Would you hire an obese trainer???

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Replies

  • BigWin20
    BigWin20 Posts: 45 Member
    You have to know their back story. What if they were 600 lbs a year ago and now they are 300 and have completely devoted themselves to health and fitness? What if they have a masters in exercise physiology and a CSCS instead of just a gimme PT cert? If they are just fat because they lack the motivation to practice what they preach it's a whole different scenario. During my 9 year career as a personal trainer I saw trainers that were anerexic looking and some that were fairly overweight. As hard as it was/is, maybe more info is needed. Personally I always felt like I was a walking billboard for myself, and right or wrong, people want to hire the best looking trainer, not search out the one that knows the most.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    No I wouldn't. There's no excuse for being obese, yeah sure there are health problems that may cause weight gain but obese means severely overweight.
  • rcc1988
    rcc1988 Posts: 125 Member
    Sure, why not? Some of the physically strongest women I've ever met have been quite overweight. It doesn't stop them from getting through a workout.
  • GermanicKnight
    GermanicKnight Posts: 445
    No, I would not.

    I also do not trust a skinny chef.
  • mashanda
    mashanda Posts: 120 Member
    I would because it doesnt mean they dont have the knowledge. I know myself I have encouraged and helped many of my friends start their weight loss journey because I have lost weight in the past and have plenty of knowledge on weight loss and exercise. I know some"skinny" trainers that I use to hang out from the gym...BAD...eating habits. the only reason the didnt gain weight is because they work out anywhere from 3-4hours a day teaching classes and training clients. I dont think size really matters.
  • kimnsc
    kimnsc Posts: 560 Member
    I would. I'm not hiring him/her for their looks, I would be hiring them for their knowledge. Saying that I would ask around, check their references and ask to see their certification.

    I had an extremely fit personal trainer who was was a complete moron and his "training" left me with a severe knee injury. Looks don't help if they are incompetent.
  • phinphanbill26
    phinphanbill26 Posts: 574 Member
    Don't judge the book by its cover. A person's appearance has nothing to do with how much knowledge is locked inside the block on their shoulders.
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
    If I needed someone to be a living embodiment of what I wanted to achieve in order to feel motivated by them then no, because their physical appearance is paramount to that.

    If I needed someone who could motivate and encourage me with their words and self belief then yes, because their personality is the overriding factor.

    People will fall 50/50 into either camp. Completely depends on what YOU want out of your relationship with them.

    Personally I don't need the visual to motivate me, so I would.
  • tuneses
    tuneses Posts: 467 Member
    Would you go to bald barber?
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    To know and to do are two totally different things.

    The obese trainer may definitely know what it takes to be fit, but then maybe they just don't do it for themselves.
    However, why would I want someone to train me and motivate me who can't even train or motivate themselves?

    Then on the other hand there could be circumstances like health issues that might cause someone to become obese....
  • Neecy_Pooh
    Neecy_Pooh Posts: 122
    No. Never.
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    The other morning at my gym I thought about this, there was a guy, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, who was more fat then I am. And he appeared to be giving a woman a personal training session. My first reaction was, who would hire that guy as a trainer...

    But thinking about it more, if you have a good relationship with the person, and they are able to motivate and instruct you... why not. Just because a person is in amazing shape does not mean they are personable or a good trainer. I know a couple of the trainers in my gym I would rather eat hair then carry on a conversation for more then 30 seconds with them.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
    I wouldn't let a homeless man handle my investments....Sure he might have a perfectly reasonable explination for being homeless, but I am not taking the chance with my savings.

    Same thing for the trainer. I am not taking chances with my body (let alone the money to hire a trainer).

    Edited to add: I wouldn't say never....I would just say probably not.
  • complicatedmoves
    complicatedmoves Posts: 84 Member
    Just curious.

    Maybe if they just had a baby.
  • uberlaut
    uberlaut Posts: 44
    As an obese trainer myself, I know that some people DO hire obese trainers. And have good (PERSONALIZED) results with me, at least.

