Would you hire an obese trainer???

13567…10

Replies

  • erikkasusann
    erikkasusann Posts: 104
    No chance. I won't see a doctor who doesn't take care of themself either. The same principle has been my excuse for being heavy for too long though, no one trusts a skinny chef! I'm learning to cook healthier, so fat trainers can loose a few!
  • michaelfurey
    michaelfurey Posts: 51
    Just curious.

    Oh...hell no. (Great profile pics, by the way)
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Just curious.

    Oh...hell no. (Great profile pics, by the way)

    Yep, she's quite the lady our Walldancer :)
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    -Our judo sensei was a top level competitor in his time. His coaching skills are lacking.
    -I am a mediocre bowler. I however am a physics teacher and understand the physics of the game. I understand how and what to do to bowl a 300 game. I have coached a number of bowlers to a greatly improved game but I still drop my shoulder and miss my mark every 3-4th ball.
    - My father had been a wrestling coach in my youth. He stopped coaching when my brother and I were young to be there for us. He took up coaching again when we were older. He never wrestled in college and he was not terribly successful as a wrestler himself. He has a coached a huge percentage of wrestlers to state championships despite his time off from the sport.
    -a cousin of mine is a wonderful trainer. She understand fitness and dietary struggles. She is quite fit but could stand to lose 15 lbs in order to look like a trainer. I would rather hire her as she listens to the client's goals and helps them reach them. A different trainer was just a lovely young man and stupid as dung. He didn't listen to my goals, my habits, my knowledge base etc and kept telling me that I did too much cardio (I was training for a marathon...how does one do that without cardio?)

    Point being, a trainer or coach, should be evaluated on knowledge and whether or not their style matches the client more than anything.
  • rachemn
    rachemn Posts: 407 Member
    As a trainer myself, I have been overweight while training my clients and i have in really great shape while training my clients. They have been with me through thick and thin, literally! To them, it didn't necessarily matter what I looked like, as long as I knew what I was doing. Me going through my own weight issues showed them that I could relate to what they were going through. I showed that I was only human and that I was battling the same issues as them. It showed that not all personal trainers are skinny or have been skinny since birth. I showed that I was just like every other person and that is what made me stand out as a personal trainer. I worked out harder than anyone, sweated more than anyone, pushed harder than anyone...my problem was that I couldn't control my eating and my portions.

    You can hire the skinniest of trainers and they might not be half as knowledgable as a trainer who might be considered overweight or more plump. The clients that I have worked with want a trainer that they can relate to and vice versa. They want to hire someone who has been there. Sometimes you can't judge a book by its cover!

    I agree with this. I don't think it matters. I have one fitness class instructor at the gym I go to who is heavier than the rest. She has a chubby belly and thick thighs, but she's tough and she pushes us hard. I've heard some comment that they don't think she's as good because she doesn't do the entire workout with us. She demonstrates a few and then she walks around and makes sure that everyone is doing the moves properly. I say that I'm not paying her to workout, but paying her to work me out! And I appreciate the fact that she makes us work hard and makes sure our form is correct. Especially with the HITT we do.

    In contrast I have another instructor who is a hard body and she also recently won a weight lifting competition. She does all the workouts with us, but, while she demonstrates the moves and pushes us hard, she never corrects us on form or makes sure that we are doing the moves properly.

    I also enjoy that I know the first instructor understands my own weight struggles.
  • SilkyHotspur
    SilkyHotspur Posts: 233 Member
    NO....

    doesn't have to be cut and jacked, but has to be in-shape. Walk the walk
  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
    Would you smell rose through a gas mask?
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
    No, they don't practice what they preach.
  • bp1984
    bp1984 Posts: 38 Member
    Those who can't do... teach. Look at most professional coaches. a lot of them are out of shape but they know their stuff
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    No, the point of a trainer is to help you get in shape. How can you be confident that you are spending your money correctly and they know what they're doing if they are not in shape themselves?
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Obese? No.

    Overweight? Maybe.
  • popat89
    popat89 Posts: 83 Member
    I had a cardio kickboxing instructor who was obese and I LOVED his class. It was the most popular class at the gym, he brought a great energy and the class kicked my butt and everyone else's butt too! He didn't always do everything full out but he expected us to and pushed us like crazy. So yeah, I would if they had a great attitude and I was being pushed/motivated the right way.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    i wouldn't hire one at all but if I was going to, their appearance wouldn't matter to me.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    It depends on what the training is for!

    Bellydancing, for example, can be taught really well by women with larger tummies. =)
  • KristalDawnO
    KristalDawnO Posts: 154 Member
    Depends on their specialty and what I'm looking to achieve.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I agree with the Mark Rippetoe statement. He's really out of shape, but is probably one of the best trainers out there.

