Overweight gym staff
Replies
-
The point is, people are saying that if you are out of shape/overweight then your advice isn't valid. That's just plain wrong.
While I agree with you there is a certain reality here. We, as human beings have limited time within which to make decisions usually based on imperfect information. It would be great if we judged everyone on the basis of sufficient evidence to come to a conclusion but I don't feel that is likely to happen.
So, we statistically discriminate as a mental shortcut. In the absence of a detailed exploration of what the person's qualifications are a fit appearance suggests more strongly that they are able to give better advice ("walking the walk") than someone who doesn't look as good.
^^^^ This is probably the best explanation so far.^^^^
As Versacam said. When you see a trainer in a gym human nature is to make a first impression off of their looks. It doesn't make it right or wrong that's just the way the brain works. When you first see them you don't know what their actual qualifications are but the way they carry themselves means more, at that particular moment in time, than their qualifications because most of us are not going to be able to get past their looks.
Think of it this way. How would you go on a blind date? Would you go without showering or shaving and putting on nice clothes and brushing your hair or teeth. Probably not. You want to make a good first impression, based at first solely off your looks. Sure you may be the nicest person and an absolute perfect fit for the person you are meeting but you probably won't get a chance to show that person who you really are if they can't get past your appearance, and lack of a shower.
I totally agree there are some great trainers out there that may never be on the cover of a fitness magazine. Hell I wouldn't seek out a powerlifting trainer that was smaller than me with a chiseled set of abs, I want the 285 pound dude that can deadlift a pickup truck. But if your job is to help other people attain a goal that is based primarily off of our own vanity, especially to lose body fat, then you need to walk the walk.
0 -
As others have mentioned, a PT can be fairly expensive. You are basically their employer. It does make sense to research and find out the qualifications, for sure. However, if I was a business owner, I wouldn't hire an accountant who made it known in their interview that they'd just filed bankruptcy for the second time, no matter if they'd graduated the top of their class and had all the knowledge in the world. It wouldn't sit well with me to pay someone when they can't put their knowledge into practice. So, no, I'm probably not going to pay someone based on their wealth of knowledge when I'm going to question their follow-through, determination, willingness to work hard, etc.
Just because I make a snap judgement (everyone does, don't BS) in my head about someone doesn't mean I will treat them any less kindly, either. I don't care how fat a person is, but I certainly care how fat my PT is.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I wish I had so little going on in my life that something so trivial could bug me so much.
Oh do be quiet. Some people like debating and learning.
By discussing the issue then myself and others can learn and appreciate different opinions on things, if you don't think it's important then why did you post? Strange. I wish I had time to go around posting how unimportant things are, you certainly had time to do that, so you can't have that much going on in your life.
0 -
You do you.0
-
I have this concern for my daughter that is in college, she is majoring in nutrition but she is overweight, I have no doubt in the end she will be able to coach people but my fear is that no one will listen to her because of her size. I am hoping as time goes she will slim down by practicing what she learns.0
-
MondayJune22nd2015 wrote: »
No, not by a long stretch. Maybe when you can become an OBGYN with three weeks of night classes.0 -
fitfor30th wrote: »I don't want to be mean or rude, but it is bugging me. One gym I go to a lot of the staff are quite a lot overweight (and not losing). They walk around with 'Health Maker' on the back of their T-shirts and it bugs me. They also give out bad advice. I heard one of them telling a lady the other day she shouldn't aim to get big muscles, just do low reps on the weight machines.
Actually I've heard this a lot lately, in a Bodypump class I go to, the instructor keeps saying 'this will get you stronger, not bigger!' Well I actually want my muscles to get bigger, as then I will burn more calories and be more toned!
Rant over.
Are you paying a monthly fee to strictly look at the staff's physical attributes and judge whether or not they are to your liking? If not, remember why you are at the gym to begin with.
If you believe some on the staff are giving out bad advice and said advice pertains to you, I can see your point of contention. If not, remember why you are paying a monthly due. It isn't so you can micromanage what the staff is saying to other people.
