Is a 42 year old female too old to train as a PT

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 12:26PM #1

Hi,

I'm 42 year old Female and a Nutritionist, which is going great. I'm really interested in training as a Personal Trainer to add to my curriculum.

For you young guys out there, in your opinion, would you choose a 42 year old female with both backgrounds to help you with health/fitness challenges? I am very concious of my age, so am a little apprehensive about doing the training.

I will always be combining the two, my qualification as Nutritional Therapist, along with the PT.

I hope I'm making sense here!

Thanks!

lazeedaisy · 02-12-2014 12:31PM

Oh, this is only for young guys to comment on.....

Being a similar age I would have positively responded, but I am in the wrong demographic.......

letsgetloud · 02-12-2014 12:32PM

yes your to old

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 12:33PM

I meant, would young people consider using a 42 year old femle as Personal Traiiner...... I feel that someone around my own age wouldn't have an issue with it.

COH · 02-12-2014 12:36PM

It doesn't matter what age you are if you are good at what you do and know how/where to market yourself.

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 12:38PM

Thank you COH!

traprunner · 02-12-2014 12:54PM

Go for it. I'm 35 and would love to change career into nutrition and personal training/performance training. Don't let inner fear hold you back. I've done so for too long and starting to try to figure out a way into the industry. You only get one opportunity at life and many opportunities for regret. Do what your heart wants you to do.

CaptainInsano · 02-12-2014 12:59PM

letsgetloud wrote: »

yes your to old

And you can't spell well enough to troll.

lazeedaisy · 02-12-2014 01:08PM

paulsgirl wrote: »

I meant, would young people consider using a 42 year old femle as Personal Traiiner...... I feel that someone around my own age wouldn't have an issue with it.

Oh thought it was for MEN only by the wording, excluding your own age group before the off was off putting,

And assuming can only lead to trouble

It's a shame,

But then my gym is full of female trainers, There are 3 for every male trainer,

Good luck, you should choose your career by where your passion lies as opposed to what young guys think

Gummy Panda · 02-12-2014 01:28PM

Do men generally hire female PT's?

Serious question

biko · 02-12-2014 01:31PM

There's a massive market in middle aged women to cater to, not much need to bother with young men.
Myself I wouldn't mind but tbh, it really depends on what you intend to train people in.

seamus · 02-12-2014 01:35PM

I don't think age really comes into it as a factor for PT's - you're not doing the exercise for the client, so you don't need to be a spring chicken.

If your concern is about being taken seriously, then the only important really is being in shape yourself. Nobody's going to take an overweight PT seriously; it shows that at the very least they're incapable of applying their knowledge to themselves, and that they're possibly completely incompetent. And being in shape is not something with any age boundaries. In fact, being over 35 and still being in good shape is far harder than being in shape at 25, so in that regard your age is plus.

As biko says, I would be surprised if there wasn't a huge market out there for women at or around your age who would like a personal trainer but feel intimidated or embarrassed with a twentysomething hardbody (male or female).

Donnielighto · 02-12-2014 01:39PM

paulsgirl wrote: »

Hi,

I'm 42 year old Female and a Nutritionist, which is going great. I'm really interested in training as a Personal Trainer to add to my curriculum.

For you young guys out there, in your opinion, would you choose a 42 year old female with both backgrounds to help you with health/fitness challenges? I am very concious of my age, so am a little apprehensive about doing the training.

I will always be combining the two, my qualification as Nutritional Therapist, along with the PT.

I hope I'm making sense here!

Thanks!

I wouldn't use a nutritionist, I'd use a dietician. No offence but I can say I'm a nutritionist can't I?

Oryx · 02-12-2014 01:44PM

Know the market you CAN target. Is is your existing client base, who clearly already value and trust you? Are you hoping to target your own age group? What fitness levels? Is the younger male market really something you can reach? Do they already visit you in your capacity as a Nutritionist? If not, how will you market your service to them?

As has been said, you are your own best advertisement. Your own fitness is what will sell you as a PT. And you will be taken seriously if you know your stuff and can teach it well.

Clearlier · 02-12-2014 02:18PM

paulsgirl wrote: »

Hi,

I'm 42 year old Female and a Nutritionist, which is going great. I'm really interested in training as a Personal Trainer to add to my curriculum.

For you young guys out there, in your opinion, would you choose a 42 year old female with both backgrounds to help you with health/fitness challenges? I am very concious of my age, so am a little apprehensive about doing the training.

I will always be combining the two, my qualification as Nutritional Therapist, along with the PT.

I hope I'm making sense here!

Thanks!

Not a young guy at 37. I wouldn't have any issues with age. I would be concerned about someone who marketed themselves to me as a nutritionist and a PT. I'd want to know that you were one or the other. Knowing a bit about the other is a bonus. Right or wrongly I'd suspect that you didn't know an awful lot about either.

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 02:21PM

Thanks everyone, thats great. I'll proceed with my passion and look into a suitalbe course.

I'm not overwegiht, in fact, I'm fit and healthy, so am aware of a client judging how I look and live before choosing me to help them, which is only right.

Donnielighto, I've studied very hard for 3.5 years to become a Nutritional Therapist. The reason I'm not a dietician is because I survived cancer at 35 years old and the doctors have made my life very difficult. So I chose the more holistic route and began to look after my body and mind, and avoided major surgery.

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 02:44PM

Thanks, thats an interesting view to have! Good for me to keep that in mind.

Clearlier wrote: »

Not a young guy at 37. I wouldn't have any issues with age. I would be concerned about someone who marketed themselves to me as a nutritionist and a PT. I'd want to know that you were one or the other. Knowing a bit about the other is a bonus. Right or wrongly I'd suspect that you didn't know an awful lot about either.

