Do you need to look like you workout or even workout at all to be a good trainer?
This question - or some form of it - seems to gain traction on the internet every so many years and, boy howdy, does it get the industry more fired up than P. Diddy at a (you know what, even I have enough sense not to finish that joke).
If you haven’t canceled me immediately and are still reading the answer is actually a bit more complex than you might imagine.
First off, “looking like you workout” can mean a lot of different things. I’ve been in plenty of Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman gyms and while those people unquestionably look like they workout (particularly when they are moving gigantic loads at massive speeds) they don’t necessarily have the type of body composition that would land them on the cover of Shape magazine.
And this makes sense. It would be very hard to perform at a high level in those sports if you were super lean. It’s just not advantageous for most.
Secondly, there are people who have gained years and years of experience coaching and learning and just don’t put as much time into their own fitness. Perhaps they have gotten older or they have some sort of illness or injury. But it would be very hard to discount the years and depth of experience that they have earned and apply that ability to help others get in shape.
In either case the takeaway is simple. Working out effectively is about more than how you look.
On the other side of the equation, looking like you workout is an easy way to signal that, at the very least, you have spent time dedicating yourself to the gym and can get results for yourself.
And this might seem minor but with more and more people seeing personal training or group fitness coaching as a way to make a higher hourly wage than perhaps waitering or temping or being a rodeo clown, there are more and more people entering the industry (and, perhaps problematically, the barrier of entry to being a personal trainer is shockingly low) who have barely ever touched a dumbbell before let alone know the sliding filament theory of muscle contractions.
For certain, just because someone looks like they train doesn’t mean that they make for a capable coach. But at the very least it’s a start.
Here’s a tenuous analogy.
Let’s say I’ve spent years and years researching the hottest nightclubs and restaurants in Tokyo. Would you rather take advice from someone who has actually been to those places or me whose idea of an exotic trip is an unscheduled visit to Trader Joes?
There is something to be said about having boots on the ground or, to bring it back to training, sneakers on the treadmill.
But, truth is, while most people look at this from the client's perspective, I find it more interesting to look at it from the point of view of the trainer.
Because whether or not you “look like you workout” based on aesthetics or performance, not dedicating yourself to your own training robs you of one of the greatest gifts of the profession - being an inspiration and a role model for your clients to follow.
OK, let me try to turn this into some useful advice.
If you are a client it is absolutely fine to seek out coaching from someone who has achieved the look or performance goals that you are hoping for. But don’t trust someone just because they look like they workout. Dig deeper. Ideally they have some level of credentials and, more importantly, they’ve helped people like you achieve whatever it is you are looking to achieve. Whether that’s a 400lb squat or six-pack abs or post-injury rehabilitation.
If you are a trainer, your life doesn’t have to be the gym but you should have some practical experience in whatever it is you are selling to your clients. And, remember, being a coach or trainer is tough. The hours are brutal. It’s tough to make a living. People can be flaky or emotionally draining. One of the great benefits of coaching is that you get to be the model that people are looking to emulate. It helps overcome a lot of the shortcomings of the job.
And if you are me, maybe lay off the Diddy jokes for a while.