Overweight fitness instructors

As much as I hate the Patriots, Bill Belichick never played a down of football in the NFL but is a future hall of famer.

I guess players should not take advice from him.

If the instructor possesses the skill to help clients reach a goal, does it really matter?

This.

Someone's size says very little, if anything, about their skill set in the type of exercise in question. Like another poster said previously, you build your body at the gym and you lose weight in the kitchen. So being overweight doesn't mean they don't know how to exercise. When taking classes, I don't care about size or other shallow concerns, I care if the instructor is knowledgeable, if the class is fun, and if I can progress in my fitness goals. I fail to see where weight matters here.

I think if I was to go to a class now and the instructor was bigger, I'd actually feel a little reassured, because I'm big and out of shape and I'd feel less.... less?

But I can understand that if I was fit and a healthy weight and an instructor was bigger, it may give me some uncertainty.

I "teach" a Zumba class now and then and I'm a good 30 pounds over my goal weight. I also have lost over 40 and kept it off for about 6 years. I live in a teeny town and my class is offered for free through the school district's Adult Education program. There is no one coming to my class that expects to see a stick girl teaching my class. We are all just there to shake our hineys and have some fun.

BUT, if I had to charge for my class or depend on teaching for my income, I would definitely feel the pressure to be in better shape and at a smaller size. "For fun" and "for pay" are big differences. I am paying my $30/mth for my Zumba membership and choreo DVDs and I would probably feel a little ripped off if the instructors on my videos were lardbutts and not dancing at full-on intensity.

To each their own.

I'm sad that someone who lost 40 lbs would call another another overweight person a lardbutt. I'm about at the half-weight mark (230 lbs vs. 117.5 lbs) and when I first started losing weight made a very conscious decision to never forget.

Weight can be a bit deceptive to the untrained eye. Especially if clothing is loose. For instance my husband is 6 foot tall and 225lb, when his body fat is over 15% he loses a lot of definition and looks more 'cuddly' (which I love btw) rather than ripped. The number of doctors who have given him a bashing because his BMI is over 30 so he is technically obese, when in reality he could bench press the doctor without breaking sweat. I don't think the entire time we've been together his BF has been higher than about 18%, he's hardly a health risk!

So if we are talking about really fit people with a slight layer of padding which just covers some muscle definition, then no, it wouldn't put me off at all. My husband isn't a PT but I'd be more than happy if I turned up and saw someone with the same 'obese' physique whether they are male or female. If we are talking PT's who are out of breath by just getting out of a chair, walking up a flight of stairs or watching me workout, then yes, that would massively put me off. I would tend to think if what they are telling me is so straightforward and achievable why aren't they applying it themselves, although if i'd turned up to something I'd be too polite not to complete the class or session, so they would at least get a chance.

The only exception to that would be if I knew of a situation which impacts size such pregnancy, having recently had a baby, or being laid up with an injury, but even then we are talking a reasonable amount of weight gain for the situation and not body fat levels through the roof.

It would depend on what I was getting out of the class. Is the instructor motivating me, making it a great experience that makes me want to come back? Or is this person sitting on a bench most of time, drinking water and out of breath because they walked across the room?

I understand the points for both sides. Unfortunately, certain industries, you have to look like the product of your product. I mean, you see those car stickers "Achieve independent financial wealth. ASK ME HOW!" on rusty 15 year old hatchbacks - not sure the driver's nailed it yet. And then there's the "Lose weight the easy way" sticker I saw on an MPV once in a car park - an obese family fell out of it. And the shabby degenerates outside betting shops happy to give you a tip on the horses. It is of course possible that each of those individuals knows the secrets but they don't sell it very well.

My gym is an annex to the local hospital. When I first joined I was a bit appalled by the "thickness" of some of the bodies in there. I have now learned that the vast majority of the heavier (and OLDER) people are not fitness instructors but RN's (cardio rehab), and office workers. However, I was 350 lbs when I joined and I could have probably broken my 99 lb fitness instructor like a matchstick. To me, it felt much more comfortable to be in a gym where not everybody has a super hot body. I about died when one of the water aerobic instructors took off his shirt and joined us in the water. That man had been hiding some serious flab under the shirt, but he is an awesome instructor. I would likely have problems with his weight if I was a hard bodied 21 year old. I was always more impressed that the gym was staffed by "regular people" who were certified but were able to hold jobs in this field. Let the overweight instructors keep their jobs and show us that everybody needs to work out for the hot bodies.

Perhaps we need more of them...An overweight instructor maybe an incentive and more welcoming. And might encourage folks who are intimidated to go to the gym more often.

I "teach" a Zumba class now and then and I'm a good 30 pounds over my goal weight. I also have lost over 40 and kept it off for about 6 years. I live in a teeny town and my class is offered for free through the school district's Adult Education program. There is no one coming to my class that expects to see a stick girl teaching my class. We are all just there to shake our hineys and have some fun.

BUT, if I had to charge for my class or depend on teaching for my income, I would definitely feel the pressure to be in better shape and at a smaller size. "For fun" and "for pay" are big differences. I am paying my $30/mth for my Zumba membership and choreo DVDs and I would probably feel a little ripped off if the instructors on my videos were lardbutts and not dancing at full-on intensity.

To each their own.

I'm sad that someone who lost 40 lbs would call another another overweight person a lardbutt. I'm about at the half-weight mark (230 lbs vs. 117.5 lbs) and when I first started losing weight made a very conscious decision to never forget.

Yes. I agree. It does not make any sense.

All those models I see in catalogs must know lots about health and fitness.

Life is so much easier when we can judge a person's value and knowledge based solely on their appearance.