Overweight personal trainers

ingies2011 · December 2011

I don't have a personal trainers but all the ones I have seen on websites/gym advertisments always look really fit and in shape, so this made me wonder if there are any PTs out there that aren't fit and well proportioned. And would any of you use a PT that was obviously overweight/obese? And if not why not?

Then I had another thought, there seem to be a number of professional coaches who are overweight/obese, at least the ones that I have seen on tv - however that is quite a small number and prob mainly rugby orientated (I live in NZ) as I don't watch sport on tv so only catch it on the news occasionally.

If it is acceptable for coaches to be overweight is it ok for PTs to be overweight?

Food for thought....

AZackery · December 2011

Just because someone is overweight, it doesn't mean they aren't healthy or fit. Looks can be deceiving. Another thing, just because a personal trainer looks to be in shape, it doesn't mean they aren't overweight.

rosebarnalice · December 2011

There are several personal trainers at the university gym where I work out--most of which are grad students in either exercise physiology, athletic training, or physical education. One has the classic powerlifter physique, a couple are collegiate athletes who are built for their sport (basketball, football, and soccer), and then there's one somewhat older woman who is a bit hippy and "soft"-looking, but I know she can lift an impressive amount of weight, and barely breaks a sweat at top speed on the ergonometer.

Of the lot of them, I prefer to go to Ms. Hippy with my questions because her primary job is as an athletic trainer for a university football team-- designing workout plans that reach the individual athletes' goals and helping them work out when recovering from injuries without doing further damage.

Maybe I'm being somewhat prejudiced against the others, but I feel I can relate to her, and that she isn't going to judge ME because I'm overweight and out of shape as much as Mr Muscle or one of the collegiate athletes. I'm not saying I don't trust them, I just feel more comfortable with her than with them.

thecrossfitter · December 2011

To be 100% honest and tell the the truth - even when it's an ugly truth - I'm going to say what I DO and not what I should do.

To me, if I'm going PAY you to coach me in how I workout and eat, I want to see that YOU are also able to do it. I think as a trainer you're also sort of selling yourself, you know? I feel like if even you can't do it, a certified trainer - than how the heck can I?

Fair? Maybe not. I realize that they may also be out of shape and still have the knowledge I need - but again, I'm being honest about what I actually do, not what I should do.

But I'm all about results based fitness.

jessicamckay13 · December 2011

I've wondered this myself.

One of the trainers (she also is a group x teacher) at the gym where I intern is definitely a little bigger, but she does put together some good workouts! The trainer that I intern with said that a lot of the overweight women coming into the gym as first timers gravitate towards her because she's more approachable to them. I can totally see that. She's funny as heck as well

I think it depends on goals. When I have a question whether it be about training (studying to be a trainer) or my own workouts, I tend to ask the muscular-type trainers because my personal goal is muscle strength and endurance right now. So, if I were looking to train with someone, I'd pick the guy with the biggest muscles out there. As long as he is funny. And good looking. Ha!

Nicola0000 · December 2011

Im currently training to be a PT, and working really hard to get myself ripped and amazingly fit. My feeling is that clients want to be able to trust 100% what you're saying. You are your biggest advert of what can be achieved.

AZackery · December 2011

I will be a personal trainer in the future and I will look different than a lot of the other female personal trainers.

jeannetteglime · May 2013

I am a personal trainer and do not have the typical ripped look as many do. I pride myself on being on being a trainer who has walked in my clients' shoes. I have lost 80 lbs, gained 20 back, lost again, struggle with binge eating disorder, and fight with my fat girl demons every day. I am a trainer because during my weight loss I encountered so many trainers who are blessed with amazing genes and I found that it was hard to come by those who actually knew and had EXPERIENCED the struggles of being fat. It is sometimes intimidating for me to say I am a personal trainer.. I wear a size 10, not a 2.. I always fear judgment as I do not fit the mold of your typical trainer. My business has been very successful though. I find women are more trusting of me due to the fact I can actually respond to their concerns using my own experiences, success, and failures.

djeffreys10 · May 2013

I don't pay for a trainer. I just do my own research and craft my own nutrition and exercise plan. There may come a day that I plateu and hire one, but I am not there yet. But if I do, I will only hire someone that is cut and jacked. I will better trust you to get me to where I want to be if you have gotten yourself there first.

Opie1980 · May 2013

Just because they are overweight doesn't mean that they don't have any knowledge in fitness. They just probably make bad nutritional choices and like the beer.

dixiewhiskey · May 2013

I don't think perceived appearance constitutes an overweight trainer nor does an overweight trainer equate to lack of knowledge in fitness. I remember being a bit "bigger" than I am now and was asked by the YMCA, numerous trainers/participants to run a class there. I was still under 25% BF which is pretty healthy.

