Fitness level of personal trainers

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Aa0406
Aa0406 Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I noticed lately that my gym has personal trainers who don't look exactly fit. This particular person, was working with a client and showing a workout routine. The form wasn't exactly great, but was OK and the appearance of the PT wasn't exactly "athletic". I begin to wonder, if there are requirements to get hired as PT and what are they.
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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    nope.

    no fitness minimal- not for most certs.

    obviously credibility/marketability is low with people who aren't fit and who have poor form.

    practice what you preach or have a damn good reason why you don't to explain it- and then have a damn good reason why you are asking someone to do the thing they are doing.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    The only thing you need to become a personal trainer is a passing grade on an exam. You don't have to meet any kind of physical requirements. I have watched in horror as overweight personal trainers take their clients around the gym and let them use horrible form and totally mislead them. From a selling perspective, in that industry your body should be your resume!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i personally would love a chance to train with mark rippetoe, beer belly and all

    i've also seen many fit looking PT with sh*tty form and who had no idea what certain standard exercises like deadlifts or snatches even were.

    you cant really judge someone's ability to train or their knowledge of training on their looks. as many people have noted in other threads PTs arent nutritionists, and for me personally all of the strength coaches i've ever worked with in the past have never looked particularly fit and many of them worked with professional sports teams as well
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    i personally would love a chance to train with mark rippetoe, beer belly and all

    I wouldn't lump coaching in with personal trainers necessarily- although technically on paper it's the same thing- just a different side of the same coin- but I see them as different.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    I think knowledge and form is most important... it is really up to the PT to figure out whether looking out of shape is a good business practice or not. Those looking for a PT also have to decide whether they want to invest in a PT who is out of shape or one that is fit. Personally, I've seen more "fit" PT's who show clients bad form than out of shape ones...
  • Aa0406
    Aa0406 Posts: 9 Member
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    I don't think I personally will pay to anybody who doesn't show their "resume" on their body.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    There's no fitness or body-type requirement, you just need the education/certs and be able to demonstrate exercises with correct form/correct someone else's form. I personally don't think it's a big deal. Everyone had different goals and not everyone wants to have an athletic body. I used to work with a PT who was in her 50's, carried a few extra pounds, and really knew her stuff. She was just comfortable with her body and her lifestyle, and was very popular with clients around her age who were looking to lose weight and improve their health markers without trying to get back the body they had in their twenties.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Personally I'd rather have someone more knowledgeable and motivating than someone with good genetics who knows nothing.

    How someone looks isn't always related to their level of fitness or knowledge.
  • AnotherXFitGuy
    AnotherXFitGuy Posts: 58 Member
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    I don't think I personally will pay to anybody who doesn't show their "resume" on their body.

    Do you check someones profile here before taking their advice? I'm not judging, just curious.
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
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    I don't think I personally will pay to anybody who doesn't show their "resume" on their body.

    Fair enough.

    Although, the head trainer at my gym, with the most NASM certifications and longest experience used to look a lot bigger, because he had been in a CAR ACCIDENT, had to be full body traction, and was literally immobile for several months. He gained fat by continuing to eat enough to attempt to maintain some of his muscle mass, and had to cut back down when he returned to full mobility.

    But then, I'm sure there are people who wouldn't want to train with that lazy fatty anyway, right? Because the resume didn't show?
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
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    The female PTs at my gym are smoking hot. Amazing bodies.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    I don't think I personally will pay to anybody who doesn't show their "resume" on their body.

    Fair enough.

    Although, the head trainer at my gym, with the most NASM certifications and longest experience used to look a lot bigger, because he had been in a CAR ACCIDENT, had to be full body traction, and was literally immobile for several months. He gained fat by continuing to eat enough to attempt to maintain some of his muscle mass, and had to cut back down when he returned to full mobility.

    But then, I'm sure there are people who wouldn't want to train with that lazy fatty anyway, right? Because the resume didn't show?

    There are unique exceptions, but for the most part, I would personally prefer a personal trainer who has gone through the motions and put in the work they are asking of their clients. If I met a personal trainer who was out of shape due to unforeseen circumstances but was very knowledgeable, I would train with them in a heart beat. There are plenty of fit trainers who likewise have no knowledge about the moves they are telling people to do.

