Would you use a 'unfit' looking personal trainer?

golden rule, never listen to someone fatter than you.

and you can add to that someone who isn't running faster than you, lifting more than you, or already doing something your trying to achieve.

Because of my Hashimoto's I carry more fat than I would like. I've busted my *kitten* to get to a size 12 and haven't been able to get any more off for 5 years. Even now that I am diagnosed and on meds. But I eat right and I work out. hard I do metric century rides, paddle board, run 5K's, lift weights, etc. I have a lot of muscle under my fat and I'm strong and healthy. However, before I got knocked down by the Hashimoto's I had lost over 100 pounds. I am a certified nutritional specialist (yeah, that's worth the paper it's printed on) and a certified trainer. I worked as an independent trainer at an independent gym. The reason my clients come to me is because I've been where they are and they know I understand their struggles. I can relate to them. I had one girl who had lap band surgery then gained back 50 pounds who I offered to train for free. Another of my clients told me about her because she was stressing out due to the fact that her brother needed her kidney and she couldn't donate until she lost 30 pounds. She had been trying a long time and he was starting dialysis. The clock was ticking. I offered her the training and It took me three months to get her in shape to donate the kidney and they are both doing well. While I was training her one day, another trainer, some big muscle head misogynist who thinks the only worth while women are in their 20's and built like a Barbie and who gropes his clients, lit into me because I had the gall to be working with my client on a piece of equipment that he wanted to use. He told me that obviously it hadn't ever done me any good...in front of my client and several people in the gym. He didn't know how much I had lost or how many women I had helped. I was humiliated. I don't train anymore, even though I am still certified. And I DID have something to offer that he didn't. None of those women would have ever gone to him. But because of people who think that unless you are ripped and toned and look like you could be on the cover of fitness magazine, you have no business in a gym, much less telling anyone else what to do in there, its just uncomfortable for me now. I only wanted to help women who struggle the way I did and still do.

And kooltray nailed it: You never get a second chance at a first impression!

I was just pondering the other day, whilst in the gym. We have several PT's at my gym, none of which, if i'm honest look like they practice what they preach so to speak. So would you use a unfit looking personal trainer? I know my view on it, just interested in other peoples ;-)

I manage the PT department at my gym....I wouldn't hire anyone who didn't take care of themselves or look the "part"

haha you obviously don't work at my gym then lol

You don't look like you are from the north

I am a Jazzercise instructor, and I consider myself to be VERY fit - though I have recently gained some weight and am now trying to take it off, I do not look as thin as I did 18 months ago, but you can still tell I work out.

However, I have been teaching for over 7 years and in that time I have had two babies. Those first few weeks getting back into it after maternity leave, I am sure I didn't look the part at all! For a new student, they must have been like "????" But I still had as much to offer - even more with the experience of training through pregnancy and then having to lose the weight and resolve the atrophy afterward. In my experience, I find that a lot of my students appreciate that we are real people, just like them.

There was an issue about this with a personal trainer at my gym. The female trainer was coaching a woman, and talking to her about nutritional things, the woman laughed in the trainer's face 'why should I take this from you? You're so fat!' She didn't know the trainer was two weeks away from going on maternity leave!

As always, I try not to judge a book by it's cover!

*corrected due to wrote some convo with my bf in!

No, absolutely not. I want someone to inspire me, not just tell me what to do.

My trainer isn't ripped/toned/any kind of fitness superlative. But she doesn't carry a lot of excess fat, and she is muscular. She eats well and loves fitness. If she were obese, I wouldn't be a client. Sorry if that upsets any fat people who might aspire to the personal training world.

Depends what you are looking for. I was very unfit and needed someone who could motivate me and help with a routine. Would have been intimidated by a super fit person

Totally agree, Its also nice when people seem more approachable ..not the 6.5 foot / 0 body fat / Totally ripped black dude, who says, " I know exactly what you are going through" ... Ummmm .. No.. no you don't .. lol

I was just pondering the other day, whilst in the gym. We have several PT's at my gym, none of which, if i'm honest look like they practice what they preach so to speak. So would you use a unfit looking personal trainer? I know my view on it, just interested in other peoples ;-)

there is an older, pudgy, male ballet coach at my dance studio -- huge wait list for his classes . . . his students are the serious ones looking to get into the big ballet companies. (he did formerly dance with Russian ballet then teach many many successful professionals). Looks can be deceiving.

I think trainers are a scam in general.

You can find all your training info and needs on the internet.

The internet can't watch your form and make sure you're doing your things properly, and most of the time you can't do it yourself by checking the mirrors - most times, if I'm looking in the mirror at the gym while lifting it means I've got my head/neck twisted or craned in a potentially harmful position. And the angles aren't great either.

I have never had a PT but that's what I would use them for - what types of exercises should I do to get X results, and is my form correct?

Whether they're in really good shape or not doesn't really have any impact on their ability to do these things.

Do sports coaches have to be ex-players, able to outperform all their players in order to be effective coaches? Of course not.

If anything, a really ripped PT probably has no idea what it's like to be me since they're probably genetically gifted and have never had to deal with the kinds of weight and athletic struggles that I have. I'd rather have a PT that knows where I'm coming from and has experienced what I am going through.