What Plus Size Women Want Their Trainer to Know

What Plus Size Women Want Their Trainer to Know

While most trainers may not anticipate barriers for larger women to be different from other women, the reality is we have a few things that we live with every day. Having been overweight my entire life and a fitness professional for 15 years, I’ve gathered some experience on both sides of the spectrum. Here are some things someone might not know about being a plus-size that may affect their fitness experience with a personal trainer:

We are naturally stronger.

We are carrying around extra weight, which means we have more muscle mass than the average person. So giving us 5 lb dumbbells to curl or 20 lbs to squat is likely not going to challenge us when we are carrying an extra 100 lbs.

What this means for the trainer: Take the time to see how much weight or how many reps will challenge us.

Our bones are not naturally stronger.

Our bone density is not much better than the typical person’s because we are naturally loading them more. In fact, studies and medical journals like this one show that bone quality is compromised in obesity.  For this reason, resistance training is still very vital for our health and fitness goals. This is a reminder not to let the extra weight fool you into thinking all aspects of our health are poor, but there is a bigger picture than just the weight you see.

What this means for the trainer: While cardio has been praised for years to reduce excess body fat, resistance training is still necessary to load the bone and improve strength overall. Insist that your client is consulting their GP along the journey to make sure they are meeting their nutritional requirements and monitoring other symptoms along their health journey.

We might need a slower introduction.

Do you remember the TV series The Biggest Loser? Hard to forget. What made trainers everywhere cringe was the amount of activity placed on sedentary individuals very quickly. You might remember the leg braces and injuries that showed up early in the season. I’ve also heard of people jumping into new fitness programs with no assistance, only to gain stress fractures using only their body weight in their living room. 

What this means for the trainer: Start us off slow with low-impact exercises. Walking is a great way to begin a sustainable healthy lifestyle. We’ll get to jumping jacks in time. 

Sometimes we can’t bend that way.

When you have extra flesh around your middle, it’s like bending over an inner tube to get to your toes. If you have extra junk in your trunk, it’s near impossible to sit on your heels for a yoga child’s pose. There are just some things we physically cannot do because of the shape of our body (not including where our fitness level is at).

What it means for the trainer: Pay attention to what your client can do versus what they can’t do. As they improve their range of motion and activity level, they will be able to progress. Don’t forget to remind them of this as well!

Extra weight often means the person suffers from joint pain.

Research and articles like this one have shown that more people with excess body fat experience joint pain. This factor is incredibly valuable to creating a plan that will help us move with less pain. But are we likely to keep up with a plan when we are in pain?  Not so much. Choosing an enjoyable movement is much more sustainable so that we can reach our goals.

What this means for the trainer: Try some cardio activity that takes the pressure off the joints, such as cycling, swimming, chair aerobics, or dancing.

The Scale is Triggering

Many of us have been told over the years that we are too big. While it may affect how we look, move, and experience a lot of life, it is not our identity. For many people, even the discussion of weight can be triggering and be counterproductive to health goals. Weight is just a measurement, and we might want to measure our progress in a different way than just the scale. We also want you to remember that we are intelligent, valuable people and are more than just our weight. 

What this means for the trainer: Ask your client to consider measuring their progress in other ways, such as photos, body measurements, how their clothes fit, and how they feel. It is valuable to measure our progress in 2-3 ways at any given time.

We Might Have Struggled With Self Image or Some Kind of Trauma

Most humans on this planet have an issue with their bodies or have experienced a form of trauma. This is not exclusive to any person, gender, religion, colour, or size. Regardless of where a person has come from, sustainable success is most dependent on their mindset and how they feel about themselves. Many trainers are naive to the fact that larger people don’t take care of themselves because they don’t love themselves or are protecting themselves in some way. We are often coming from years of self-criticism, self-doubt, and the belief that we are not good enough or worthy in some way. That may have led to overeating, emotional eating, lack of movement, or desire to move at all. Woven in between these thoughts, eating habits, and movement patterns often are medical conditions. 

What this means for the trainer: Regardless of where we came from or how we got to be there, a beautiful person is showing up to work on themselves, and that deserves high praise. As most fitness professionals are not equipped to manage mental health, it’s also a good idea to recommend regular check-ins with their doctor and another professional (such as a therapist) to work through their beliefs or trauma.

A note to a plus-size woman who is taking (or considering taking) the step to invest in yourself through personal training or coaching, that’s exciting!  You are worthy of good health and having a trainer who is excellent support along the journey. Using these tips is a perfect tool if you ever feel there’s something not quite right in your training, and you need to advocate for yourself.

If you’re a trainer looking for ways to coach your clients better, you’ll be greatly appreciated for taking these factors into account.