Should Personal Trainers be Judged on Their Appearance?

I have seen some conversations on social media lately about out of shape personal trainers and I was appalled to see that a lot of people who work in the industry were saying 'they shouldn't be allowed to do the job'. Nobody seems to take this attitude towards sports coaches for example; a coach may never have competed in the sport and yet they are considered an expert and their advice is valued to the extent that 'the coach is king', so why should this attitude be applied to personal trainers?

I have three main opinions on this topic. Firstly I believe that personal trainers should support each other, we should understand that we all have different strengths and that personal preference plays a big role in selecting a PT. Secondly I believe that there is a much bigger issue in the fitness industry at the moment and that is the fact that anybody can be a personal trainer- pay some money and pass a level 3 course that a monkey could pass and you're qualified! This has resulted in a huge number of PTs with very little knowledge and experience who get clients based solely on their appearance. Finally, you simply can't tell a person's fitness based on their appearance- a skinny person can be strong and an overweight person can be fit. Appearances can be deceiving!

Just because a person is muscly and ripped or curvy and toned doesn't mean that they know how to motivate you, the benefits of different training modalities, the differences in male and female physiology and the impact this has on how they should train, how to rehab a particular injury, how to train after illness and so many other things that are essential in a good personal trainer.

By looking out of shape, a PT hurts only their own business by potentially reducing the number of new clients they get. Unfortunately an in shape PT with limited knowledge can result in much worse consequences so choose your trainer wisely! Choose based on their clients' results, their qualifications, their experience and most importantly your chemistry with them!

This is why I will always try to provide the highest quality personal training in Hexham with 100% of my focus on my clients' training. I will always be able to explain why I have set a programme or an exercise and how it will benefit you and help you to achieve your goals while I continue trying to better myself and achieve mine!