Would you use a 'unfit' looking personal trainer?

I couldn't have a PT that din't look lik ethey pratcite what they freach, nuless there was some reason for it .. for example there is a guy at my gym who know his stuff , but was in a cr accident so he can't do what he know

HOW do you people think you can judge fitness by appearance exactly?
They are 2 very separate things..
Someone can be fat and fit or someone can be thin and unfit...

eg I still weigh 173 but I can run 10kms non stop, dance for hours nonstop, and lift heavy weights. A friend of mine on the other hand weighs 110 and gets puffed walking up the stairs.

yes but I'm not gonna take lifting advice from a kid who weights 140 and squats 225................


I'm not saying you should walk into a gym, say "this guy looks like crap" and walk back out. Meet with the trainer, and do a session with them. But if they aren't capable of achieving the results youre looking for, what makes you think they can help you achieve them?

And how do you know they aren't in the middle of a weight loss journey themselves?

I wouldn't use one who doesn't know what its like to have to lose weight. Why should I listen to someone who's never had an ounce of fat on their body? I wouldn't use a male doctor to deliver my baby either. What does he know? Just my opinion.

I wouldn't use one who doesn't know what its like to have to lose weight. Why should I listen to someone who's never had an ounce of fat on their body? I wouldn't use a male doctor to deliver my baby either. What does he know? Just my opinion.

because they know how to not have an ounce of fat on thier bodies :P

I've seen a lot of "Trainers are useless" comments. Even if you can get all your information on the internet, a trainer is there to motivate you & make sure you don't hurt yourself. Also, walking into the gym alone as a first-timer is pretty intimidating. If someone has a trainer holding their hand, the "alpha male" section of the gym isn't so scary. I know that my clients (especially my male clients) push themselves MUCH harder with me than they would on their own.

That being said, I think trainers should definitely be fit. Unless they're injured or old.

yea i see a lot of unfit trainers at my gym all the time.. i always wondered bout that..

I'd still try them out, no doubt. Finding the right personal trainer can be tricky. It took me a while to find my first trainer and she is amazing! Unfortunately, she left my gym so I was stuck with trying to find a new one. I still talk to my old trainer, she's turned into a great friend and mentor. I had several sessions with others who just flat out sucked for me, but totally work for other people. In the end, my contract expired and I've since found a smaller gym that I'm so far happy with (my quads...not so much )

Having the right dynamic/relationship with a personal trainer is hard, so who cares what they look like so long as they listen to you and help you meet your goals? In working with a PT I know what's important to me, and because they're so not cheap, I know they should listen to me and always have MY best interest, goals and capabilities in mind. I want to be pushed, and I let them know that, but I have issues with my knees so they know that sometimes they're going to have to modify what they had planned for me.

I am 5'4" and 225 pounds. I am a brand new weight loss coach. I have lost 67 pounds since February 2012. My diet has changed, my energy is up and I feel amazing. It showed so much that people took notice and wanted advice. One look at me and all people (who don't know me) see is fat. But, I am DOING something about it.
The ladies I coach don't look at how I look now. They look at what I looked like before, because honestly, they look like I did.
They find inspiration and support from me. I bust their *kitten* when they eat crap, I bust their *kitten* when they need to push just a wee bit more.
I don't make them do anything that I wouldn't do or haven't already done.
Knowledge is power and motivation leads to accomplishment. That is something we all need.
Fat Personal Trainer? I don't know. I mean, if I was forkin' out big bucks for one I might think twice.
But, do people know the trainer, were they recommended? Maybe the trainer is really good at egging someone on to do the right thing.
Word of mouth is a great advertiser. If this personal trainer was known for their customers great RESULTS I think I would want that person in my corner, ya know? ;o)

If you are looking for a trainer to bulk you up, I don't know. I know that I need fitness training and my trainer that is fit, not bulked up, gives me real practical advice. We even swap recipes!

Nope sure wouldn't!

I am 5'4" and 225 pounds. I am a brand new weight loss coach. I have lost 67 pounds since February 2012. My diet has changed, my energy is up and I feel amazing. It showed so much that people took notice and wanted advice. One look at me and all people (who don't know me) see is fat. But, I am DOING something about it.
The ladies I coach don't look at how I look now. They look at what I looked like before, because honestly, they look like I did.
They find inspiration and support from me. I bust their *kitten* when they eat crap, I bust their *kitten* when they need to push just a wee bit more.
I don't make them do anything that I wouldn't do or haven't already done.
Knowledge is power and motivation leads to accomplishment. That is something we all need.
Fat Personal Trainer? I don't know. I mean, if I was forkin' out big bucks for one I might think twice.
But, do people know the trainer, were they recommended? Maybe the trainer is really good at egging someone on to do the right thing.
Word of mouth is a great advertiser. If this personal trainer was known for their customers great RESULTS I think I would want that person in my corner, ya know? ;o)

First, Congrats on your loss and your decision to make fitness and health a priority in your life. I don't doubt that you have been successful in encouraging others, but I wouldn't hire you. If I was going to shell out cash for someone to help me lose weight, I want them to know their stuff and look fit too. Why, because when my legs are about to give out and they are saying one more lunge, I want to see a great set of legs that will give me the motivator to push forward. When my arms are weak and I'm not sure I have another push up left in me, I wan to see a trainer with well defined arms, so I know what I am working towards. For some people this doesn't matter, to me it does. If I am a size 12 striving to be a size 6, then training with a woman my size are bigger is no motivator at all, because regardless of what she says in mind I'm thinking she needs to get her big butt down here right along with me. I don't care how much he/she knows, I'm not going to take it seriously because I don't see it

And how do you know they aren't in the middle of a weight loss journey themselves?

Because most people don't walk up to their PT's and go OMG why are you so fat?

Plus talking about weight loss is not something a lot of people do unless they are specifically asked... and how rude would it be of a potential client to ask if they plan on losing weight just so they look like a sterotypical PT?

So what that you can lift/run and are super fit.. unless you look like it, not a lot of people are going to trust you.

Which is why my course does not finish for another 3 months and by then I shall look the part...

What about a NEW personal trainer, who has only been working out for 18 months?

Then they haven't become an expert in 18 months, so they aren't qualified to teach.

Do you want a school teacher that just decided she wanted to teach last year, and took a weekend certification? (thank god education doesn't work quite the same way the fitness industry does0

actually the course I am doing is a YEAR LONG course how does that mean i'm not qualified?
it's on campus, we have classes from 9am-4.30pm 4 days a week, (included in the cert 3 is how to do practically every lift known to man kind) there is also a student run Gym there which we get to run classes and train clients in for super cheap.

actually the course I am doing is a YEAR LONG course how does that mean i'm not qualified?

thats good.
but again......hands on experience is what most people prefer.

I would be much more likely to train with someone who has lifted for 5 years, studied about programming, and has gotten results, even if they have a crappy certification.
As opposed to someone who just took x class, that may or may not be a good one, and is now training people.

Nothing personal against you. And I'm sure women will be stoked to work with another woman. But for me, I want someone who has time in the gym and multiple sources of information.
I read the book for the ACSM certification and was blown away at all of the horrible reccommendations.

I have been researching Nutrition and Exercise multiple sources and textbooks, since April of 2011. So go have fun with the bodybuilders, that's your opinion what's your point? There is a girl in my course who had never stepped foot in a Gym before starting in february, only even ran and did Gymnastics X many years ago.

My teacher owns his own Gym and Nutrition Studio and has been teaching at this school for more than 20 years.. I think he knows his stuff..

A degree in fitness and a personal success story is good enough for me!