overweight fitness instructors

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MissMollieK
MissMollieK Posts: 316 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
just want your opinion....the more the merrier....what do you feel about having an overweight and possibly out of shape class instructor? This happened to me today and I didn't know why she was even allowed to teach the class- zumba....is that a bad thing for me to think she should participate and not teach?
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  • spazofthedead
    spazofthedead Posts: 175 Member
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    I had a very overweight personal trainer once. All doubt vanished when he squatted over 400lbs with perfect form.
  • kneeki
    kneeki Posts: 347 Member
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    Everyone in the world is in a constant state of transformation. Even trainers; as they may not have the time due to clients, or are simply burnt out of the gym and all the time they spend there.

    I, however, would not listen to any advice they give - whether it's diet or fitness related. Would I still do the class? Sure.
  • SweetSammie
    SweetSammie Posts: 391 Member
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    Maybe they are in the process of losing weight.... judging the exterior as a measure of health/fitness is always tricky. As long as they have the stamina and form to direct the class, power to them!
  • TheFunBun
    TheFunBun Posts: 793 Member
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    Yeah, I've had fatty instructors for a few different classes..

    doesn't bother me. I think a lot of them ending up being kind of soft because of the extreme cardio.. The ones that I see with tight bodies are usually a little more restrained with their scheduling. My evaluation, though, no science to back me up. ;)

    I hate LAZY instructors, though. Like, the ones that halfheartedly do the stuff, or worse, the ones that aren't really good at what they teach. Like, I took a flexibility class and I was oodles more flexible than the girl. No thanks.
  • alyssatuininga
    alyssatuininga Posts: 29 Member
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    If she was fun and did a good job with the class who cares what size she is. The woman who teaches my Zumba class has lost over a 100 lbs doing Zumba, She started teaching about halfway soon. She is a huge inspiration to me.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    it's not that big deal to me. i guess because i'm a former athlete and i'm used to being coached by people who know their stuff but might not be in the shape physically to do it. it in no way shape or form affects my ability to perform the work.
  • MissMollieK
    MissMollieK Posts: 316 Member
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    thanks everyone- I guess it just appeared that she couldn't do everything to the ability she should have when I compared her to other instructors I've had. I like to be motivated as well and just personally found it difficult in this situation. I am not saying I am perfect in any manner- and I give her tons of credit for getting the certification. I was just confused and didn't know if I was being close minded. Sorry If I offended anyone;(
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I am a fitness instructor (not a fat one). Lots of fitness instructors have been doing lots of fitness classes for a long time and they are very fit, cardiovascularly (is that a word?).

    However, lots of instructors are chubby or fat. I think it's because they don't understand nutrition! They are always on diets, eating 1200 calories and teaching a zillion classes. They're starving and they're fat.

    BTW -- so are a lot of regular people.

    If anyone reading this happens to be one of those people who works out all the time, keeps their calories low, never eats their exercise calories and can't figure out why they're still overweight, search for "brownout" (NOT PLURAL) in the forums or "700 calories and not losing" in the forums.

    Or PM me.

    Anyway, if she can teach the class and you enjoy it, why not?

    That being said, I will not let a hairdresser with bad hair touch my head. So that disqualifies a lot of them. :laugh:
  • nwhitley
    nwhitley Posts: 619
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    This is what I was going to say. Lot's of athletic coaches are out of shape. They know their stuff, but for whatever reason (health, medical, etc) they may not be in the best physical shape. I had a track coach once who was overweight. He probably couldn't even have run half a mile, but he sure knew how to direct and coach the heck out of me! As long as the instructor seems to be know her stuff, is organized, and you are having fun and getting a decent workout then I wouldn't worry about his/her physical appearance.
    it's not that big deal to me. i guess because i'm a former athlete and i'm used to being coached by people who know their stuff but might not be in the shape physically to do it. it in no way shape or form affects my ability to perform the work.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    That being said, I will not let a hairdresser with bad hair touch my hair. So that disqualifies a lot of them. :laugh:
    same here. most of the instructors at my gym for the classes i take are in the chunky category (yoga, cardio kickboxing, 1 spin instructor). as long as they arent spewing stuff at how easy weight loss is or all someone has to do to lose weight is XYZ (and i'd think then if it's that easy why isnt it working for you?) then i'm fine.