    To be fair, I am 5'5", work out HARD 5-6 days a week, have lost over 100lbs and maintained that loss, and am carrying somewhere between 140-150lbs of lean mass, so that puts my bodyfat at about 25-27%. So yes, I'm "obese" by the obsolete BMI chart, but I'm fit and healthy by actual proven methods of testing.
  • uberlaut
    uberlaut Posts: 44
    Also, I actually went to a physical school for personal training for 6 months. The hottest girl in class...NEVER worked out and seldom did her homework.


    She just came by that body naturally. She gets clients, but she can't get results...so she doesn't KEEP clients.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Would you go to bald barber?

    I think a better question is: Would you go to a barber with a wreck of a haircut?
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    Would you go to bald barber?

    I think a better question is: Would you go to a barber with a wreck of a haircut?

    I did once... he is the third chair in my barber shop, and I was in a rush and just said how bad can he do. When I showed up for my regular barber the next morning at 7am I knew just how bad it could be! Lol
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
    Also, I actually went to a physical school for personal training for 6 months. The hottest girl in class...NEVER worked out and seldom did her homework.


    She just came by that body naturally. She gets clients, but she can't get results...so she doesn't KEEP clients.

    And that has something to do with the way she looks?

    Everyone is saying "well if the obese trainer is a good trainer and has the knowlege base..." Well NO **** you want a good trainer! That has absolutely nothing to do with a person being fat or thin. A thin trainer is not less knowlegable simply because they're thin, they suck for some other reason. And there is nothing about being a fat trainer that makes you more likely to be a better trainer.

    When someone puts themselves in a teaching position, many people expect them to be above and beyond in whatever subject they're teaching. You want your kid to have an illiterate English teacher? You want to go to a church where the pastor also runs a cat house?
  • jaxbeck
    jaxbeck Posts: 537 Member
    Never. As far as the argument that they may still have the knowledge, If he/she did not have the discipline or drive to put it in motion, how would that person be able to motivate me as a trainer
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I would not hire an obese trainer. Nope. If you don't teach by example, then I'm not going to pay you to teach me... And I agree about motivation.

    I saw my old trainer last night (she moved away last year) and she looks fantastic. It was really motivating for me to be trained by someone who takes great care of her own body.

    An obese trainer is a hypocrite.
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 445 Member
    Would you take financial advice from someone that's broke?
    Would you go to a toothless dentist?

    It kills me when I go to a doctors office and all the ladies working in the front area are fat and/or smoke.
  • jonski1968
    jonski1968 Posts: 4,490 Member
    I was obese...I still am theoretically...But even at my heaviest...I knew alot about diets and training...So my answers is yes...As long as they knew what they were talking about..

    Not everyone has the discipline to practice what they preach...
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 445 Member
    Would you go to bald barber?

    Yes. That's a bad example.
  • WhittRak
    WhittRak Posts: 567 Member
    Sure why not. They may not practice what they preach, what do I care?
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    I wouldn't.

    The knowledge is one thing but there's a whole other (much more important imo) piece to the puzzle, which is having a deep understanding of the psychological games that really mean success or failure in weight loss.

    In that light, perhaps a trainer who has been lean all their life is equally useless. My preferred trainer would be someone who fought a battle with weight, won, and kept it off for at least five years.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Only if they were training me to eat.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    No. I also wouldn't take an aerobics class from an instructor who is out of shape. It doesn't matter how knowledgeable the person may be I want someone who I can look up to and aspire to be. If I have a personal trainer or aerobics instructor who is jacked and has the physique that I aspire to it will make me work harder, ask more questions and get advice from them on how to go about getting the body I want. I would be less inclined to ask an out of shape or obese trainer these questions because they're obviously doing something wrong. I don't care if they're on a journey to be healthier. They should have done that before they became a PT or instructor.

    Go ahead and flame me if you want but as someone on here said you wouldn't take financial advice from a broke person would you? So why should I take fitness advice from an obese person?
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 866 Member
    Would you take financial advice from someone that's broke?
    Would you go to a toothless dentist?

    It kills me when I go to a doctors office and all the ladies working in the front area are fat and/or smoke.

    This!! I teach Zumba and I feel that if I want women to show up to my class, that I have to be fit and healthy. I am showing my clients that what I am doing is working, and that I practice what I preach. " Do as I say and not as I do"....that is never a good thing!
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    It would depend on their knowledge and experience

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