If people see how hard you work, your ability to keep up, teach and of course in a room full of folks who have the desire to be fit, your appearance really doesn't really matter. Only pretentious, snobby folks want their trainers to be ripped.. when you go to a class or train with a person, you are there to be active, not critique what's going on in someone elses kitchen IMO

JessicaPasieka · May 2013

Great thread. I'm going to give my honest opinion. At the gym I work out at, which is a well known Canadian chain, I see at least 4 -6 personal trainers on a weekly basis who are overweight. Getting a personal trainer isn't cheap. And if I'm going to pay good money to have someone coach me along, they'd better damn well be in good shape and practice what they preach. That's not to say that someone who is overweight can't be healthy. All I'm saying it, they are noticably overweight to the point where I've seen them stop on the flight of stairs to catch a breath. That doesn't make me want to book a session with them and I think they should set the correct example for their line of work. Every time I'm there, which is 4 days a week, I see the staff walking and eating bags of chips, nachos, pastas at the front desk. It's just discouraging. These people are supposed to be setting an example for fitness.

YogaNikki · May 2013

I love the honesty. And feel the same way. I wouldn't go to a hair dresser with bad hair or dentist with bad teeth. Just being honest. :-/

jennifershoo · May 2013

I totally agree with you.

CrystalDreams · May 2013

I had a trainer who had excess weight in her gluteus maximus area. I wouldn't have cared but she was unprofessional, demeaning, and delusional (she told me she was underweight and had an hourglass body shape, where as she clearly was an over weight pear shape). Her personality is what really drove me away, not her body type. I think most people want a trainer who looks like they are excelling in their field. Now I have a almost scrawny trainer who is amazing. And another one who fits the stereotype but hes really nice and is good at pushing me

yeah i have two trainers, I like getting nicely yelled at to go harder

Shaibynature · May 2013

It's just as simple as this . Who in their right mind wants a trainer who's out of shape !!!! Your objective is to look good, feel good & be healthier. if your trainer looks like crap

that is no way to motivate you at all????????

fbmandy55 · May 2013

My opinion has always been that appearance means nothing when I comes to trainers. My mom had one trainer that had the typical "male fitness model" physique and he told her the only way she could lose the fats was to do cardio. Obviously, he wasn't very knowledgeable. People like myself, who are overweight but have researched nutrition and fitness for two years still can know more that people who are just starting out or naturally look slim.

In my experience, someone can be a genius on a topic but not want that for themselves. Maybe there are great, knowledgeable trainers who are not fit looking but don't have a goal of that for themselves. Those who can't do teach!

peleroja · May 2013

A personal trainer should be advertising their work with their own body. It's free promotion! As someone else said, I wouldn't see a hairdresser whose hair I didn't love, either (i know they're not cutting their own hair, but it's certainly a good indication of what they like) and I wouldn't have my makeup done by someone without beautiful makeup on. And a trainer should show you with their body what their results are. They are a walking advertisement for their own skills. I want to go to a trainer who looks like I want to look.

dixiewhiskey · May 2013

That's horrible... the bad eating that is. Totally agree with your statement

edge_dragoncaller · May 2013

All the PT's that I know are in good shape...most of them very good shape.

As far as coaches go, especially on the professional sports level, they are not their to lead by example in the fitness area. They are there to cooardinate and guide the team to victory. For example, in the NFL ( U.S. Sport ) The head coaches have probably a dozen or more coaches under them that help out, including fitness coaches. The Fitness coaches, I would expect to be fit.

ChgingMe · May 2013

I disagree. Overweight people are not healthy or fit. Our perception of healthy has changed in the last generation.

josavage · May 2013

I chose my personal trainer because I was watching a group of girls he regularly trained and they were lifting some impressive weights and seemed to have great strength and endurance - and those were things I wanted. He also seemed like a great guy. He has a few pounds to lose and is not ripped. That doesn't bother me at all. He is the one that told me about MFP. I feel like he understands my struggles. For me it's about the connection, not how ripped the trainer is. If I were ripped, maybe I would feel differently.