    i actually most appreciate the chunky yoga instructor, because as someone with a larger body i like seeing how someone who knows what they are doing makes modifications to accommodate a big bootie, tig ole bitties and a gut :laugh:
  • kneeki
    kneeki Posts: 347 Member
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    I am a fitness instructor (not a fat one) .... cardiovascularly (is that a word?).
    Haha! Sorry, but you made me giggle IRL! :heart:

    And yeah, I googled it. Looks like it is: http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/Cardiovascularly :drinker:
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
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    bump
  • Lisabel
    Lisabel Posts: 29 Member
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    I personally would like to have an instructor who is in shape, it would motivate me more. I want to look at them and think I could maybe look like that and have muscles like that if I keep it up. I always wonder how an instructor who teaches sometimes 2 to 3 classes a day could still be overweight.
  • docktorfokse
    docktorfokse Posts: 473 Member
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    Mark Rippetoe looks the way he does, but he knows what he's talking about.
  • garnet1483
    garnet1483 Posts: 249 Member
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    One of my favorite belly dance instructors is overweight. Can she do absolutely everything the more fit instructors can do, in the same way? No. But she's still a damned impressive dancer, and knows what she's talking about when she's teaching. Between this, and as someone else mentioned, the innumerable coaches that are in this world who are brilliant and knowledgeable, and have a beer gut...I listen and learn, and simply take diet or time management advice with a grain of salt.
  • milzu
    milzu Posts: 40 Member
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    No problem with overweight instructors - one of my favourite spin instructors carries a few extra pounds, but oh boy she's a machine! Don't like unfit instructors though, I find I end up going their pace, rather than pushing myself to keep up with them.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I personally would like to have an instructor who is in shape, it would motivate me more. I want to look at them and think I could maybe look like that and have muscles like that if I keep it up. I always wonder how an instructor who teaches sometimes 2 to 3 classes a day could still be overweight.

    because they are starving themselves . . .

    this is getting off topic, but I'll post it anyway.

    #1 source of confusion on MFP: "Why not eat less than my BMR? Won't that make me lose faster?"

    No. Did you know that eating less than your BMR will help keep you from ever reaching and maintaining your goal (that's rhetorical, I know you didn't know that or you wouldn't be eating less than your BMR). ha.

    Anyway, here's why fat people stay fat, and why people with the "last 10 lbs to lose" can't ever get there by restricting calories too low:

    From one of my old posts from a similar topic:

    OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

    It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

    It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

    1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

    2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


    That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

    Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

    Are you getting the picture?

    EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
    --

    There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

    Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people who count walking across a parking lot as exercise.

    Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    blessings.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    I would probably stick with the class if I felt I got something out of it, but usually I can't take them seriously. I know there are plenty of overweight instructors who are great at instructing their group and putting them through a good workout. I wouldn't take any advice from them though. My main thing is with personal trainers. I wouldn't hire a trainer if he/she did not look similar to how I would want to look.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I am a fitness instructor (not a fat one) .... cardiovascularly (is that a word?).
    Haha! Sorry, but you made me giggle IRL! :heart:

    And yeah, I googled it. Looks like it is: http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/Cardiovascularly :drinker:

    wow. you don't even look like the giggling type :)
  • MissMollieK
    MissMollieK Posts: 316 Member
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    yes, instructing aka coaching a person to do a skill is one thing, actually getting up in front of the class and doing the moves for what the class is doing is different in my eyes. I have had overweight coaches in my past and was fine and respected them. But this person was panting and dripping after each song. She appeared to struggle doing some moves and I wanted to move at a faster pace as well, but couldn't seem to do this - like I said- I had different people teach this class and everyone is different only they weren't all struggling to finish the songs/dance. hope this clears up my issue.

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