Once you mind your own business, there isn't much to the rant.0 -
Bottom line it's poor leadership and poor marketing. Not that this invalidates their advice, but would certainly be more effective if they practiced what they preach.0
-
When I'm looking for a trainer, the results their clients have gotten is more important to me than what they look like. That's the litmus test for their abilities as far as I'm concerned, and that's what I would be hiring them to do - help me reach my goals in a way that works for my life. I'm not going to sit around pondering their circumstances, as it's really none of my business and not relevant to me in terms of the job I am hiring them to do.0
-
Just because I make a snap judgement (everyone does, don't BS) in my head about someone doesn't mean I will treat them any less kindly, either. I don't care how fat a person is, but I certainly care how fat my PT is.
Exactly.
I think some people are finding comments insulting, when they aren't meant to be.0 -
I am a sport coach and I battle my weight. I was teaching kids and adults about training and weight control but I was 50lb overweight.
I believe I was setting a bad example and that the young ones wouldn't listen as much. I've since dropped 35lb and don't know anymore info, just believe people like the original poster may have more confidence listening to me0 -
I am a sport coach and I battle my weight. I was teaching kids and adults about training and weight control but I was 50lb overweight.
I believe I was setting a bad example and that the young ones wouldn't listen as much. I've since dropped 35lb and don't know anymore info, just believe people like the original poster may have more confidence listening to me
The OP and your reasoning is based on logical fallacy.
Just because a person may not be as slim as some gym members expect them to be, that doesn't mean that there is something inherently wrong with the personal trainer or with his or her advice. Personal trainers are human too. They have health problems and other things going on in their life, that is nobody else's business.
If somebody doesn't want to listen to a personal trainer just because he or she doesn't meet some shallow expectation of a member, then the member has the problem, in my option.
What is important is whether or not the personal trainer is punctual, caring, motivating, helpful, and giving sound advice to the client. That is the bottom line.0 -
I think the far larger problem is the gym staff handing out bad advice. My mom is one of those people who never remembers to stop payments for contracts she has, so she gifted me about $1000 in training at the gym I go to because she was never going to use it, but forgot to stop the contract (or she was conned into a very long contract, not sure which). It's sat in my account for years because I've seen the trainers at my gym and how they teach beginners. They constantly instruct with bad form for squats and show people things which look downright dangerous. Some are not necessarily bad form, but are incomplete range of motion, so not necessarily harmful, but not as effective as the movement could be. I have no faith in them, so I continue to follow a tried and true program with occasional form checks here. And the credit continues to sit. I wish I could convert it to pay for gym dues, but apparently they are technically different companies or some such thing. Stupid LA fitness...0
-
FunSizedKJ wrote: »I understand the idea that if someone isn't following their own advice, it is hard to take them seriously. The logic behind it makes sense.
But similar to what other's have been saying, you don't know what life circumstances have happened to them. I know you said that they aren't progressing in their own fitness/health journey, but how do you know that? How do you know that maybe at one point, they were extremely fit and qualified to be giving advice, but life happened to them and they got knocked down? One of the trainers at my gym, when judged by these standards, shouldn't be training, but realistically, even though he is still heavier, he also lost around 120 lbs. 120 lbs doesn't come off by accident.
We know that life happens. This may be the case in 5% or so of the situations but we know it's not the usual case,0 -
Charliecatesq wrote: »I dunno, if my PT weighed more than me but could lift 3 times as much as i could then i don't think id give much of a crap. I want to aim for something that is attainable, incredibly lean, fit instructors aren't promoting an atheistic or level of fitness i can achieve. Someone who's a bit soft around the middle but can run three miles and squat my body weight is far more inspiring.
This is my feeling also. A couple of the water aerobics instructors at my pool are overweight but they are great instructors; licensed as lifeguards and in First Aid and CPR; and can out swim many of the regular swimmers with perfect form. They also are like me: a bit doughy in the middle but very active and very fit.
Yes, if you are looking for someone to inspire you to become a "hardbody", it helps if they have already attained that too. The best gyms are those that anyone will feel comfortable in, and having a variety of body types in their instructors, trainers, etc. will encourage people with different body types to join. An obese trainer is a different story, but I have no problem with one who is overweight.
0 -
I think the far larger problem is the gym staff handing out bad advice. My mom is one of those people who never remembers to stop payments for contracts she has, so she gifted me about $1000 in training at the gym I go to because she was never going to use it, but forgot to stop the contract (or she was conned into a very long contract, not sure which). It's sat in my account for years because I've seen the trainers at my gym and how they teach beginners. They constantly instruct with bad form for squats and show people things which look downright dangerous. Some are not necessarily bad form, but are incomplete range of motion, so not necessarily harmful, but not as effective as the movement could be. I have no faith in them, so I continue to follow a tried and true program with occasional form checks here. And the credit continues to sit. I wish I could convert it to pay for gym dues, but apparently they are technically different companies or some such thing. Stupid LA fitness...
