Poll Results on "Should FAT Personal Trainers be working with clients?"

Didn't Steve used to be a PT - and isn't he "fat"? Was his PT business successful - if so then you have the social proof that it is possible to be a fat PT

HELL NO! fat P/T's should not be allowed to work in the Fitness Industry.....

Practice what you preach, lead by example..

Personally I don't think it matters as long as the client is happy and feels comfortable with their PT. I also think putting a benchmark of 25% to be unfair. For instance for my age my a "normal range" of body fat percentage ranges from 23% to 35%. It also doesn't mean that your not fit if you have a higher body fat percentage than 25%. Not everyone wants to be spend hours in the gym every week to look like their PT's, it's not for everyone. Knowledge is they key, just because you look the part does not necessarily mean that you will connect with your client and get the best out of them.

Define Fat, i know of one particular P/T i have trained under and he is sporting the belly. His barrier he says is that he doesnt have time for himself anymore and is constantly eating on the run between clients, but with knowledge of his background and what he has achieved his body shape and composition would not come into consideration if i was contemplating training under him. Its his track record of results and his knowledge of the industry that would make me choose him every time.

I think it's stupid to have fat PTs.If your passionate about fitness or health why wouldn't you follow it. You are an advert to clients,if a fat PT approached me and said they could help me gain lean muscle,I'd laugh.

@ Scott doesn't have time for himself,sounds a weak excuse for being lazy

In my opinion, it has nothing to do with size of the trainer. I believe it has to do with the quality of training, are they knowledgeable, are they demonstrating with good technique, are they inspiring, motivating and getting their client fit, strong & healthy? Are they a trainer that is able to relate and understand and able to make the client feel comfortable in an already intimidating environment? Or are they uncomfortable and intimidating themselves? As a trainer, I believe we should not judge our client or those who come to us for help, though I also believe that we need to find that balance where we lead by example & show them that we are human too and we have our flaws (when we cave into our own temptations). I hope that the next poll that comes out isn't, "Should ugly PTs be training?"

Silly pointless poll, fat is a silly word, overweight better. I probably won't read any mor emails from this company any more not very professional.

All of the whiners on here defending the fat PTs are obviously just in poor shape themselves. Of course you shouldn't be fat if you are a PT! Why on earth would anyone ever want to listen to your advice when you are a mess yourself? As a PT, you are a walking advert for your product. Would you take financial advice off a poor advisor? Would you take driving listens from a man who couldn't drive? No!

It's really a sad state of affairs when people are so quick to condemn such a poll. It's a perfectly valid question.

If we're talking elite levels athletic trainers with a profesional sporting background, then maybe you don't need to be in great shape as your credentials speak for themselves. But I would imagine most PTs who have replied to this are your normal PTs training regular joes looking to lose a few pounds.

Absolutely agreed, only those who are overweight will wine about this poll.

i am quite interested in this poll, i think this is quite valid and i agree too above ^^comment, for myself i am a fat fitness instructor wanting to get in the PT area, but have stopped myself into getting into this area until i get down to my target weight and BF%. i stopped to help others and neglected myself. But i do agree that fat PT trainers looking in from an outside perspective would probably get judged by perception rather than merit. really interesting too see others perception and comments on this area. I would never at all judge for or against arguement, i for myself set goals and this is the most important one for me is too get back too my best before getting others to follow :) Merry Xmas

Hmm, I was a little out off by the poll for many reasons. Most of which have already been voiced. Personal trainers shouldn't be deciding who can personal train... The customer picks their trainer based on their needs and comfort level. Personally, I think there should be national licensure (not just certification) of all personal trainers. There are a lot of thin ignorant and harmful trainers out there that should not be training. As a profession, we should be more worried about knowledge and less about about what we look like. And for those reading this and thinking "she must be a fat trainer" you are wrong! I lost over 65 pounds years ago and returned to school to pursue a career in which I could positively affect people's lives. I have a MS in Exercise Physiology so I know a bad trainer when I see one... And most of them are thin.

