Personal Trainers Must Exemplify Top Level Fitness

Personal trainers know the importance of a healthy lifestyle and desire to share their knowledge with others. The client puts trust in the trainer to help them achieve their fitness goals. Hutson did a study of twenty-six clients and twenty-five personal trainers finding that “clients were explicit about not wanting a trainer who looked out-of-shape, as this indicated someone who could not apply their own knowledge, or who perhaps did not have any in the first place”.¹ Some people hire a personal trainer based on appearance alone. If an individual is looking to gain mass, they may gravitate to a trainer that is a body builder. If they want to become a runner, then they may choose a trainer who looks like a runner.  According to the American Council on Exercise, “personal trainers should practice what they preach and exemplify what it means to live an active and healthy life”.² Trainers are always being judged based on their appearance, so they are basically a “walking business card”.1 Hutson explains this concept as “bodily capital” calling it one of the “most important features” that trainers have.¹ 

If a personal trainer is expecting their client to eat healthy, make time for proper recovery, and adhere to a workout routine, then they should do the same. ACE explains the importance of personal trainers living a healthy lifestyle stating it “will help build client trust and help clients justify the time and financial commitment they are making”.² Trainers should not view this as pressure to uphold a certain expectation, but rather as an opportunity to be a positive role model. As a result, the trainer can motivate clients to be strong and make good decisions regarding health. Hutson explains that trainers who fail to meet the expectations of society are “structurally disadvantaged in the fitness industry, and in low demand”.¹  

¹Hutson, D. (n.d). “Your body is your business card”: Bodily capital and health authority in the fitness industry. Social Science & Medicine, 90, 63-71. Retrieved from                  http://www.sciencedirect.com.zeus.tarleton.edu:81/science/article/pii/S027795361300270 0?#

²American council on exercise. (2010). Ace personal trainer manuel. (4th ed., p. 32). San Diego: American Council on Exercise.