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Earlier this week, I wrote about The Biggest Loser, and how I was disappointed at the lack of a female personal trainer. Readers disagreed with my assertion that not offering contestants the choice of a woman to work with might hinder their success in the competition, because some women feel more comfortable and are able to reach their goals more efficiently under the supervision of another female. And while I still think it’s pretty uncool of NBC to not provide a trainer of each gender for a multitude of reasons, I did start to wonder–how many women have a preference at all? Does it even matter?
Feeling uncomfortable with a personal trainer can be a huge roadblock in the pursuit of a healthier body. But, as I said the post from this week, there hasn’t been a lot of research done to find out how many women actually feel more or less comfortable with a trainer of either gender. The one study I could find showed that 4 out of 5 women preferred working with another woman, and found that they were able to reach their goals more easily when they could really trust and feel comfortable with their trainer. And so I’m asking you, dear readers: do you have a preference?
Take this highly-scientific poll and let me know. As always, I’ll keep you posted about the results.
Image: NY Daily News
I’d rather have a female trainer for essentially the same reasons I prefer having a female gyno.
I had always worked out with a female trainer until I joined a gym last summer and was paired with a male (because no females were available for my preferred times). I have to say, I worked harder and saw more results with the male trainer.
I realized that with a female, I just didn’t try that hard and used excuses too often (cramps, bloat, etc). But with a male trainer, my competitive nature kicked in and I didn’t want to let him see me as weak or unable to do what he suggested. I found myself getting back into shape faster and have kept at it longer on my own since our sessions ended.
I read a lot, and I work in public health, so I have a lot of knowledge about how to exercise, but not a lot of technical expertise. I get really frustrated when trainers say things that I know are faulty, outdated, or just plain dumb, and it seems to happen all the time.
There are a lot of smart educated trainers out there too, though, and I want one of those.