Overweight Personal Trainers - What's your thoughts?

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Hornsby
Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was talking with the GF yesterday on the treadmill yesterday about. I go to Gold's Gym and 3 or 4 of the trainers that work there aren't in shape. A couple border on obese. I am kind of torn by the issue.

Doesn't it seem like being fit should be a requirement to being a personal trainer? I guess I am kinda torn on the issue. I can tell someone how to do the perfect golf swing, but that doesn't mean I can do it in practice.

So what's everyone's thoughts?
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Replies

  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    Well, it doesn't give me much confidence in their advice if they either can't follow it or it doesn't work!
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
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    Anyone can be a personal trainer. Just not mine.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I think that it doesn't necessarily call into question their ability to teach you. I think it speaks more to their nutritional habits than anything. But I've had some of the best kettlebell workouts from an overweight instructor. I prefer her classes to the size 0 trainer. So size does not equal ability.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Are they strongmen?

    Personally I know a few huge guys who are strongmen who know more about nutrition and training than anyone I've met face to face. Granted, they are bigger, but they choose to be. It's not everyone desire to be shredded / ripped or be on a stage in tight board shorts modeling.

  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    martyqueen52 wrote: »
    Are they strongmen?

    Personally I know a few huge guys who are strongmen who know more about nutrition and training than anyone I've met face to face. Granted, they are bigger, but they choose to be. It's not everyone desire to be shredded / ripped or be on a stage in tight board shorts modeling.

    True. OP, see if you can get an intro session with one of the trainers and go from there. Personal training isn't just about appearance and ability. It's also about your chemistry with the trainer.
  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
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    Depends why. Were they injured?
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    it would be like going to a financial adviser who is bankrupt to help you with your finances, no thanks.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    I would give more credence to a personal trainer (or dietician, doctor, etc.) who appeared to be of a healthy weight. Practice what you preach, and all that.
    I would give even more credence to a personal trainer (etc.) who had been obese and overcame that, got healthy. That's what I'm hoping to do.
    Having said that, I recognize that some people have health problems which could prevent being a healthy weight, or make it extremely difficult.

    But using your analogy, as long as the person you're teaching is able to learn to do the perfect golf swing, they've gotten what they wanted. Does it really matter if you're able to do it yourself?

    A hospital I used to volunteer at had one nurse who used a wheelchair. Pretty sure she wasn't able to do certain things about patient care, but I bet she could explain perfectly well to someone else what they should do. (And it's possible that she wasn't in direct patient care, but rather education or administration; I just saw her coming & going sometimes.)

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  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    edited January 2015
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    A totally ripped trainer who fails to help his/her client achieve their training goals is a rubbish trainer.

    An "overweight" PT who helps their client achieve their goals? Yes. Then they've done their job.

    If the client can't get over the appearance of the trainer and therefore can't achieve their goals due to lack of trust in the process? Well, they need to find a ripped trainer who doesn't suck to get them where they need to go.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Maybe they are power lifters? Or bodybuilders who are bulking? Those guys tend to sometimes look fat even tho it's part of their sport, kinda.

  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    As a lifter, I care little about how they look, and more about what they lift and if they can help me with that. I'm not a tiny girl, yet I have a friend who is and is insanely jealous about the amount of weight I can lift. A personal trainer is to teach you fitness and healthy exercise, and you may be surprised at what they can do, despite their weight.
  • tavenne323
    tavenne323 Posts: 332 Member
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    Maybe it's a "do as I say, not as I do" situation.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    It depends. A few extra pounds would not matter to me. If they were actually obese...I would hesitate, BUT if I did a free introductory session and they really gave me good advice, had the right expertise, seemed really on top of things, corrected my form, their nutritional philosophy didn't conflict with things I believe in, and their personality was a good fit with mine I wouldn't care.

    It is their knowledge I am paying for, not their body.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I think context is important here.

    Perhaps the trainer used to be Obese at some point and did actually lose weight and are where they are now because of it. Perhaps they've gone from Obese to borderline Obese. Perhaps they are still in the middle of their loss.

    Or perhaps their nutritional/caloric intake does not match their needs. They know what they should do but don't do it. This is true for alot of people, not just trainers though. I mean, most people that come to MFP know they need to 'eat less' to lose weight, yet for years they either ignored it or just didn't do it.

    I'm sure there'd be other reasons too, and these are just generalizations.

    I will say this though, I've had a few Zumba instructors at my gym (pre-pregnancy), all of which were fit except one. That 1 instructor had to be well over 300 lbs. She had ALOT of energy in glass and was very outgoing. She has a GREAT class. I enjoy it. BUT, some moves are harder to follow along with her, because you can't really tell what she's doing, whereas with the fitter instructors, their moves are easier to *see* and follow.

    It could also just be a case of "Do as I say, not as I do". :)
  • tolkat
    tolkat Posts: 11 Member
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    some trainers are good at Giving lessons but not taking lessons. Does not mean they are not Qualified
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,569 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Lol, I'm a bit overweight right now. But I have people asking me all the time if I have time in my schedule to train them. Why? Because their results matter much more than me be overweight to them. Not to mention my programs for individuals cater to their needs and wants.
    I'm not hugely overweight (although my ticker shows me shooting for "competition" weight as a goal). 10lbs over from my usual 190lbs.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I know all the trainers at my gym, have taken advantage of multiple free info sessions, and hired trainers twice - once in college when I knew nothing about nutrition or fitness at all, and once to figure out WTF was going on with my deadlift. My college trainer was slightly overweight, but she knew what she was talking about when it came to workouts and gave me my lifting foundation. What I didn't realize at the time was that her nutrition knowledge was sloppy - didn't understand macros, didn't even really understand calorie requirements. Looking back, it makes sense why she was overweight (and why I didn't lose much weight working with her). All the other trainers I've worked with have been fit, but their competence has vastly varied. I've also known people in the process of losing a LOT of weight who have gotten their personal training certificates. They're still overweight, but I'd hire them over some of the trainers I've had free sessions with any day. You really do need to get to know trainers on an individual basis to assess if they'll help you meet your goals. You can't really make blanket judgments.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I'd have trouble hiring Homer Simpson. But 10 lbs. overweight wouldn't bother me.

    Would you hire a PT with almost no training but who had the body of a fitness model? Jillian Michaels seems to do well. ;)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    I was talking with the GF yesterday on the treadmill yesterday about. I go to Gold's Gym and 3 or 4 of the trainers that work there aren't in shape. A couple border on obese. I am kind of torn by the issue.

    Doesn't it seem like being fit should be a requirement to being a personal trainer? I guess I am kinda torn on the issue. I can tell someone how to do the perfect golf swing, but that doesn't mean I can do it in practice.

    So what's everyone's thoughts?

    While we know there is a disconnect between performance and presence.

    "Overweight" is one thing, for example, Rippetoe is a padded dude.
    Obese though? Like one of Ripley's motorcycle twins? No.

    Some specialities and the person should be walking the walk, like swim coaches, running coaches, biking coaches. It's less important though for other things, like lifting or where there is a large gap between technical ability and coaching. Or for less serious things, like zumba, spinning, yoga.

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