𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
This seems to be a hot topic, with some trainers even taking it upon themselves to body shame other trainers in order to overcome their own professional insecurities and stand out in a competitive industry…
Shame on you 🙄
Anyway, it’s an age-old question in the fitness industry: should your trainer be in tip-top condition, or is ‘normal healthy’ more relatable? (I see a dad, in fair shape, being able to play with his children as ‘normal healthy’)
As with almost every area of health and fitness, I don’t believe there’s a definitive yes or no answer, but I’m going to give you my humble opinion.
First of all, it’s important to understand that what ‘tip top condition’ means to one person and what it means to another could be worlds apart, for example; is your trainer a marathon runner, a body builder or a powerlifter? Each of these sports will bring with them a different physique which makes that individual happy. I mean, we would never sit in a consultation with a client and tell them what their goals should be to bring them happiness so surely it works both ways - who are we to judge, right?
Clearly, your trainer should inspire you, and of course, your trainer needs to be able to lead by a good example – but should that be through what he/she looks like or should it in fact be about what he/she has between the ears; Their knowledge and qualifications? Their experiences? Their success stories? Their customer service skills? Their ability to understand and emphasise with you as a human being? There are many things to consider when choosing a personal trainer, and for me personally, I’d place the quality of their 6-pack towards the bottom of that list.
I think that empathy is the key here, let me expand;
A 40 year old with personal hang ups, a career, children, elderly parents to care for and maybe a few relationship problems may struggle to open up to 20 year old, confident muscle bound (probably lovely) personal trainer who hasn’t got children or a mortgage and who can’t truly understand their situation? I’m not saying that trainer is a bad trainer, but they probably have a different target audience to a more mature trainer who can empathise.
There’s loads more that I could say on this but ultimately, you’ll choose the person who inspires you!