Can working out with a sexy PT make you sweat more (on the treadmill, of course)? Science says ‘yes, yes, yes’.
Can working out with a sexy PT make you sweat more (on the treadmill, of course)? Science says ‘yes, yes, yes’.
Certificate V in fitness? Check. Blend of empathy and charisma? Check. Built like a Greek god (with the face of George Clooney)? Bring it. When it comes to hiring a personal trainer, it seems women are raising the bar, demanding ho-o-ot with their HIIT. And what could be more motivating than knowing Mr Muscles is waiting for you by the weights rack?
According to a study by UCLA’s Center for Behavior, Evolution and Culture, science explains why sex sells fitness. Researchers behind the first published research to quantify an association between men’s muscularity and success in the sack – muscular men had more sexual partners, they found – likened the effect of muscular men on women to the seductive power of male peacocks’ tail feathers.
“[Our study] shows women are putting a premium on attractiveness,” said researcher Martie Haselton. Fitness Australia spokesperson Julian Salvatori, himself a personal trainer, agrees. “It’s all about the look when building a client base,” Salvatori concedes.
“Training in the first place can be for the purpose of vanity, so a woman would tend to choose someone who personally understands his or her need to be physically attractive.”
Performance psychologist Dane Barclay concurs with the aesthetic theory. “Attractiveness is fundamental to why we do exercise in the first place, so it makes sense that in the space where you are spending time to be attractive to the opposite sex, you find yourself wanting acceptance and encouragement from the opposite sex,” he explains, saying that other women may choose a good looking trainer for social brownie points.
“Of course a woman wants to be seen to be hanging out with the hot trainer at gym,” he says, calling the phenomenon ‘basking in reflective glory’. Well, dare the girls to say they’re not jealous.
But there are other benefits that steer women towards attractive male trainers, say Salvatori and Barclay, who make a point of acknowledging that a perve sesh is rarely a woman’s first priority for a PT.
“Attraction can make for a very social relationship, which can be beneficial for both client and trainer,” Barclay says. Eye candy can serve as serious motivation, according to Salvatori. “A trainer needs to be, look and live the part, otherwise they may not be seen as a good role model.”
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