Would you hire an obese trainer???

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  • erikkasusann
    erikkasusann Posts: 104
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    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
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    Just curious.

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

    doesn't have to be cut and jacked, but has to be in-shape. Walk the walk
  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
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    Would you smell rose through a gas mask?
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
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    No, they don't practice what they preach.
  • bp1984
    bp1984 Posts: 38 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Obese? No.

    Overweight? Maybe.
  • popat89
    popat89 Posts: 83 Member
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    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: 5,967 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Depends on their specialty and what I'm looking to achieve.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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