Morritt Summers, 36, who grew up as an overweight kid in her Long Island neighborhood, hated the people she saw in the mirror.
She weighed over 200 pounds and doctors forced her on fad diets and weight loss surgery. It only made her feel worse.
Then, when she was 14, her family hired a personal trainer to do strength training and exercise with her. She became stronger and her self-esteem improved. But just because she worked out didn’t make her a skinny gym rat.
Instead, it gave her an avenue to help others reach their health and fitness goals without worrying about the numbers on the scale.
“I don’t know my weight. I haven’t been on the scale in three years. It’s a toxic place,” Summers, now a certified trainer, told The Post. We estimated it to be somewhere in the range of . And that’s fine for both her and her clients.
“If your goal is to get shredded, lose body fat, and keep crying during your workout sessions, I’m not your trainer.
Morritt Summer, owner of Form Fitness gym in Brooklyn, encourages clients to build muscle through strength training rather than cardio.
Morritt Summers has become a certified fitness trainer helping other plus size people achieve their gym and fitness pursuits.
People who want to get strong and fit but aren’t obsessed with losing weight are turning to plus-size personal trainers, both online and offline. Opened and mentored over 100 clients. Summers’ recent TikTok video of him doing his jacks doing push-ups jumping to a remixed hip-hop track alone surpasses his 561,000, and the hashtag #PlusSizeTrainer surpasses his 4.6 million.
“Everybody’s goal isn’t to be skinny when they walk into the gym,” said Summers, who charges $150 a session. want their bodies to feel healthy and strong.”
Summers has endured attacks from cyberbullies who have called her “fat” and disgustingly questioned why anyone who looks like her would want to work out with someone who looks like her. ‘s larger physique is exactly why people flock to her.
“A lot of my clients come to me because I look like them. I’m also hungry,” she said. “I know what they’re going through.”
Sarah Taylor, 38, a trainer in Toronto, also uses her struggles with weight and self-esteem to connect with clients.
During her training sessions, Sarah Taylor promotes self-talk as a key to achieving overall wellness.
Taylor leads her clients in a one-hour virtual class, making modifications to ensure all clients complete the movement, regardless of weight or mobility level.
“I know what it’s like to totally hate yourself. ‘ said Taylor, who weighs about 250 pounds and is 5 foot 11 tall.
When Taylor worked at a commercial gym before becoming a trainer in 2018, she asked, “Do you have medical clearance to work out here?
Although the event was traumatic, it impacted her professional fitness journey.
“What I’ve learned, and what I tell my clients, is that if you hate yourself, you can’t change yourself,” Taylor said. to love with all one’s heart.”
She preaches self-assessment in weekly 60-minute group training sessions, which she hosts virtually via her fitness app for a $55/month subscription fee. Workouts include her routines for upper body, lower body and core strength training. With each exercise, she provides corrections for users who are uncomfortable or unable to perform a full move.
“I’m a personal trainer. I just happen to exist in a plus-size body,” she said. Because it’s not about forcing people to lose weight, it’s about making women feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Las Vegas plus-size trainer Jessica Goines also never discusses scale with clients. She doesn’t force them to do a lot of cardio or force people to log their food intake.
Instead, we kick off each of our virtual exercise courses, held via Zoom, to put our clients in a positive mindset through open dialogue about their physical, mental and emotional challenges.
Jessica Goins, a recovering bulimic eater, encourages clients to talk about their personal struggles and struggles before each workout.
Goins from Las Vegas says sharing details of her eating disorder with online communities has kept her from binge eating for more than 500 days.
Because of her past, Goins is dedicated to helping her clients become healthy from the inside out.
“We start each session by discussing how they are feeling,” said Goins, 33. Then he goes into training. “
For the recovering binge Goins, having a new way of thinking has helped her overcome her obstacles.
“My goal as a trainer is to make sure my clients are healthy in body, mind and soul,” she said. “It’s not all about losing weight.”
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