Assessment day is coming...

D-day is coming... On Saturday I am going to be doing one of my assessments on my way to becoming a Personal Trainer. The assessment is "Client Lifestyle and Fitness Assessment." Basically, how to go about assessing a new clients current lifestyle and fitness and use that information to develop a programme incorporating that info.

The fitness assessment is based on 3 criteria:
1.  Appropriateness - based on the clients needs and ability.  Obviously this is what we are trying to determine, but generally with, say, a heavily overweight client who is out of breath climbing a flight of stairs, you aren't gonna run them into the ground on a bleep test. This isn't the Biggest Loser you know!


2. Accuracy - validity of the tests used, reliability of the equipment used, environment, timing and client. The accuracy of the equipment is important on say body fat calipers, or blood pressure monitor etc. faulty or inaccurate equipment will give readings that will be wrong, which will lead you down the wrong path when it comes to programming. Client, environment and timing will all have effects on the outcomes of blood pressure, resting heart rate and even on performance of some of the fitness test used.

3. Customer care - empathy, code of ethics, rapport. How you communicate and how quickly you can build a rapport with a new client will also effect the clients results on a number of tests.

The first part of the appraisal of a new client is screening. This is the process of asking various questions of the client in order to:

1. Identify medical conditions which may place the client at risk when performing certain activities.
2. Identify possible contraindicated or potentially dangerous activities.
3. Assist in the selection of exercises and design a programme including any modifications needed due to certain conditions.
4. Ensure the Trainer has followed the correct procedures in terms of legal responsibility.

The way this screening process is performed is through the use of a PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire). Answers are usually yes/ no types with space for explanations as necessary. If the client answers yes to any of the questions, then typically they would be required to get their doctors advice before starting an exercise programme.
The questionnaire also helps identify previous conditions/ injuries which may affect the performance of the client.

PAR-Qs will contain questions on the following areas:

1. Lifestyle factors:
- Diet and understanding that caffeine, sugar and pop tarts are not the underpinnings of healthy eating habits.
- Exercise history over the past 6 - 12 months. The longer time frame gives an indication of their commitment to exercise, and the more recent time frame give clues to their current fitness level.
- Alcohol consumption and whether the client smokes or has done so in the past.

2. Medical Factors:
- History of the individual including:
- Cardiovascular conditions,
- Pulmonary conditions,
- Orthopaedic conditions,
- Other illnesses/ conditions,
- Medication,
- Other factors.

3. Any other factor not listed that may affect the participation of the activity being screened for i.e. pregnancy.

Any participant who is over the age of 35 and is not a regular exerciser (defined as exercising twice a week for at least the past 12 months) should get medical clearance before commencing an exercise programme.

After the completion of the screening process and, if necessary, the gaining of medical clearance, the next step is to have the client perform fitness assassments to supply further information as to their current level of fitness. These assessmentsindicate the areas that need improving and can be a useful tool for assessing the progress of the client. This in turn can be helpful for programme adherence.

The assessments used on the client can have both advantages as well as disadvantages. On the plus side, they can help identify health risks such as high blood pressure, obesity, high hip : waist ratio etc. They can allow goals to be set, using the areas identified to be worked on, and setting a baseline to monitor progress against. They also allow a tailor made programme to be written and help to educate the client.

On the down side though, they can have disadvantages such as possibly embarrassing the client, placing undue stresses on the client and poor results can have a negative effect.

The tests covered in this course syllabus are as follows:
Anthropometric measurements - height, weight, hip: waist ratio.
Body compostion - using skin fold calipers and bio-electrical impedence.
Resting blood pressure - using manual and electrical sphygmomanometers.
Range of movement analysis - assessing range of movement at each of the main joints
Standing postural analysis.
Cardiovascular fitness - Astrand bike test and YMCA 3 minute step test.
Muscular fitness - Abdominal crunch test and 1 rep max testing.

I'm not going to be going into all that these tests cover, I'm tired and its getting late! However I do feel that the cardio and muscular fitness tests are a bit outdated. If for example, you get a client who is a swimmer, and you put them throught the bike or step test, chances are that they won't perform as well as they would expect. Their body is conditioned to swim. Not ride a bike or step up and down on a box repeatedly. Cardio fitness doesn't cross over, just ask Lance Armstrong!
 As for the crunch test, there is a great deal of evidence the crunches and other spinal flexion exercises are detrimental to the spine. Why test the core that way and not use the plank instead. I think this would give a better indication of core strength and endurance. But maybe I'm wrong!


That, in a nutshell, is what I'll be getting assessed on on Saturday. Wish me luck!