T Nation

My Gym Employs Fatties

Off Topic
#1

I haven’t been able to wrap my mind around something: Why a business marketing “health” and the concept of “looking healthy” employs a staff of fatties. Does it not make sense to anybody else? It’s irony in every sense of the word, IMO. At my particular gym, the daycare center (yeah there’s a day-care room) is run by a woman who is blatantly obese. The front desk secretary is also fat, but not entirely obese. She’s sporting a spare tire, and is making no concerted effort to lose those “turkey galraps” she’s got for triceps. The cleaning staff are also fat, from what I’ve noticed.

So my question is: If you were the manager/Human Resources Manager, would you hire somebody who looks like they’re one Twinkie away from wearing a Mu-Mu to work in a “fitness” center?

#2

Interesting questions, but I think this is best for the Get A Life forum.

#3

My neighbor had one of those curves type gyms. You know, the circuit shit that makes the fatties feel like their doing something.

She actually got rid of the hottie working there, because it was intimidating to the cows.

#4

My gym employs young kids who look like they never touched a weight in their lives, although there’s the occassional “HUGE GUY”, maybe 145 lbs, with 14" guns doling out advice on what new high ‘tech’ supplements he’s taking to get such insane results -lol

S

#5

My gym has this problem too. It is completely mind-blowing to see these borderline-obese sales people walking new customers around the gym. And the trainers are just as bad. The guys are all manorexic looking boy-children, and the women are just lame. One of the female trainers will work out for 90 minutes doing endless high-rep curls and toning, yet isn’t “toned” in the least. More like a shapeless white blob. If not for the great location, I would never have joined.

#6

The gym in my town has a absolute babe workin there, so I don’t think I can complain.

Although one time she walked in while I was doing incline bench and I did drop the weights…so maybe it’s a good thing to have fatties employed…much less distracting

#7

[quote]HG Thrower wrote:
My gym has this problem too. It is completely mind-blowing to see these borderline-obese sales people walking new customers around the gym. And the trainers are just as bad. The guys are all manorexic looking boy-children, and the women are just lame. One of the female trainers will work out for 90 minutes doing endless high-rep curls and toning, yet isn’t “toned” in the least. More like a shapeless white blob. If not for the great location, I would never have joined.[/quote]

Yeah! My gym has this one personal trainer who looks like he’s still stuck in the “summer of love”, burnt out of his freaking mind and hasn’t touched a heavy weight in years. This dork also teaches “taekwondo” (the biggest martial arts scam the world has ever known). I think gyms hire guys with the physique of a pre-pubescent teenage girl so they don’t intimidate new customers. What a shame.

#8

If these gyms are corporations, they’ll never deny someone employment based on their size. Unless of course they don’t mind being sued for discrimination. It’s bad for their image.

Small hardcore gyms can get away with this because those types of people aren’t their customer base.

#9

My friends sometimes tell me that I should be a personal trainer, seeing as how I am pretty much obsessed with eating right and working out.

However that will never happen because I do not look the part, let alone not knowing everything I would need to know in order to actually be helpful as a trainer.

I have decent muscle on me, much more than any of my friends, but have a good amount of excess fat as well.

Bottom line, the reason why I tell them I will never be a PT is because I don’t think you should assume that role unless you at least LOOK like you know what you are talking about.

I saw some makeover show on tv a week or so ago, and the woman who was getting in shape was a PT. She was so out of shape it was ridiculous. How can anyone that fat and out of shape be in charge of getting others in shape? argh.

#10

maybe gyms employ fat people because these fat people will draw other fat people to their gyms. Plus , how many in-shape huge guys are willing to work at the front desk? In an America where half of the population is obese , I’m just assuming there are more people trying to lose weight , than gain weight.

#11

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
If these gyms are corporations, they’ll never deny someone employment based on their size. Unless of course they don’t mind being sued for discrimination. It’s bad for their image.

Small hardcore gyms can get away with this because those types of people aren’t their customer base.[/quote]

They could most likely get away with not hiring someone if they were pretty obsese, even if they had the requisite knowledge required to perform the job, because of the particular industry that they are in.

#12

I think hiring fatties is a great idea. It’s a constant reminder of why you’re at the gym.

#13

[quote]Testy1 wrote:
My neighbor had one of those curves type gyms. You know, the circuit shit that makes the fatties feel like their doing something.

She actually got rid of the hottie working there, because it was intimidating to the cows.[/quote]

Bingo. A lot, maybe the majority, of people who go to gyms to lose weight prefer to be surrounded by other whales and are intimidated and insulted when someone there is in good shape. Rather than inspiring them, it makes them feel inadequate.

