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If you entered a gym and asked for a session with a personal trainer, what would you think if the person who walked up to you was overweight? In this scenario, we’re not talking about someone who’s carrying a few extra pounds, but someone who is noticeably overweight. This person looks like they never visit a gym...you might even think they could use a personal trainer themselves. What would you be thinking? Would you go through with the training or walk out the door?
Personal training is definitely one of those professions where you’re expected to look a certain way. Even if you’re at the very top of your game, and know exactly what you’re doing, and have way more experience than the competition, you’re bound to receive second looks (or questioning looks, or disbelieving looks) if you don’t “look the part.”
The question of whether personal trainers should (or “have to”) look the part was brought to the forefront again when Paul “PJ” James, a trainer and former underwear model from Australia, decided to gain a bunch of weight so he could better empathize with his overweight clients’ struggle to lose weight. His goal is to go from 180 pounds to 265, and as of a few weeks ago he was already at 233.
Even though this is a drastic move, I’m sure it’s been good marketing for him. He’s been getting a fair amount of press, and I’ve heard that he might be doing a documentary. Also, in his favor, he has a good excuse to give if anyone questions his rapid weight gain. If you think about it, the only other people who are typically given the go-ahead for so much weight gain are pregnant women. And while I know that plenty of pregnant women worry about their ability to get back to their pre-baby weight, I’ve never heard this guy question his ability to lose all these extra pounds. (He also has the advantage of having both resources and knowledge at his fingertips when he decides it’s time to lose the weight.)
Personally, if I were looking for a trainer and someone came forward who didn’t look the part, I’m sure I’d think it was a little strange -- at least initially. However, it should also be pretty easy for that person to prove themselves and their training ability if they really know what they’re doing. After all, you don’t always have to practice something yourself in order to know how it’s supposed to be done, or to successfully motivate someone else.
As someone who likes to stand out only when she wants to stand out, I think the biggest issue for me would be facing the inevitable judgment. For instance, let’s say I weighed over 250 pounds. Would it be more socially acceptable for me to tell people that I’m a personal trainer or that I have a desk job? Even if the truth was actually the former, and I knew I should be proud of my training abilities, I might end up lying from time to time just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the questions or disbelief. (I know! Isn't that horrible?)
It would be nice if we were judged solely on our merits, but it’s certainly true that looks matter -- especially in fitness and entertainment professions. Has anyone worked with an overweight personal trainer (or been one personally)? What was your experience?
Related Reading:
Charlotte at The Great Fitness Experiment asked, Does it Matter What Your Personal Trainer Looks Like? She makes a good point: some clients “might prefer a trainer who has trudged a mile in their [shoes] both for the sake of empathy and to rule out freaky model genetics.” She had this to say about PJ James, the personal trainer who’s currently gaining a lot of weight:
My gut reaction to this story was "how sweet!" Anything that furthers better understanding between people is all good in my book. And it is great progress from those personal trainers who just tell their clients to do something because it worked for them. But I do worry that he is setting himself up for some health problems, at the very least. Not to mention it all feels a bit... publicity whore-ish. I'm conflicted.
Pasta Queen wrote about her experience attending an aerobics class with an overweight instructor.
As I walked in the room I saw a
