Anyone else uncomfortable with a male trainer?

kessterr

kessterr

New member
I just signed a membership with a gym last week, and tomorrow I have my complimentary 1st session with a personal trainer. I am interested in going to see what is offered and how that can help. The only problem is that the only person there who does these introductory sessions is male. Don't get me wrong, I love men. I'm just not sure I love a man measuring my fat percentage.
I feel really uncomfortable with the idea of a man weighing me in, going over my BMI, and just discussing my weight in general.

So today I called the gym to reschedule and somehow I got the impression that it was to them a strange request to ask for a female to do this with. I talked to the training director and he said he was the only one who does the intro stuff. Then he started to go over what is involved in the session, like the weigh in, and I said THAT is exactly what I am uncomfortable with. He acted as if no one has ever voiced an opinion about this. He said he would have to get a regulare female trainer and pull her away special to help me.

Now on top of being uncomfortable with the man, I feel bad that I am making this woman leave her other duties just to help me. I just cannot believe I am the only woman who feels this way. What do you guys think about this?
 
The fat percentage measurment is generally done with a handheld contraption - so you aren't touched.. When your body measurements are taken, you're fully clothed when it's done. The scale - in my gym is in the locker rooms, so you have no choice but to be weighed by s same sex trainer...

Would it bother me to have a male though? Not even a little bit...I'm there for aspecific purpose - and my weight is part of that purpose...

Why are you uncomfortable? you've got your weight posted at th bottomof your post...

Do you want to work with a male trainer or a female trainer?

What it coems down to - it's your money you're spending... you shoudl spend it on a person that makes you comfortable...
 
kessterr said:
I just signed a membership with a gym last week, and tomorrow I have my complimentary 1st session with a personal trainer. I am interested in going to see what is offered and how that can help. The only problem is that the only person there who does these introductory sessions is male. Don't get me wrong, I love men. I'm just not sure I love a man measuring my fat percentage.
I feel really uncomfortable with the idea of a man weighing me in, going over my BMI, and just discussing my weight in general.

So today I called the gym to reschedule and somehow I got the impression that it was to them a strange request to ask for a female to do this with. I talked to the training director and he said he was the only one who does the intro stuff. Then he started to go over what is involved in the session, like the weigh in, and I said THAT is exactly what I am uncomfortable with. He acted as if no one has ever voiced an opinion about this. He said he would have to get a regulare female trainer and pull her away special to help me.

Now on top of being uncomfortable with the man, I feel bad that I am making this woman leave her other duties just to help me. I just cannot believe I am the only woman who feels this way. What do you guys think about this?
Click to expand...
As a paying customer of the gym, and seeing as these issues are sensitive to most people, he should've been a lot more considerate and accommodating to you. If you're on a contract, I would look for another gym as soon as your contract nears its end. If you're not on a contract, that time would be now. This guy had the perfect opportunity to make you feel comfortable with him taking care of it, or being kind and considerate in finding another person. Instead he goes out of his way to make you feel like you're being overly demanding (which you're not) by telling you he has to pull someone off their job. Not a good environment, imho.
 
My take on it may be somewhat jaded since I'm a male trainer, lol...

However, when you hire a trainer (which you haven't), you're hiring someone to help fix something you don't like, have it be your body fat, your weight, your butt, etc, etc.

Assuming they're not going to discuss and/or evaluate the very things you're trying to fix doesn't make much sense. I understand this is not something you're assuming, you simply want it to be coming from a female instead of a male. From my perspective though, a professional is a professional and if I was a client, I'd want the best trainer and I wouldn't care what package that came in.

Again, that's solely my take on it and I understand everyone is different.

To add though, as the above post eluded to... you're a 'paying customer' and you could very easily speak up and say something like, "I've been measuring myself for a long time now and feel comfortable that I can take accurate measurements consistently plus I'm not too concerned with my percentage body fat since I judge my success by the reflection I see in the mirror... so we'll skip that and move right to my goals and program design if you don't mind."

If you truly are uncomfortable with a professional male taking assessments and you don't want to get 'special treatment' from the female trainer, than I'd take that route.

Also, the training director should never have made it feel like he'd have to make special arrangements for you. Even if they were special arrangements, you should not have been made aware of it... that's just poor business. The gym is supposed to cater to its clients and not make them feel uncomfortable in any way. He was probably having a bad day and your request rubbed him the wrong way... which isn't professional.
 
Thank for everyone's input. I don't know what I feel this way, I simply do. And for that reason alone I think I should not be made to feel bad about it. There were some things that were off-putting in the conversation I had with this man. Not only did he acts like this was a a strange request, I felt like he gave me too much information that I did not need to be burdened with. He said he was the only one who did the intro sessions because he was salaried, and the other trainers were not... they do not make money doing it. So now on top of everything else, I felt badly that this woman he was going to have to ask to do this special for me was not going to be paid for her time. Does that mean i am going to have to tip her?
He also said in the course of our conversation that "he did not bite....much". That comment made me feel uncomfortable because the tone he said it in was mildly sexual. Am I crazy?

I just feel more at ease with women. Not only in this situation, but others. I see female doctors for just about any problem I may have. It's all a matter of comfort.
 
You don't seem like you're getting off to the most positive start with this gym -is there another gym in your area that you can try out? You should be comfortable from the get-go...

As for tipping the trainer? I don't think it's necessary if she's just doing the indoctrination...
 
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