For the same reason a good number prefer to work out with overweight personal trainers.

I used to by mystified by the number of patently unathletic and out of shape personal trainers that I see. Now I understand that a lot of customers prefer that.

Good gyms with good people are very hard to come by, but most of the readers here know that.

#14

[quote]Ajax wrote:
Testy1 wrote:

She actually got rid of the hottie working there, because it was intimidating to the cows.

Bingo. A lot, maybe the majority, of people who go to gyms to lose weight prefer to be surrounded by other whales and are intimidated and insulted when someone there is in good shape. Rather than inspiring them, it makes them feel inadequate.
[/quote]

My wife likes to workout next to someone who looks better than her… its the motivation to get into that shape. But I do have friends that hate running on treadmills/bikes/etc and having that ‘toned’ person next to them.

Its all a matter of each persons mindset.

I prefer working out with and next to guys bigger than me as it pushes me to reach those same levels. Working out with guys who can’t lift anything or look like their a few hearbeats from stroking out isn’t my cup of tea…

The best is the old folks swim class… i’m glad their taking the class to stay in shape, but please lets make it where they can’t come through the gym in nothing but their swimsuit…

#15

Fatties are a problem at my gym too. Most of the staff aren’t whales, but tend to be flabby (guys) or chubby (women). It certainly doesn’t enhance credibility.

The one male personal trainer who is in some semblance of shape is basically a cycling enthusiast, and he’s toned and I suppose fit, but thin as a rake.

Of course 90% of the people that “work out” there shun the weights like they were coated in snot. The fatties stick to their treadmills and leisurely biking with their magazines and TV screens and cell phones. Makes it easy to use the power rack, at least.

#16

The majority of America is overweight. They’ve got to work with what they’ve got. Are you really going to wait for that chisled bathroom attendant to apply? Who really cares what the cleaning staff looks like? Chubby, out of shape TRAINERS who look crappy are a differnt story.

#17

[quote]MeinHerzBrennt wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
If these gyms are corporations, they’ll never deny someone employment based on their size. Unless of course they don’t mind being sued for discrimination. It’s bad for their image.

Small hardcore gyms can get away with this because those types of people aren’t their customer base.

They could most likely get away with not hiring someone if they were pretty obsese, even if they had the requisite knowledge required to perform the job, because of the particular industry that they are in.[/quote]

Not in our sue-happy country. The corporate gyms (not private weightlifting clubs) can’t risk a possible lawsuit and drop in business by denying employment based solely on size/sex/race/religion/etc.

Of course, I don’t know what the big deal is because I don’t see any obese people working in gyms I go to. They usually stick to running GNCs.

#18

My gym employs people only a few people, the majority of which (if not all) are actually competitive bodybuilders. They are in excellent shape (except for the owner, who is an older guy), and mostly what I see them doing is working out, or training other people.

#19

I don’t care what type of people they hire. I’m just there to lift weights and then go home. What do I care what the employees do with their personal lives. Not my business.

I remember once going to a cosmetic surgery clinic with an ex girlfriend and the majority of the staff looked overweight. I am talking about the front desk ladies and some female nurses.

#20

[quote]gatesoftanhauser wrote:
I haven’t been able to wrap my mind around something: Why a business marketing “health” and the concept of “looking healthy” employs a staff of fatties. Does it not make sense to anybody else? It’s irony in every sense of the word, IMO. At my particular gym, the daycare center (yeah there’s a day-care room) is run by a woman who is blatantly obese. The front desk secretary is also fat, but not entirely obese. She’s sporting a spare tire, and is making no concerted effort to lose those “turkey galraps” she’s got for triceps. The cleaning staff are also fat, from what I’ve noticed.

So my question is: If you were the manager/Human Resources Manager, would you hire somebody who looks like they’re one Twinkie away from wearing a Mu-Mu to work in a “fitness” center?[/quote]

My gym also has some fatties. Mostly though they are employed in the day care center. What’s it matter if there are fatties at the day care center? Technically they aren’t related to the fitness aspect of the gym, they are just there to watch after the children of the customers, nothing else. Hell, they probly don’t even have the background knowledge in general fitness, it’s not there area of expertise obviously. Same goes for the cleaning staff. Why would the cleaning staff be in shape? Most cleaning staffs are brought in through outside cleaning companies, and not actually based through the gym/corporation itself. On top of that, most of them are foreign anyways. Where are you going to find jacked in shape janitors just to clean your gym? As for the trainers themselves, yes it is stupid to have out of shape trainers because healthy living and fitness is what they SHOULD be promoting, but most gym managers don’t care as long as they meet there monthly quotas.