I agree!

Absolutely not, PT's should be an example of healthy eating and keeping fit, as above, practice what you preach. As PT's we are wanting to help with obesity epodemic not add to it. Being overweight is not healthy and we all know this, by no means does it have anything to do with how a person looks. We want healthy members in our community, who can can make good choices which will then lead to our children following their example. Its all about HEALTH, being a healthy weight is just a bonus of eating right, making better choices and exercising. If a PT doesnt have this on display, then the mindset of the client is totally in the wrong place.

Can a fat PT train clients effectively? Hell yes! Should they be practicing what we preach and represent our industry by being a walking billboard of health & fitness? Again Hell Yes! and if they're currently not they should at least be on their own fat/weight loss journey towards a healthier fat%/weight, if not I think they should be asking themselves a few questions and potential clients should too. I'm not saying that we all have to have cut athletic physiques but we certainly should be on the healthier fitter less fat side of the general population, otherwise we're basically being hypocrites. No time to eat properly & exercise, get real! we provide guidance re healthy nutrition and fitting exercise into busy lives, if you can't do the same yourselves you need to sort your shit out! Someone else commented re high level sports coaches which is a different arena altogether and 1 where hey if the coach has decided to let him/herself go a little and still has incredible knowledge & experience to pass on and the respect of the athletes who can gain a lot from them then those athletes are gonna be sponges and just soak up that accumulated wisdom. Re fat people being more comfortable training with fat trainers, yes that may be true, I can only assume clients then think it's alright to be a little bit fat and perhaps don't have to lose as much weight as they thought they might!? & yes I sometimes cringe when I see some fit slim PTs and what they are trying to get overweight clients to do! Questions all PTs should ask themselves is 'Am I a living example and advertisement for health, fitness and welling?' If the answer is no I suggest you have some changes to make in your life! And re exercise selection for clients 'is this the best exercise for my client or could I do something more effective and or safer?' Keep on making a positive difference to the health & fitness of the world folks!

The client chooses the trainer right? Not the other way around. Therefore, if a client chooses a trainer who is overweight, that client must have confidence in the trainers knowledge, experience or expertise, rather than their ability to lead by example. Isn't it up to the client to find a trainer who they feel comfortable with, and who they think is best suited to help them reach their goals?

I'm 25% body fat (the criteria you use) and I don't consider myself fat. I am a size 10 / 12 with very long legs and dance practically all day. I teach 13 Zumba classes a week. I'm 49. I feel fabulous. Healthy and strong! I look better now that I did at 17 since I have toned muscles. I work out even though I have an under active thyroid and am still on the road to recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome. Its a shame you would simply slap the label "fat" on me and potentially disregard my contribution to my clients and the opportunities my company provides for trainers of all shapes and sizes... I am not lazy or lacking time for myself as others have implied and I choose quite happily to be the weight that I am. Fitness isn't thinness. Fitness is about a healthy lifestyle. And healthy is a socially constructed term that should be determined by the owner of the body, not some discriminating and judgemental bully boys.