    Yep.
  • parvati
    parvati Posts: 432 Member
    When I hired a trainer I picked one who was super fit! I wanted to have an *kitten* just like hers!!! Lol ( it worked!!)

    Personally myself I would want a trainer that looked the part, but this topic came up in class when I was taking courses to become a trainer & I was the only person that felt that way.
    Another perspective is that a trainer that is too fit may be Intimidating to someone who is obese or insecure about themselves... Because there are so many different people with different fitness goals, trainers of all different shapes & fitness levels are needed... Their knowledge base is definitely more important!!
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
    Obese or overweight? I wouldn't hire someone who was 100+ pounds overweight, but 10-20 pounds overweight I would as long as they had the knowledge and experience I wanted.
  • Motivation
    Motivation Posts: 64 Member
    What about Drew Manning? That guy went from super fit, gained weight to emphasize better with his clients and lost the weight again? Check it out at
    Fit2Fat2Fit.com

    Not trying to promote this guy, but you can't deny it. He's been there and he's succeeded. I wish I could have this guy as a trainer.
  • MooMooooo
    MooMooooo Posts: 306 Member
    I would.

    As long as they had a nice personality, listened to me and were serious about helping me reach my goals - that's all I care about.

    And frankly, those qualities are not easy to find.
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
    I wouldn't ...but that's because I would never hire a trainer period..

    I am shocked about the responses...

    I have seen people with bad hair cuts and bad hair dos....be real good at cutting hair and doing hair..

    People that are skinny as a twig....but can bake and cook with REAL butter..

    People that are bad with their own finances....but can spot a penny mistake in other people's finances...
    ^^ This!
  • BrettWithPKU
    BrettWithPKU Posts: 575 Member
    I'd never hire a trainer who couldn't run circles around me.
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
    Why not? If they are a trainer at a gym, and you are paying of their services, they need to be "certified". And technically when someone is "Certified" that means they have learned the parameters of how to safely and correctly train someone in fitness. And I don't think a gym would employ someone who doesn't know how to properly train someone for fear of liability.

    What ever happened to the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover"?

    An obese trainer to me, shows that this person is human. And humans aren't perfect and life isn't easy. But at least this person gets up every day and still tries. And I would put money on the fact that they beat themselves up over the fact of being over weight enough as it is without you all's help. Especially holding the position that they have.
  • wodforbacon
    wodforbacon Posts: 40
    Everyone should not be so quick to judge. Are you paying for the knowledge they may have and the compatibility with you to give you the best results? Or are you paying for a dumba$$ that is essentially arm candy to follow you around the gym?

    If you haven't done one...enroll in a race like a 5k or 10K and see how many of your obese people are passing you.

    Just because someone is bigger than you think they should be do not automatically assume that they are not the one that can give you the most knowledge...and definitely do not assume they cannot outlift, outpress, outjump, and basically run your *kitten* into the dirt.
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
    it would depend on how obese they were. borderline, then yeah. but being 120kg+ then probably not.

    but just because someone is obese or overweight doesn't mean that they're not fit or strong, or that they aren't knowledgeable.

    some fat people are fitter than skinny people. if the trainer were fat, but was fit and knew what they were doing then I wouldn't mind hiring them. as long as they helped me achieve my goals and pushed me really hard.
  • teagirlmedium
    teagirlmedium Posts: 679 Member
    If I wanted a trainer I would higher the trainer I believe could help me get to the body I want. I don't care what they look like, I care about what they can make me look like and how strong they can help me get. If the heavy set person can do that better than the thin, or in shapre trainer I'll pick the heavy set one.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    It's disappointing to see so many people equate "obese" with "doesn't work out." I'm still technically obese but in the best shape of my life. If I were seeking a trainer to lose weight, I would absolutely hire someone like myself who had successfully lost significant weight & is physically fit, even if he/she was still obese.
  • JenniferInNY
    JenniferInNY Posts: 65 Member
    Sure. I would want my trainer to be *fit.* I want them to be able to do the workout themselves, too, because I want them to understand what they're assigning me. But if they're fit and physically capable but still look pudgy, or even obese (i.e., "fat fit") -- sure, I don't care. I'm paying them to help me, not to be physically appealing to me.

    But I don't have the money for a trainer, alas.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Just curious.
    If they can squat 2x body weight and deadlift 3x then sure.
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
    Sure wouldn't. I also wouldn't hire a trainer that was a bodybuilder because I have no desire to look like that. I want someone with experience (not in the middle of their journey) and someone who I can look up to, not someone I can relate to.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories