Mark here again, it's been a few weeks now since my last blog. Things have been hectic and I really wish there were more hours in the day.
This week I will be writing about the importance of conducting fitness assessments on new clients and how personal trainers have a duty of care to do so.
Getting your potential new client to fill out a PAR-Q is a MUST! What is a PAR-Q you ask? (Physical activity readiness questionnaire) This questionnaire will give your personal trainer important information regarding any medical conditions, injuries, (past or present) medications you may be taking, current fitness level and what it is you hope to achieve from your personal training. It will also assist your personal trainer in constructing a fitness program that is suited not only to your goals but also to your fitness level taking into account any injuries or bio mechanical issue's.
Next is measuring blood pressure and a weight in, followed by taking girth measurements and conducting a body fat analysis. Girth measurements involves measuring certain body structures like the arms, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calves. We measure body fat with a hand held body fat analysis machine as this method is the most non invasive. Taking both girth measurements and body fat percentage is a great way for tracking progress and really drives people in reaching their fitness goals. By comparing the two we can see if there has been a gain in muscle mass, a loss in body fat.. ect. The scales alone are not a good indicator on telling us how progress is coming along. Let me explain... Muscle weights more than fat, so if someone gains lean muscle mass thru resistance training without putting on body fat at or even losing body fat, then the scales may indicate they have gained weight. This can be disheartening for that individual as they feel they have gotten no where. However, that weight increase was purely muscle mass. I hope I haven't lost you guys!
Lastly, a quick flexibility and postural assessment to determine what muscle groups are short and tight or long and weak is important to assist your fitness professional in prescribing the most beneficial exercises for you. These assessments should be carried out every 5-6 weeks to track progress.
So there you go, if you plan on commencing personal training please make sure your personal trainer covers all of the above steps. IT IS A MUST! Walk away if he/she doesn't!!
We offer personal training mill park, personal training greensborough and personal taining bundoora.
This is Mark, over and out
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