of a kind of peer-to-peer 'consulting' thing. i get my own idea of what i want, and i don't care who's teaching it or what their own story is. what i like to do is just to collaborate. so if someone's got something that overlaps with what i already know for myself that i want, and they offer it . . . great. that will make a relationship. what i DON'T want is any kind of leader-follower thing.

i don't buy the whole package of them as a person when i want to collaborate with them. i don't need to. they're them and i'm me, and all i like us to do is meet in the middle . . . in the areas where we do meet. i actually couldn't stand any of the 'model' type trainers that i came across when i was shopping around. i didn't hate them, on a personal level. i just couldn't get away from them quickly enough.

so, yeah. i guess i'm in the what-could-it-matter camp.

tiptoethruthetulips

I go to a personal trainer for exercise/training expertise not dietary expertise or anything else, I would go to overweight trainer if I thought they knew their stuff. I would also judge by the success of their clients, how they are motivated, are they return clients, etc. Success having many factors not just being within BMI.

Sara1791

I would trust him if his advice seemed sound but I think I'm an exception. His size has no bearing on his knowledge. At worst it just means he doesn't follow his own advice. At best, he's on his own "journey". I've had many competant doctors who were obese or were smokers but would advise patients to maintain a healthy weight and avoid tobacco.

I'm no expert in logic but I think the fallacy most people would fall into here is called tu quoque.

trigden1991

I would not comment or say anything derogatory however I would not ask them for advice.

crackpotbaby

I would be more interested in the results their clients were getting from the trainers advice and guidance.

firef1y72

It depends, it really does. When I first walked in to the gym I was close to 300lb and although I've hit it lucky going to a small, family run gym where everyone (staff and clients) are really supportive and have helped me no end, there are aspects of having been that weight and working out that my super fit trainer simply has no knowledge of (simply finding workout gear at a reasonable price). I'd really have found it helpful to speak to/work with someone who'd faced the challenges, who understood just how difficult it can be to even get on the stationary bike let alone pedal it when you can barely move and how much effort that extra 30 seconds takes.

deputy_randolph

Depends on the type of advice I am seeking. I have a strength coach that is overweight...she is STRONG. I'm taking her advice on bench.

If a client is significantly overweight/obese and looking for advice from someone who was formerly obese (b/c a formerly obese, still overweight) trainer might understand the situation better than a trainer that has always been fit...that makes sense to me.

cahubbard6421

OP-
Think about your post. Now think about where it is. Everyone in this forum is on a journey. Everyone in this forum has given advice, sought advice, and taken advice from people much like your "overweight" trainer. Not one person has questioned the validity of sound advice. Didn't matter if the advice came from a rock solid stud or a less than average joe. To arbitrarily dismiss a personal trainer based on the fact that he "appears overweight" is judgemental and completely wrong.

In the later years of my career in the Marine Corps, I stuggled with weight. I managed to stay within Body Fat standards but by all accounts in the Marine Corps, I was fat. Did that stop my unit for putting me on charge of the Body Composition Program and Physical Conditioning Program? No. Did that make the advice, physical training, and encouragment I gave to the Marines on the orogram any less valid? Nope. In the end, out of 39 total people to be included during my time as the BCP Coordinator, only one was separated due to weight. The rest returned to duty within MC standards. I recieved a Navy And Marine Corps Acheivement Medal for my work building and running the program.

Obviously, my opinion seems biased towards the trainer. Your words struck a nerve with me since I have lived the very thing youre speaking of. I'm still overweight. I'm over body fat guidlines too now. I woukd be more than certain that despite that, not many people make it through my workouts without feeling it the next couple days. From D1 athletes to young Marines, when you know what you're doing it doesn't matter what you look like.