Gandalph · 02-12-2014 03:16PM

Anyone who finds a problem with the older generations guidance in this sort of area is pretty close minded if you ask me. Take a look at all the top athletes in the world and tell me how many of them have mentors of the same age? Too many of the younger trainers just spout absolute rubbish on what they read on the Internet is what I have found. I'm 26 and would have no problem using someone who is 60+ as long as I felt that they knew their stuff.

lazeedaisy · 02-12-2014 03:16PM

OSI wrote: »

As a young guy, yes I would find it an issue. If I was hiring a personal trainer, I'd want them to be of a similar age and look like they practice what they preach. A 42 year old women is not going to be very relatable to me, so I would find it difficult to take the kind of connection you'd ideally want with a PT.

This is what I was getting at, as the majority of people in my gym are 30+ females with a higher % of female trainers. It's a large market that you don't want to exclude, hence my original question.

We recently did a 12 week course with a nutritionist giving us lectures every week at the gym, it was very interesting, but the uptake was 80% female and no males under 40.

Oryx · 02-12-2014 03:43PM

From reading this forum, and spotting graduation group photos on my fb feed (!) a heck of a lot of people are qualifying as PTs. How many of them make a living from it? Id imagine only the ones with a wealth of background knowledge and personal experience to bring to it.

You need to identify the talents you have that are unique, and will sell you as a PT. I have no idea, but I suspect that you may not have massive experience of sport or weight training or running or whatever, and I think that will be the deciding factor for the type of person who books you, not your age or gender.

Yer Aul One · 02-12-2014 03:51PM

I would definitely go with a male around my own age. I would feel more comfortable with them.

Freud would probably have a field day with this info...

heroics · 02-12-2014 04:28PM

Oryx wrote: »

You need to identify the talents you have that are unique, and will sell you as a PT. I have no idea, but I suspect that you may not have massive experience of sport or weight training or running or whatever, and I think that will be the deciding factor for the type of person who books you, not your age or gender.

I'm a guy and if I was looking for a PT it would be based on that persons experience in the sports that I'm involved in (Rugby, Gaelic Football, hurling). Age would not really come into it. Any personal trainers I have worked with have been guys who played one or other of the sports at decent level and understand what is needed to compete in those sports. One guy is 20 years older than me but is still involved in coaching senior teams.

TBH as a few people have mentioned above if it is something you enjoy and have a passion for go ahead and get the qualification. You may want to re asses your target audience though as I would imagine women closer to your own age might be a better target.

paulsgirl · 02-12-2014 04:50PM

OSI wrote: »

Ah, hold on. So you've shunned modern medicine and science for "the more holistic route", a healthy respect for both of which would be heavily relied on in Personal Training?

Nutritional Therapy follows the latest scientific research.

Kalman · 02-12-2014 06:36PM

paulsgirl wrote: »

Hi,

I'm 42 year old Female and a Nutritionist, which is going great. I'm really interested in training as a Personal Trainer to add to my curriculum.

For you young guys out there, in your opinion, would you choose a 42 year old female with both backgrounds to help you with health/fitness challenges? I am very concious of my age, so am a little apprehensive about doing the training.

I will always be combining the two, my qualification as Nutritional Therapist, along with the PT.

I hope I'm making sense here!

Thanks!

Never too old, go for it!

Transform · 03-12-2014 12:12AM

Oryx wrote: »

From reading this forum, and spotting graduation group photos on my fb feed (!) a heck of a lot of people are qualifying as PTs. How many of them make a living from it? Id imagine only the ones with a wealth of background knowledge and personal experience to bring to it.

You need to identify the talents you have that are unique, and will sell you as a PT. I have no idea, but I suspect that you may not have massive experience of sport or weight training or running or whatever, and I think that will be the deciding factor for the type of person who books you, not your age or gender.

this^^^^^^^

its really really difficult for most trainers out there right now as there is massive competition so find your USP but you go ahead keep in mind that you're entering into the busiest, most overcrowded industry right now

this article i wrote on the topic might help -

AndonHandon · 03-12-2014 01:44PM

As a young male I wouldn't get a female PT if I had a choice, would rather get a male.

Thud · 03-12-2014 02:41PM

Question to the PTs, would young males make up a large part of your regular/repeat customers?

LuckyLloyd · 03-12-2014 04:37PM

AndonHandon wrote: »

As a young male I wouldn't get a female PT if I had a choice, would rather get a male.

I'd personally have no problem taking instruction from a female who knew her stuff. One of the women down CFI was interning there for a while and if she'd ended up being a fulltime coach I don't think I'd have been in anyway close minded to pointers from her. That said, she was strong and good at the lifts.

A lad could be built like a tank and have whatever credentials but if I didn't think / know he was good at the lifts and training in a similar fashion to what he's trying to teach I would struggle to take advice on board.

AndonHandon · 03-12-2014 04:45PM

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I'd personally have no problem taking instruction from a female who knew her stuff. One of the women down CFI was interning there for a while and if she'd ended up being a fulltime coach I don't think I'd have been in anyway close minded to pointers from her. That said, she was strong and good at the lifts.

A lad could be built like a tank and have whatever credentials but if I didn't think / know he was good at the lifts and training in a similar fashion to what he's trying to teach I would struggle to take advice on board.

I think my reason is more to do with me being potentially attracted to her but trying to remain serious and professional with no flirting!

LuckyLloyd · 03-12-2014 05:23PM

AndonHandon wrote: »

I think my reason is more to do with me being potentially attracted to her but trying to remain serious and professional with no flirting!

You have to work with women sure!!

AndonHandon · 06-12-2014 02:48AM

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

You have to work with women sure!!

Yeah but they wouldn't be getting up close and personal like a PT does or squatting etc. in tight pants.

Is a 42 year old female too old to train as a PT

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