Different members of your studio enter your gym with differing fitness levels. Some might already be in a good shape and searching for more while others who are just getting started might feel a little intimidated to start at a new fitness center.
You need to create a comfortable environment for them to adapt to the culture of your fitness studio. This may be accomplished by giving them a personalized fitness evaluation that lays the groundwork for their successful fitness journey.
A fitness evaluation involves performing a series of fitness tests to acquire real-life fitness data of the people who join your studio to achieve their set goals. This is where fitness assessment comes into play.
Skip ahead to :
- Kicking start your member’s journey with a fitness assessment
- Why conduct a fitness assessment in your fitness center?
- How fitness assessment can deliver a great member experience?
- Test your member’s ability through 5 elements of fitness!
Kicking start your member’s journey with a fitness assessment
A fitness assessment is a series of tests that determine the fitness level of a person. It monitors the progress of a person in their fitness journey. A physical fitness assessment also measures the ability of a person to perform different physical activities over a period of time.
These fitness assessment tests are highly personalized and aim at assessing the potential of a person and what exactly they need to achieve their desired goals. It offers the baseline and sets the ground for a person to determine his own growth in terms of health & fitness.
The insights from the physical fitness assessment can be used to meet and shape the fitness goals of an individual. These fitness assessment tests are usually designed for a certain group of people and one fitness assessment won’t be enough for all the members of your gym/fitness center.
Why conduct a fitness assessment in your fitness center?
Multiple benefits can be brought in at your gym or fitness studio by conducting a fitness assessment test for every new member. A few of these benefits are :
- Trainers and clients can use assessments to compare results over time.
- You can plan a workout routine based on the results of a member.
- It helps in addressing any physical issues that may put your member at any risk of injury.
- Improvement in results motivates clients to participate more actively in their exercise routine.
- Shapes client loyalty and helps in cultivating new client relationships which ultimately strengthen your business revenue.
That’s why it’s pretty important for high-volume gyms to develop a proper database with reports and health metrics related to each client’s fitness assessment.
How fitness assessment can deliver a great member experience?
The success of a fitness business is directly proportional to its satisfied members. A fitness studio should be dedicated to offering a result-oriented experience to its members. Your studio must also figure out a physical fitness assessment test that is right for every member.
This fitness testing must provide in-depth particulars about the physical capabilities of a member. It should analyze the set of attributes that a member has to perform a particular activity so that your instructors can provide tailor-made fitness programs to them.
The specifics of the fitness testing can also assist you in setting realistic fitness objectives for your members. That way monitoring their progress over time becomes much easier.
It gets easier to plan a route once the starting destination is known in an individual’s fitness journey.
A fitness assessment test tends to motivate members as it gives them a standard point to start from and a target point to reach. This leads to an individualized & self-guided journey for every individual at your studio.
You get a better understanding of the fitness needs of your members through the 5 elements of fitness assessment which are explained in detail in the latter part of the blog.
The key components of the physical fitness assessment test include general fitness evaluation, tests to determine cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength & endurance, flexibility, and body composition of an individual.
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But first, you must ascertain some things before designing a fitness assessment for your studio. Here are a few things to keep in mind before administering a basic fitness assessment to a member of your studio:
Fitness goals
It is extremely important to consider the set of fitness goals a person wishes to achieve while designing a fitness assessment test for them. When you know the point from where a person is starting, your instructor would be in a better position to lead them where they want to be and deliver a satisfactory result.
Age factor
The age of a person is another important factor to consider when designing fitness assessment tests. The output of a fitness plan is structured around the age of an individual and their capabilities to perform specific physical activities at that age. This results in a personalized fitness plan leading to the fulfillment of customer expectations.
History of Injury
It’s a fact that the human body comes in contact with 9672 ailments throughout a 78-year lifespan. It is vital to plan the physical fitness assessment after taking into consideration the past injury and ailments of an individual. The fitness assessment must be tailor-made so that the fitness plan assigned does not heighten the chances of more injuries in the future.
Test your member’s ability through 5 elements of fitness!
A physical fitness assessment is a fundamental part of every fitness regimen. It is essential to carry out a fitness evaluation before assigning a training program to any of your members. Let’s see how it can be done using the 5 elements of fitness assessment.
01. General Fitness Evaluation
It is recommended that each personal trainer or fitness business evaluate the general fitness level of an individual. For that, they must create their own Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) keeping in mind the kind of physical activity they provide. The results of this fitness testing might lead to recommending a member to consult a doctor or tailoring the workout program to meet their unique needs.
Let’s see what does the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) achieves?
The PAR-Q is a basic fitness assessment form used to assess a person's fitness level before beginning a new exercise routine. Most people may begin an exercise program without hesitation; however, some people may require preliminary fitness testing to verify that they are engaging in the appropriate amount of activity for their medical condition.
