Comments on: Should a Personal Trainer Look the Part?

By: Ryane

Ryane — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:11:09 +0000

I don’t have an issue with a trainer/fitness expert that doesn’t look like a proto-typical trainer at all. Like a lot of commentors, if they are qualified to teach/train/lead the class, who cares? What I do have a problem with is when they don’t act like trainers. For instance, the time I saw the trainer at my gym leave the bathroom stall and not wash her hands. That one behavior made me lose all respect for her because all I could think was, gross! If she’s that careless with personal hygiene, how can she possibly be concientous enough to be a trainer??

By: classic jen

classic jen — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:14:54 +0000

First, you absolutely cannot tell by looking at someone whether they have a healthy lifestyle. I know some very fit people who look obese. Second, would those people who wouldn’t want a fat trainer want a thin trainer that never exercises herself and eats nothing but french fries? Is it really all about the appearance, and who cares whether they are actually fit themselves?

Personally I think people should judge trainers by their skills as a trainer and mind their own business when it comes to the trainer’s personal life. What if a trainer used to be fit but now is a single mom who has a hard time finding time for her own workouts? Should she quit her job because she doesn’t have time to work out? It’s just isn’t anyone’s business what they do in their free time.

That said, I would never go to this guy who is purposefully harming his own health for marketing purposes. That doesn’t show ANYTHING about how he relates to his clients. All it shows is that he is stupid. That is like a family law practitioner purposefully marrying someone distasteful just to get a divorce to show her clients that she understands what divorce is like. I would never hire someone who would put self-promotion over good sense in that way.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:46:22 +0000

A great post and topic for sure. It is one that is really important to me. I’ve always carried extra weight and worked as a personal trainer and exercise instructor for years. Even at my most fit I would have been considered overweight by many in the fitness industry. At many gyms I was welcomed and I feel like my own struggles with weight truly helped other people because they could relate to me. More so than if I had the perfect body. I do remember some gyms where I looked for jobs in the summer that pretty much snubbed me bc I didn’t have a perfect body though. Oh well, probably wasn’t the “were in it for health” atmosphere I was looking for anyway.

There was a woman who taught spinning at a place I frequented that was very overweight and people absolutely loved her for her energy and attitude.

Obese would bother me, but not overweight. Not everyone is designed to have what society considers to be the perfect body even if they are quite fit.

By: surfergrrl

surfergrrl — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:23:21 +0000

Yes, it would bother me. They don’t have to be ripped or look like stick figures, they just have to look “healthy.” I would be like seeing a dentist who had really bad teeth, or a cardiac doctor on a smoke break.

By: K

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:12:25 +0000

I guess you could compare it to a doctor who is overweight and unhealthy… or who smokes. But I personally would want a trainer who was in shape and took their job seriously. I’m not sure they could motivate me as much with their “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.
As for this PJ, I think it should be much easier for him to lose the weight since he was already really disciplined before he put on the weight. He’s gaining weight because he wants to, not because he can’t control himself.

By: floreta

floreta — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:36:03 +0000

just found your blog searching for tmi thursday and like it so far. :D i definitely think PTs should look the part.. i don’t mind a few extra pounds but noticeably overweight is bad marketing! unfortunately, like lots of professions in this world, PTs have to brand themselves, especially since it’s an image-based profession. being overweight is not going to help that..

By: charlotte

charlotte — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:32:34 +0000

I really like fitsugar’s point. It’s not a good experiment as he is gaining the weight (and losing it) under contrived and unrealistic circumstances.

Your point about the pending documentary sure puts things in perspective tho;)

By: MizFit

MizFit — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:56:21 +0000

we had a discussion kinda like this about what you look for in yer guru at mizfit and SURPRISINGLY only one or 2 people said AESTHETICALLY FIT!!

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:32:29 +0000

I don’t like trainers in general, but a heftier one would not bother me as long as he or she knew what she was doing! I once tried a personal trainer and when I reported that I wasn’t feeling the exercise where she said I should be (my arm, but all the effort was coming from my necks and shoulder), she told me that I was fine. Uh….

By: Maxie

Maxie — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:41:23 +0000

My first reflex was to say “yes! They have to be in shape” but I started to think about it and now I’m not sure. As long as they know their subject matter and their weight doesn’t actually hinder them from doing their job then I guess it’s fine with me.