As for exercise classes, the best kickboxing and weight training class instructor at my gym is also the heaviest. She is motivating and her classes are so much fun. Her classes definitely pull the biggest numbers. Again, it's about what she has to offer, not how well she maintains her weight.

jody664 · May 2013

I switched gyms in January and signed up for a personal training package. The trainer they assigned me was about 30 lb overweight. I was kind of shocked, but decided to give him a chance. The thing that made me get rid of him wasn't his weight.....it was his inability to listen to me and design a program based on my goals. I told him at our first meeting that I wanted to lift heavy and learn compound movements (deadlifts, squats, etc). EVERY session he would hand me these 5 lb weights and have me to 4 sets of 50 reps. I would remind him of my goals and he'd say "yeah, yeah, we'll work on that next time...." But it never happened. I'm sure he just put me on the "typical 47 year old plan" and never really cared what my goals were. I see him working with older women doing the same pink dumbbell, 50 rep stuff he had me doing. I realize I'm not his typical 47 year old client, but he obviously wasn't listenaing to me. I think part of his problem was that English was his second language.

All that to say..........I would have stuck with him if we actually were working towards my goals. His weight and physical condition weren't really a factor in my getting rid of him. His inability to listen to his client was.

sheldonz42 · May 2013

On US insurance tables, body builders fall in "overweight" quite often. So, it sort of depends on your definition. (not casting stones here, just noting.)

Hexahedra · May 2013

If I'm booking a personal trainer, ideally I would like somebody who is both knowledgeable and practices what he/she preaches. If somebody can't be arsed to take care of his own body, then I have some doubt about trusting him/her with mine. It's not a deal breaker to me, but if there are two trainers with similar level of knowledge I would go with the fitter one.

ChgingMe · May 2013

I agree. PT should look like what they are trying to sell. That is the same as a proactiv distributor trying to tell me how awesome the product is with bad acne.. May sound mean but I think in this country we have given a free pass to overweight/obese. And have allowed people's lack of motivation to spill over into every area of our lives. Who in their right mind would hire an overweight/obese trainer. And im not talking a little overweight. I mean 30 pounds or more. come on!! But with all the PC we can no longer call fat fat! All of us here have a cross to bear as far as this weight loss journey. If I'm trying my best to be the best me that I can be. Why in the heck would I ask someone who obviously isn't as concerned with themselves to help me? IMO

Sycoholic · May 2013

My gym has personal trainers of all shapes and sizes. The more fit and ripped ones always seem to be with the fit and ripped looking clients. I mentioned military and was paired up with a fit and ripped one who was very familiar with military pt standards and what is expected of me. First time I almost puked at a gym. It was awesome.

Now that being said, my personal preference would not be for these out of shape looking ones. As a personal trainer I expect you to have higher standards when it comes to fitness and diet. You should be very encouraging and have a positive attitude no matter how poorly I'm doing. If I'm looking to get my fitness to the next level I want somebody who looks like they're already there, not somebody who just read about it. I don't care if it's a male or female, as long as I feel they're pushing me where I need to go. But how can somebody who's never done it themselves tell you what you need? They just know theory, not real world. Theory is great, but I'm paying good money and want somebody who studied theory and put it to work for them.

I was interested in becoming a personal trainer as a part time job. I believe it's something I'll enjoy, plus the studies will help me maximize my potential too. However I still need to lose a bit more bodyfat before I think I will. I just know how these people are judged. It's not that the overweight ones are bad people, it's just the fit ones look that much more appealing. Put two side by side, one is ripped and has 7% bodyfat, the other is obese with 32% bodyfat. What would you pick not knowing anything about them?

ChgingMe · May 2013

Of course I don't mean that. I mean the pudgy in the middle overweight. The I haven't seen my stuff in years overweight. LOL Not the lean mean fighting machines.

dixiewhiskey · May 2013

Define overweight though... someone you think is "overweight" could just have extra skin.

Joreanasaurous · May 2013

I don't find it snobby or pretentious at all. If I am going to pay someone to push me past my personal limits and leave me sore and in pain on a regular basis, then I have to have faith they a) know what they are talking about and

practice what they preach. Not to mention that I at least find it motivating to see what I am working towards.

A trainer's own body is their biggest advertisement. If they can't get themselves to where I want to be, then how am I supposed to trust them to get me there?

ChgingMe · May 2013

We all know the difference. Go to the mall on a Saturday afternoon and look at our teens. That isn't extra skin. I know some who have had WLS surgery. Im aware of that. What I mean is the typical overweight person. Its obvious. I will never agree they are healthy or fit is all I'm saying. Not based on charts or BMI but based on the fact they are busting out of their clothes overweight. With a LOT of extra tum.. Not a little pooch that the skinny girls think make them look fat. LOL We all know what is overweight when we see it. usually in the mirror LMBO

Overweight personal trainers

Replies

Categories