The PAR-Q is frequently used by personal trainers to discover any reasons why a client should not begin a physical training program. It identifies any medical problems or physical limitations that a client should discuss with their doctor and that the trainer should be aware of while training. The PAR-Q also reduces the risk of injury and potential liability for a gym owner.
02. Muscular Strength & Endurance
Muscular strength is the power that aids in lifting and carrying heavy objects. Muscle endurance refers to the muscles’ capacity of executing contractions for long periods. Without muscular strength & endurance, your body would be weak and unable to cope with the pressure placed upon it.
Training with heavy weights and working in the 4–6 or 12–15 rep ranges is a good way to gain strength. The more weight you use, the fewer reps you should do!
A few ways to test muscle strength and endurance are:
- Push-up test - Pushups are a good way to test physical strength and endurance. An individual must do modified push-ups on their knees if they are just starting out and traditional push-ups if they’re in good shape.
- Sit-up test - A sit-up test is a fitness level test conducted to assess the strength and endurance of your abdominal muscles. In this test, an individual is required to do sit-ups with their knees bent at a 90-degree angle. The number of sit-ups ranges as per the age of the person.
- Treadmill Test - A treadmill test is conducted to monitor pre-exercise heart and respiration rates with your post-exercise heart and respiration rates along with the supply of oxygen while you exercise on the treadmill. This fitness testing can be done on a treadmill or stationary cycle, with a heart monitor and blood pressure cuff which is used to monitor your vital signs during exercise.
03. Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance refers to your body's capacity to keep up with activities such as running, jogging, swimming, cycling, and any other activity that puts your cardiovascular system (lungs, heart, and blood vessels) to work for long periods. The heart and lungs work together to provide your muscles with the oxygen they require to perform physical tasks.
The fitness testing can be done using the techniques mentioned below and is often conducted to determine the indicators of a person’s cardiovascular fitness.
- Cooper Run Test - In the Cooper 12-minute run test, an individual is required to run or walk as far as possible in a 12-minute timeframe and is evaluated based on its results. The goal of this fitness testing is to assess the maximum distance traveled by the participant throughout these 12 minutes. It is a popular test for determining the cardiovascular endurance of an individual.
- Step Test - Many trainers prefer to use the Step Test as a fitness indicator. This fitness testing involves stepping up and down onto a platform for 3 minutes. Participants step up and down, on and off an aerobics-style step for 3 minutes to raise heart rate and evaluate the heart's recovery rate in the minute post the step test.
Both fitness tests are reliable indicators of a person's cardiovascular fitness. It’s up to the trainer which one they use for the clients of their studio.
04. Flexibility
One of the most crucial yet frequently ignored aspects of a physical fitness assessment is flexibility. Muscles and joints would stiffen if they were not flexible, and mobility would be restricted. Flexibility training guarantees that your body can move freely throughout its complete range of motion. Two of the many ways to ascertain the flexibility of your members are sit-and-reach tests and zipper tests.
- Sit and Reach Test - Lean forward and attempt to touch your toes to see how flexible you are. Those with high flexibility can generally touch their toes, but those with poor flexibility can't. The sit-and-reach test is a quick and easy technique to assess the flexibility of your lower back, hips, and legs.
- Zipper Test - The flexibility and mobility of your shoulder joint are assessed during a shoulder flexibility test. Flexibility is measured by the number of inches your hands are apart from each other.
05. Body Composition
Body composition refers to the proportion of fat mass compared to lean muscle mass, bone mass, and organs in the body. In simpler terms, it refers to the amount of fat in your body. Body composition assessment is one of the most sensitive aspects of fitness evaluation, with the following general criteria that qualify a person as fit :
- For Men: Men must have a body fat percentage of less than 17%.
- For Women: Women must have a body fat percentage of less than 24%.
Fitness testing is often conducted to figure out if a person is fit or not based on their body composition and ways to test these are as follows:
- Waist Circumference - If your waist circumference is larger than your hips, then you have a higher scope of working out and losing some weight. The larger waist circumference also puts you at the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It is essential to carry out a waist circumference test to make sure the right kind of exercise is assigned to a specific member.
- Body Mass Index (BMI)- The body mass index (BMI) is a common technique for assessing the body composition of an individual because of its easy and non-invasive approach. The BMI is a measure that may be used to evaluate if you have a healthy level of body fat. It is calculated using a BMI table which involves inserting an individual’s height and weight into a formula to get their BMI.
- Calipers - Calipers are also used to figure out the fat composition of an individual’s body. They are used to measure the size of skin folds in various locations of your body. They do not directly assess your body fat percentage but these measures can then be converted into a body fat percentage estimate using one of many different methods.
You can create a fitness plan for your clients!
A physical fitness assessment plays an important role in creating a fitness program that is most effective for your clients. Often an unsuitable fitness program might puncture the enthusiasm of your clients and they might feel like quitting. But, a tailor-made fitness routine is what will make them stick through. Remember to reflect on their fitness goals, injury history, and age while engineering a master fitness assessment for your clients.
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