Overweight personal trainers

Just because a PT is overweight doesn't mean they don't know what they're teaching about. They struggle just like the rest of us with motivation and such. So the best thing is to talk to them and see what they know and what their credentials are.

Same thing with doctors - they know about health, but many have a hard time keeping up with their own.

If my PT and/or Doctor has a "hard time" keeping up with their health what makes me think that they would have my best interests in mind?

ETA: I personally would want a PT who knew what they were talking about and had the physique. Same with a doctor. If you're telling me how to be healthy then I certainly expect you to be the poster child for healthy yourself.

Over the winter I normally eat (well) over maintenance and *gasp* lose my six pack for the purposes of training a particular quality.

If you met me in the depths of January would my knowledge of training be less than if you met me after I'd cut the winter fat and had my abs back?

This whole discussion was ridiculous the first time around and it hasn't improved upon it's return IMHO.

thats bulking, im sure you dont bulk to the point where you have moobs and have a gut sticking out far enough that you cant see your toes

slightly overweight i would be alright with, but a PT is supposed to be passionate about fitness. it may be stereotyping but i think in most cases its fair to assume that someone overweight isnt all that passionate about fitness, even if they do have a knowledge base in the feild

Just because a PT is overweight doesn't mean they don't know what they're teaching about. They struggle just like the rest of us with motivation and such. So the best thing is to talk to them and see what they know and what their credentials are.

Same thing with doctors - they know about health, but many have a hard time keeping up with their own.

If my PT and/or Doctor has a "hard time" keeping up with their health what makes me think that they would have my best interests in mind?

ETA: I personally would want a PT who knew what they were talking about and had the physique. Same with a doctor. If you're telling me how to be healthy then I certainly expect you to be the poster child for healthy yourself.

Over the winter I normally eat (well) over maintenance and *gasp* lose my six pack for the purposes of training a particular quality.

If you met me in the depths of January would my knowledge of training be less than if you met me after I'd cut the winter fat and had my abs back?

This whole discussion was ridiculous the first time around and it hasn't improved upon it's return IMHO.

thats bulking, im sure you dont bulk to the point where you have moobs and have a gut sticking out far enough that you cant see your toes

slightly overweight i would be alright with, but a PT is supposed to be passionate about fitness. it may be stereotyping but i think in most cases its fair to assume that someone overweight isnt all that passionate about fitness, even if they do have a knowledge base in the feild

So fitness == low bf%?

So fitness == low bf%?

not exclusively, but i think its fair to say someone who is above 25% isnt really "fit", regardless of how big their squat is

So fitness == low bf%?

not exclusively, but i think its fair to say someone who is above 25% isnt really "fit", regardless of how big their squat is

So... you mean to tell me that you wouldn't hire one of these two gentlemen, if they offered personal training services, just because they have some extra fat on their own bodies?

sure i would. but i also know who rippletoe and tressel are so i know they have a huge amount of knowledge when it comes to exercise. given the option between someone who has the body type of these two fellas vs someone who has sub 15% bf and a decent amount of muscle without knowing who they are id choose the latter all day. but my goals also arent strength related atm, also most people dont seek out pt's for strength training to my knowledge, usually its people with very little fitness related knowledge just trying to shed some pounds, and reasonably they are going to pick the person who has the body type they are striving for

My original post on this thread used the example of a personal trainer I had. His physique had a lot more to do with genetics than knowledge. Reflectively, it could have something to do with steroids. If a newbie picks based on body type, they could be judging the book by its cover.

what else do they really have to go off of though, other than credentials? for the most part when you pic a pt all you have to go off of is a picture and a short list of their experience

Now, if you're saying a PT is best served by looking the part...well, so are we all. I don't wear makeup on the weekend but I'm fully put together for the office.

it is initially. most people arent willing to put in the time with a pt if they think theres a chance that they dont know all that much, and most are going to assume someone fit is going to have more knowledge than someone overweight

My original post on this thread used the example of a personal trainer I had. His physique had a lot more to do with genetics than knowledge. Reflectively, it could have something to do with steroids. If a newbie picks based on body type, they could be judging the book by its cover.

what else do they really have to go off of though, other than credentials? for the most part when you pic a pt all you have to go off of is a picture and a short list of their experience

Now, if you're saying a PT is best served by looking the part...well, so are we all. I don't wear makeup on the weekend but I'm fully put together for the office.

it is initially. most people arent willing to put in the time with a pt if they think theres a chance that they dont know all that much, and most are going to assume someone fit is going to have more knowledge than someone overweight

How about the same thing everyone else has to go off of when hiring someone -- resume, references, etc? If you're seriously considering dropping a few hundred dollars on a PT, then you should put in a little effort to dig deeper and get more information about them. Find a person that has your interests in their short list and go talk to them. If they're successful, then they should be more than happy to give you more information about references, reviews, etc. If you're not completely clueless about the things you're looking to do, talk them them about those things and see if they really know what they're talking about.

This can also be twisted the other way I am not going to go train with someone who is so petite that she is below a size zero and can not begin to really spot me or relate to what my goals and weights are. We are going to naturally go to someone who has the body first that we like or want and then in order to really work with them they have to have the knowledge. I know it is biast but I perfer a guy he is going to push me more and want the higher weights normally I realize there are exceptions to this but I feel more comfortable with a guy.

That's a safety issue, primarily, which I think is one of the few legit reasons to choose someone by physique. If you can bench press your PT's weight three times over, you probably need someone larger, unless she's got a super-impressive strength to weight ratio and can actually handle the weights you're doing.