Would you use an overweight personal trainer?

[runlift]

Just that really. Would love to be a personal trainer and I am very fit but still overweight. I imagine it would put most people off.

Actually, it would make you more approachable to me :)

If im honest, no i wouldnt. When ive used a pt in the past it helped me to have someone i could aspire to. I would be dubious of their advice if they werent where i wanted to be myself

To be totally honest with you my first instinct is no. They don't have to have rippling abs or anything but I would expect them to be toned.

If I had them as a class instructor and got to know them and then found out they were going to start doing PT I might be more keen.

No I wouldn’t, as they are overweight they can’t even keep themselves fit so can’t be that good at it can they 🤷🏻‍♀️

It shouldn't make any difference I know, but I wouldn't.

It wouldn't make any difference either, if my dentist had bad teeth but I'd still find it rather odd.

Or if my hairdresser had really lanky bad hair with split ends.

But at the end of the day, you kind of 'advertising your product' whether you like it or not.

*You're

Wouldn’t bother me at all
I don’t need someone to give me dietary advice I want someone to work me hard and show me how to lift properly etc

In fact I hate it when the Pt is a slim 20 something with perfect skin as it makes me really self conscious. I’d much rather have a more average body and an older woman too so long as they know their stuff re technique and are bubbly and motivating

No I wouldn't, sorry.

No. It shouldn't make a difference really but if I'm being honest it would be hard for me to take advice from someone who doesn't follow their own.

Definitely. As long as you have the qualification(s), that would not stop me. You could also inspire people who are intimidated to see that fitness comes in many forms and shapes.

Have you heard of Jessamyn Stanley? She is amazing and has inspired a lot of women who thought yoga was for thin, bendy women to get into it. She's had success beyond her dreams.

Go for it!

Sad how everyone is equating fitness with size

Size is almost wholly about diet so unless you want your Pt to write you a diet plan then I don’t see why it matters

It would depend on why someone wanted a trainer. Not every one goes to the gym to lose weight or appear a certain way. I'm of the opinion that fitness is not equal to thinness.

No, but I have zero interest in being fit, I just want to be healthy. Someone training for some kind of sport or something might feel differently.

I would.
I think it would make me feel more comfortable about my own body issues. And that you would be able to relate more to me.

They wouldn't be my first choice but I would consider one over a small skinny PT any day. My biggest concern is can they stop me squashing myself with a weight in a bench press rather than how they look.

Sorry, no I wouldn't.

If they were specialist (with some qualifications if they exist) in fitness for people with health conditions or disability who want to get a bit fitter or healthier. I need a bit of extra knowledge from a trainer about cerebral palsy or more a willingness to listen carefully. (Not saying you as a trainer need to have a condition).

I will never get to the level of most of the goers at my gym. I did a session with a trainer helping me learn the equipment and the warm up she expected on the bike was pretty much the maximum I can go on bike at all.

And the best hairdressers I have had have had awful hair themselves. They gave great cuts, knew their business and focused on the clients, not themselves.

I don't know- some women are clearly a bit overweight but also obviously very strong, and that wouldn't bother me at all. I don't see my PT to get thin, I see her to get strong, so a bit of chub on a very strong woman would be fine. However if she looked like me then I wouldn't be inspired, sorry

No I wouldn't I would prefer to see someone like my cousin who has a slim but strong muscular body which is what I would aspire to... sorry.

No I wouldn’t, as they are overweight they can’t even keep themselves fit so can’t be that good at it can they 🤷🏻‍♀️

Being thin is not the same as being fit. One of the female PT at my gym is overweight. She specialises in lifting and is very popular. She isnt super body builder muscle type but her arms and legs are very toned, she just looks to have a bit more fat around her torso area.

I regularly do classes with an instructor who is not stick thin but she’s one of the best in the gym. Fit and skinny do not always go hand in hand and I’d rather have a trainer who understands life and people than a six-packed obsessive who thinks perfection is the only option. Personally I’m looking for improvement and being fit for life, not magazine-cover ready and someone who engages in the reality of juggling wft, kids, etc. Would get my vote. Also, just cos they spend all day in the gym doesn’t make them a good teacher or trainer - they need to give you a good programme, whatever that means to you.
Good luck, ime, gyms are short of women trainers, esp those who understand the struggles a lot of us have with weight and are approachable and relatable. I would swerve both Ken and Barbie look-alike trainers.

No I wouldn't.

Yes

I do. The guy who does our spin class has lost 8 stone and it’s inspiring to watch him shed the pounds and we are also along for the ride. He probably still has 4 stone to go so it’s great to see him keeping it up and it encourages me to do so as well.