    BUT selling your services is a huge part of being a personal trainer. If you don't look good, you're not going to be able to sell yourself as well. That's just how it is.
  • KHalseth
    KHalseth Posts: 104 Member
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    I've never noticed that at the gyms I've gone to. But I do notice that I always get stuck with a 'don't scare her away' female PT when I have an opportunity for a trial session. In the past, I've done Kenpo, (moved just before my orange belt test and didn't have the money for it after I moved), several years of Tribal Style Belly Dancing classes, was in a troupe for a bit, did a girl's class of aerobics and weights in high school (two days of weights every week), have had personal trainers in the past. I'm not the type to be scared away but after I developed two health problems that slowed me down and cause a massive weight gain, I seem to get soft-spoken girls who seem like they have been told to go easy on me so they don't scare me away from the gym.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I wouldn't lump coaching in with personal trainers necessarily- although technically on paper it's the same thing- just a different side of the same coin- but I see them as different.

    Exactly, plus Rippetoe coaches Power Lifting, in which it's much more acceptable to have a bit of belly. Aesthetics aren't the goal of Powerlifting - strength is. GOMAD isn't meant to make one lean.

    Anyway, aesthetics are definitely not what makes a good Personal Trainer but then again, if you're representing the Fitness industry you should live the lifestyle, and in turn, look the part (?)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Personally I'd rather have someone more knowledgeable and motivating than someone with good genetics who knows nothing.

    How someone looks isn't always related to their level of fitness or knowledge.

    bolded.

    at a bigger gym with more cookie cutter fitness- I would want someone who LOOKS more of what I'm after- and you can tell- there is no question there is a difference between lifters and athletes- a year ago I looked like an athlete- now I mostly look like a lifter- goals change- but my knowledge of the subject hasn't changed much.

    But- that's personal training- if you work in the fitness world... perhaps looking like you do- your body is your biggest marketing tool

    Do you research- watch them train. listen to them- ask questions if you can- these things are important- more important than the looks.

    Our head trainer was fit- didn't look it though- he wasn't fat- he was just solid and didn't look athletic but he was very educated and very driven and helpful and cared deeply for his clients. But if you walked passed him you wouldn't first fitness trainer- but the guy clearly works out- perhaps because it was older he carried it differently. But he knew his stuff- and got results.

    That being said- I'd probably never train under someone who was obese- unless it was like a super huge name person.

    also- talking about this the other day- looking like you workout in clothes- it's hard to do- it's harder to look super fit IN clothes than without them- that's why most fitness posters are half nekkids or super tight.
  • Aa0406
    Aa0406 Posts: 9 Member
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    I would also prefer someone knowledgeable over someone fit and clueless. However, how do you know who is knowledgeable? When you hire a PT, you don't know what's right. That's why you go to a pro for help.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    the internet and google.

    they are amazing things.

    also questions?

    how long have you been training?
    what do you love about training people?
    what certifications do you have?
    how long have you been working here?
    did you work somewhere else before?
    do you have pictures of your successful clients?
    what are your main principles/goals when training and what you wish to instill in your clients?
    what's your training look like?
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    I would also prefer someone knowledgeable over someone fit and clueless. However, how do you know who is knowledgeable? When you hire a PT, you don't know what's right. That's why you go to a pro for help.

    Ask the head trainer at your gym if you can interview the different trainers and see which one you like best.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    Although you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I'd want a PT who looked fit. Likewise, I'd want a doctor to be in decent shape before taking him or her too seriously if he/she was lecturing me about losing weight, and I'd want a doctor that didn't smell like cigarettes if I was going to listen to his/her lecture advice about quitting smoking.

    On the flip side, I'd want someone with an expanded waist - someone who looked like they REALLY enjoyed eating - to give me restaurant recommendations.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    If I had to choose, I'd go with a trainer/coach who knows what they are doing rather than how good they look. There are a lot of buffed out trainers that I would not go near with a 10 foot pole because they have no real clue how to guide proper form, the best (and safest) exercises for me. The last thing I want is an overuse injury or a pulled back.

    Also, it bears mentioning that you can be fit and fat. Just sayin'......

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