Listen before you train. Personal trainers should begin their careers with a fitness assessment or individual training assessment. Performance analysis will allow you to deliver safe and successful training. You can also create workouts customized for your clients.
We at ABC Glofox are focused on helping trainers and gyms deliver the most effective training experience. Personal training assessments play a key role in this. We want to share our knowledge because gatekeeping is not what we do. Let’s look at how a quick analysis of your workout can help you provide world-class training for each client.
Every good fitness assessment has three features in common
Fitness evaluations are based on several important factors. Understanding which dimensions are most important will give you the information you need for personalized coaching and tailored training.
Body Composition
Body Composition is a person’s percentage of muscle, fat, and bone in their body. The results of a body composition analysis are not only a great way to assess a person’s health and fitness but also how they have changed over time. As you train, these features will change and evolve. You can use them to track how far your client has progressed.
Move with ease
A functional movement screening tests core movement patterns across fitness, including deep squats and hurdle steps. It also measures shoulder mobility, straight leg raises, pushups, and rotary crunches. We know that’s a lot.
It is important to create a baseline of mobility for your clients when you conduct a personal training assessment. Movement is one of the best ways to understand a person’s fitness. Naturally, movement levels vary from person to person. But you’ve still got to check!
Work capacity
Two different methods are used to measure work capacity. The first is to measure the power of a person for physical fitness work based on personal circumstances. The second involves testing their output during an individual training session.
Naturally, work capacity will vary from client to client. Work assessments can help you determine how much you should push your clients. You don’t want someone to yack in a session!
How to conduct a movement analysis
It’s not possible to create effective individualized training without knowing your client. This starts with a thorough physical assessment. This 8-point checklist is essential to include in any personal training assessment.
Postural assessment
Posture can be a very important factor in training as well as aging. Understanding someone’s posture will help you make informed decisions about their training program. Posture affects all movements you do during a workout.
Please pay attention to how they hold their body, any compensations that may be occurring in their movements, and the alignment of their skeletal structure. This will tell you their weak and strong points.
Analysis of Movement
Understanding how people move and any limitations they might have is essential to fitness and training. It is important to learn about the range of motion and comfort level, as well as other factors that affect their movement.
To understand their full range of movements, pay close attention to the way each client uses their body under different conditions. This section of the fitness assessment allows you to gain key insights that can be used during onboarding for setting goals.
Find out more about Overhead squat evaluation
It can be intimidating for clients to do an overhead squat, but they don’t have to lift heavy weights or any weights at all.
This full-body move can reveal a great deal about a person’s mobility, limitations, and potential to do certain types of exercises. This full-body movement is an excellent way to identify a variety of client features, from core strength to overall strength.
Elevated heels are a modification
The elevated heel modification allows you to work even more parts of your body. The high heel modification enables your client to deepen their squat, and the quadriceps will be the ones doing the work. You can better understand the limitations of your client by highlighting other parts of their body.