Anonymous wrote:Hasn't it occurred to you that the professionals may have had this conversation with the fat people OUT OF YOUR EARSHOT? Perhaps this is best something said one on one, not in front of an audience.

OP here and they definitely did not have these conversations "out of my earshot." Several people there had had serious injuries due to this activity in the past, and one bragged to me that her doctor told her that returning to it would likely result in reinjury but she didn't care.

Everyone signs a liability release when they take a class so the school is covered in that way, I just find it morally irresponsible.

Anonymous wrote:You want the business to tell potential clients: “you’re too fat to safely participate”?

Or direct all fatties to a separate class?

How do you think that would go over?

Actually, having a weight limit and/or some kind of strength pre-requisite for certain activities is smart and good for all involved. It does not need to be done in a shaming way.

Pretending that a person who is 80 lbs overweight and can't lift a 30 lb weight over their heads safely and with good form is qualified to do something that would require, say, hanging from their hands for a sustained period of time, doesn't help anyone.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I do not consider myself superior, morally or otherwise, to the people in this class.

I think it's great when people of any fitness level or weight engage in physical activity. I think professionals in the fitness industry have a duty to tell clients how excess weight might impact their risk of injury, and to stop a client from engaging in a risky activity before they have the requisite strength level. I think this company might be exploiting people by saying "anyone can do this! it's easy!" and then encouraging people to do something with a high risk of injury.

Again, most of the people in this class had a prior injury from doing this activity. It was discussed as a badge of honor and not a red flag. As a former fitness professional, that's deeply concerning to me.

Some activities really do require certain prerequisite abilities. And certain physical activities are much riskier if someone is carrying more weight, because it increases the potential strain on joints, ESPECIALLY if someone consistently engages in strength activities with poor form (often caused by excess weight).

I think this business might be immoral, not the people engaged in the activity.

NO apparently you don't think it's great at all. It's only great when they aren't engaging in a class you are and that you deem to be for much better people than fatties.

Fitness instructors are not medical professionals and can't decide whether an activity poses a risk. That's why they advise people to talk to their doctor first before participating.

You have no idea why a person had a "stress" injury or if they even in fact had one. Your worry is phony.

Don't go back if you don't like being in class with fat people.

And why do I think your definition of overweight is like 20 lbs over ideal weight

Hasn't it occurred to you that the professionals may have had this conversation with the fat people OUT OF YOUR EARSHOT? Perhaps this is best something said one on one, not in front of an audience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, since you won’t say what kind of activity this is, what do you want us to say?

I'm going with aerial yoga

😂

Anonymous wrote:Also, since you won’t say what kind of activity this is, what do you want us to say?

I'm going with aerial yoga

Also, since you won’t say what kind of activity this is, what do you want us to say?

Let their insurance company deal with it and MYOB. If you want to give people advice, go ahead and run your own business.

You want the business to tell potential clients: “you’re too fat to safely participate”?

Or direct all fatties to a separate class?

How do you think that would go over?

OP here. I do not consider myself superior, morally or otherwise, to the people in this class.

I think it's great when people of any fitness level or weight engage in physical activity. I think professionals in the fitness industry have a duty to tell clients how excess weight might impact their risk of injury, and to stop a client from engaging in a risky activity before they have the requisite strength level. I think this company might be exploiting people by saying "anyone can do this! it's easy!" and then encouraging people to do something with a high risk of injury.

Again, most of the people in this class had a prior injury from doing this activity. It was discussed as a badge of honor and not a red flag. As a former fitness professional, that's deeply concerning to me.

Some activities really do require certain prerequisite abilities. And certain physical activities are much riskier if someone is carrying more weight, because it increases the potential strain on joints, ESPECIALLY if someone consistently engages in strength activities with poor form (often caused by excess weight).

I think this business might be immoral, not the people engaged in the activity.

I sort of know what you’re saying. I take a lot of HIIT type classes where the pace is fast and heavy weights are encouraged. People’s form is all over the place and sometimes the instructors seem oblivious that what they are doing could be dangerous for some. Or the movements are risky with bad form. I just avoid those particular instructors.

Wtf??? MYOB!

“Unfit” and “overweight” people do not belong in polite company & ought to be chained to their beds for the rest of their lives. The nerve of them to attempt to exercise in your presence to a level you deemed inappropriate.

GFY OP

Clearly, you are morally superior to everyone else who was in the class. Congrats!

I recently took a class in a niche physical activity (I don't want to say which one because it might identify me or the place, it's not pole dancing but think something like that).

The class I took had 10 students in it, and I quickly learned I was the only first time student -- everyone else had been doing this activity for a while. In talking to the other students, I learned most of them had been doing it once or twice a week for years. It's a hard activity that requires a lot of physical strength to progress.

Of the 9 return students, three of them were clearly very fit and had a lot of physical strength that was enabling them to do this activity at a high activity.

The rest were extremely unfit. Some were overweight, which I think could pose a potential injury risk for this activity. Some were not overweight but clearly did little or no strength training outside this activity. I honestly am concerned about how often these folks are doing a demanding, strength focused hobby given that even after years, they have not put in the time to build strength to do it well. All of these students were working at what appeared to be basically a beginning level.

The place hosting us seemed to celebrate these students and the staff were super supportive, telling them how proud they were of them for performing basic skills that, in some cases, they did in what looked to me to be an unsafe way. I get that these are the customers and the business is trying to be supportive and also encourage repeat business.

But at what point is this some kind of malpractice. Several of the other students told me about injuries they had had doing this activity, including repetitive stress injuries that were clearly due to doing a strength-intensive activity without proper form. I honestly feel like I should maybe file a complaint with this business -- I used to be a personal trainer and I cannot imagine exposing any of my former clients to this sort of risk for injury just to be "encouraging" or to ensure they keep paying me. But the activity was fun and I could see doing it again, I just don't know if I can patronize a business I think to be irresponsible in this way.

It was alarming. Has anyone else encountered this? What did you do?