When I started personal training (14yrs ago) I would have been more likely to vote 'No' to this poll - that 'fat' PT's shouldn't be allowed to train clients (I probably would have still voted yes though). Now with the benefit of experience it's a no-brainer to vote 'yes'. When I started training people I assumed that as a PT I needed to be a role model to clients and conform to commonly presented fitness industry image of lean, athletic and muscular. I've worked as a PT in many different countries and the best club I've ever worked at (in Perth, Western Australia) was run by a 'fat guy' (6ft 5, 145kg with a significant 'motor' around the midsection). He sold all the clubs membership, he sold all the clubs PT and kept 5 full time trainers and 4 part time trainers fully stocked with clients and the clubs membership retention hovered consistently at 90% (members simply didn't leave unless they moved away from Perth). I did initially think 'how the heck can he achieve all this while being the size he is'? Simple really...with every prospective gym member he would allocate at least an hour to sit down with them and talk about their goals and reasons for wanting to join the gym, he'd find out about what they'd tried before that they liked and didn't like, he'd establish and discuss any fears they had with exercise and being in a gym, he'd ensure that he introduced the person to other members of staff and other members of the gym, he'd ensure that the gym environment was always friendly and informal and he'd ensure that during the first 4-6 weeks of every new members membership they'd have as much contact with staff as necessary to build a exercise habit they could and would maintain. So it became pretty obvious to me that there were more important things at play than having staff conform to a particular image. Reading through some of the pages here at ptdirect I note that in regard to 'understanding human behaviour and exercise it talks about 5 fundamental tasks of a PT being:
1. Building relationships with clients that allows them to discuss their goals and reasons for wanting change
2. Questioning and listening to help clients decide on changes in behaviour that might suit them
3. Making practical recommendations that incorporate the clients preferences
4. Set up a support systems for the client that allows for failure and delivers support at the right time in the right way
5. Set up facilities and the exercise environment that are inherently positive, enjoyable and easy to use.
In relation to these points my former boss achieved and excelled in all of them...and his business was a success. On another page 'improving exercise adherence' I noticed that IHRSA had researched common fears that keep people away from joining gyms and one of these common fears was the fear of physique anxiety - i.e. people will avoid joining gyms where they imagine everyone else to be in perfect shape (and they aren't). This begs the question - by assuming you need to be 'lean, muscled, toned' etc to be a PT are you really being 'inspirational' to the people that need your help or are you actually being 'alienating'? This is even more important to consider if you realsie that the majority of clients who join gyms now and in the future will be often significantly overweight. This doesn't mean trainers need to put on weight to be able to put these clients at ease but rather not 'overdo the perceived inspirational image of lean, toned and muscular'by wearing singlets or t-shirts that are two sizes to small to ensure that every muscular ripple is evident. It also begs the question of whether we over-value' the importance of image over other factors? Sadly the exceptional performance of my former boss was a sad exception to what I've experienced in many gyms - i.e. what made my boss successfull (and the trainers and members in his club) is not repeated elsewhere as a norm - and the sad statistics on club retention rates support this.
So this is a good and valid debate in my view if it results in trainers considering and challenging exactly what is most important for them and their clients. Sure 'fat' has many connotations (some good as well as bad by the way) but to me its important to not let your own personal associations and interpretations of 'fat' cloud contibuting to a debate that has by the evidence of this poll split people squarely down the middle.
As Eleanor Roosvelt once famously said "No-one can make you feel inferior without your permission"

i agree thanku for replying such huge inspiration

I myself am outside of the 25% category but am a perfect size 12. I work hard to stay at this size because I consider it healthy and want to be a good role model. Too thin and I think people have the perception that you are going to train them into the ground and too fat and I think people will look at you and think if you can't get on top of your own bodyweight then how are you going to tackle mine! I think all PT's need to appreciate that they are not getting a workout when they train others and that we all need to do individual exercise on top of this whether we teach group exercise classes or not. Remember the time when you started exercise and how knackered you felt, well we all need to feel this three times a week to stay in shape. Those that don't end up gradually gaining weight.

I find that the question being asked was quite appropriate, don't get me wrong it is a sore subject to question on however the question is to gauge whether everyone understands the reason for the question. It does not matter whether you are thin, fat or muscular, What does matter is what kind of person you are, are you fit or do you have the experience, there can be countless reasons to a overweight PT. In fact I know of a PT that is overweight but he has so many clients you would never believe that he is a PT. This topic makes you think more about whats the real reason behind the question.

I'm trying to lose weight myself after being obese most of my life. I represent those who have long term damage and habits to undo and one day when I have lost more weight I want to help others do the same. I consider myself still too overweight to become a PT because I don't think I'm physically strong enough to. I want to help myself more first so I can be at my best to help people fighting the same fight.

However, I would like to think that I wouldn't be discriminated against if I could do the job well and physically keep up whilst not totally 'looking the part'