LA Fitness is EXACTLY the chain of gyms that I had my one, and only PT instructor from. And I wouldn't rate it either.0 -
I'm just throwing out there that the comparison between medical staff and gym staff is most likely false. Medical staff has years of training for stupefying hours.
Gym workers...get hired by a gym. I'm pretty sure you can get hired sans Degree.
A chubby nutritionist or doctor at least has that degree as proof that they learned something about the topic they are practicing. I don't need to see their bodies or habits, I need to see their degrees.
Gym workers? I dunno. Do they have advanced degrees in health or sports medicine or nutrition? If I ask to see their resume before I hire them what will I see? Their physical body might be the only evidence I have that this guy knows what he's talking about.
Does anybody know what advanced education (if any) is required to be hired by, and give advice at, a gym?0 -
I think the far larger problem is the gym staff handing out bad advice. My mom is one of those people who never remembers to stop payments for contracts she has, so she gifted me about $1000 in training at the gym I go to because she was never going to use it, but forgot to stop the contract (or she was conned into a very long contract, not sure which). It's sat in my account for years because I've seen the trainers at my gym and how they teach beginners. They constantly instruct with bad form for squats and show people things which look downright dangerous. Some are not necessarily bad form, but are incomplete range of motion, so not necessarily harmful, but not as effective as the movement could be. I have no faith in them, so I continue to follow a tried and true program with occasional form checks here. And the credit continues to sit. I wish I could convert it to pay for gym dues, but apparently they are technically different companies or some such thing. Stupid LA fitness...
I belonged to an LA Fitness for about a year. I observed their trainers and was not impressed with them. That LA Fitness paid their yoga teachers the lowest rate I'd ever heard of - perhaps they also pay their trainers so low they are only able to employee brand new trainers.
Given an inexperienced, fit trainer and an experienced, obese trainer, I'd take neither. Those are not the only choices available to me.
0 -
Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »
Like you, I don't mean to sound unkind, but....fitfor30th wrote: »I don't want to be mean or rude, but it is bugging me. One gym I go to a lot of the staff are quite a lot overweight (and not losing). They walk around with 'Health Maker' on the back of their T-shirts and it bugs me. They also give out bad advice. I heard one of them telling a lady the other day she shouldn't aim to get big muscles, just do low reps on the weight machines.
Actually I've heard this a lot lately, in a Bodypump class I go to, the instructor keeps saying 'this will get you stronger, not bigger!' Well I actually want my muscles to get bigger, as then I will burn more calories and be more toned!
Rant over.
NO THANKS!
I have zero interest in gym staff who can't translate their knowledge into success. For example...and these are actual business people I know personally...- a financial "adviser" who filed for bankruptcy...
- a psychologist specializing in "marriage counseling" who cheated on his wife...WITH A PATIENT!
- a business "consultant" who failed in business every time he owned a business
- a police officer who steals from his crime scenes
- a real estate agent who can't sell homes
- a "motivational speaker" who attempted suicide...
- a drug rehab counselor who is a drug addict...
Personal trainers and such are much more than just mouthpieces of information or coaches.
I need to know they have the demonstrated ability to connect knowledge with action and discipline to achieve success - not excuses.
*Likes*
0 -
fitfor30th wrote: »I don't want to be mean or rude, but it is bugging me. One gym I go to a lot of the staff are quite a lot overweight (and not losing). They walk around with 'Health Maker' on the back of their T-shirts and it bugs me. They also give out bad advice. I heard one of them telling a lady the other day she shouldn't aim to get big muscles, just do low reps on the weight machines.
Actually I've heard this a lot lately, in a Bodypump class I go to, the instructor keeps saying 'this will get you stronger, not bigger!' Well I actually want my muscles to get bigger, as then I will burn more calories and be more toned!
Rant over.
Am curious about something - how well is the facility maintained? I used to be a full time yoga teacher and have worked in many gyms. FWIW, the gym with the most overweight staff was also the poorest maintained.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 910 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions