The Need For Fitness Assessments...

With the obesity rate rising every year and more and more people living sedentary lifestyles, the need for a thorough fitness assessment is greater than ever. A fitness assessment is simply a way for a fitness professional to gauge a clients fitness level and over-all condition of their kinetic chain. Although assessments will vary from trainer to trainer, they should all include three main components: general information (body fat percentage, medical/injury history, medications, fitness experience etc...),movement assessment (to pinpoint any tight, weak muscles), and a cardio assessment (to gauge the strength of the heart and lungs).

As far as the general information goes, it's pretty straight forward. As a fitness professional, I need to know in depth information about my clients to make sure their fitness program is safe and productive. Any past injuries or medications that aren't discussed ahead of time can sometimes have a negative impact on my client's safety and well being. I also discuss fitness experience at this time to make sure I am starting the client off at a level that will produce results. Starting someone off at a more advanced level than they can handle can potentially injure that client. On the other hand, starting someone off at too low an intensity will produce very limited results. In other words, this is a very important part of a fitness assessment.

Checking a client's body fat percentage has two advantages. 1. Since the primary goal of most people starting a fitness program is fat reduction, checking their body fat percentage will give a starting point for gauging future progress. 2. It will also let the health and fitness professional know if a client's weight loss is body fat or lean muscle and allow them to make adjustments to their client's exercise and nutritional program if needed.

The next part of the fitness assessment is what I believe to be the most important; the movement assessment. As a Corrective Exercise Specialist is makes me cringe when I see a trainer at a gym just throw a brand new client right into a program without knowing if they are able to move correctly or not. Any past or present injury, no matter how small, can cause a person to compensate when they move. Remember this, the body needs to move so it will always try to use the path with the least resistance. Now just imagine someone who doesn't have alot of training experience and has a bunch of movement compensations (from their sedentary lifestyle or a past injury) being told by their clueless trainer to put a barbell on their upper back and do some squats. OUCH! I think you get the picture.

Last, but certainly not least, is the cardiorespiratory assessment. This part of the assessment is simply to gauge the strength of the heart and lungs. There are many different methods one can use to do this. I personally use either the Rockport Walk Test or I simply see how quickly the client's heart rate can drop from zone to zone. These tests will give me a better understanding of the condition of my client's cardiovascular system to enable me to design a cardio program that will be at their fitness level and produce the quickest results.

In conclusion, if you are starting a fitness program for the first time or thinking about hiring a personal trainer, than do yourself a favor and get a fitness assessment (just be sure the person giving the assessment is qualified). This could not only prevent an unwanted injury, it could literally save your life.

As Always,

Stay Motivated, Stay Fit

Best Regards,

Andy Moses
Ultimate Physique PT
(203)317-9733
www.ultimatephysiquept.com/
andy@ultimatephysiquept.com