Fitness Assessments

Aims

Fitness testing as it was once known is probably better considered as screening clients through a range of assessments. Prior to you engaging in our programme, we conduct a number of assessments. They assessments have four express aims:

1. To screen against a range of healthy standards to see if you are safe to exercise.

2. If you are in healthy state then screening allows us to determine your level of fitness and preferences. This is useful to design the correct training program or adapt it to best suit your needs and health status.

3. To have a guide point against which your ‘achievable objective(s)’ can be measured. This can be used as a motivational tool.

4. To allow us and you to monitor progress and achievement of objectives, and allow comparisons between your previous and current tests.

Assessments offered by BodyImpress

Not all clients need or want a comprehensive fitness assessment. The minimum required BodyImpress assessments take less than 30 minutes and involve the following components:

Physical Activity Readiness - Questionnaire (PAR-Q)

The PAR-Q is a medical pre-screening form. It is used to assess or identify cardiovascular risk factors. The questionnaire should tell you if you should check with your doctor before you start an exercise programme.

Health Screen

A health screening form will enable our mentors to provide you with a safe and effective programme. It will ask questions about your medical and physical history for example relating to chronic illnesses and conditions such as arthritis, asthma, injuries to back, neck, etc.

Exercise History and Preferences

The exercise history and preferences questionnaire will ask you what exercise/sporting activities you have taken part in recently and the level of participation, i.e. frequency, duration, intensity. It will allow you to rate components of fitness e.g. cardiovascular fitness on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

It will ask you about your exercise preferences such as running, weight training, sport, etc and the environment in which you are able to complete the programme e.g. at the gym, at home. Finally it will ask about your exercise goals, and it will enable our exercise mentors to set a more specific programme.

Fitness Assessment Tasks

Hip to Waist Ratio

Although not essential to the programme, this is an important tool that will help you determine your overall health risk. People with more weight around their waist are at greater risk of lifestyle diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips. It is a simple and useful measure of fat distribution. Hip to waist ratio is determined by dividing your waist circumference by your hip circumference. We will provide you with an online calculator to complete the assessment, and the information will be useful when assessing changes over the 16 week programme.

Body Measurements

Taking your body measurements is another excellent way to keep track of your changing shape as your get fitter. Body weight itself is not a good indicator improved fitness. This is because when you burn fat and increase muscle mass, you may weigh a bit more even though your body is getting tighter and smaller. Muscle weighs more than fat. We will ask you to take measurements at your chest, biceps, waist, hips, thigh and calf.

Other areas of Fitness that can be Assessed

It is not possible to run some of the assessment tests that are available in an online environment.  However, fitness assessment can be done at almost no cost at one end of the scale and increase up to a few thousand dollars at the other end. It is the level that suits your situation that will determine how involved it becomes for you. However, the equipment and technology exists today to provide the normal fitness user with an assessment that could rival similar assessments carried out in ’Human Performance Laboratories’ to test elite athletes, and at an extremely affordable price. One of the key ingredients is in the ability of the fitness professionals to interpret the data.

There are a number of additional low-cost assessments that although are not required to be conducted prior to joining our programmes, can be undertaken to:

• provide us with even further insights into your individual needs that allow us to set your training levels more precisely
• provide you with improved information on your health status and provide clear identifable changes to your health as you progress through our programme

Height and Weight

Most individuals know their height and weight, and may consider these tests sufficient, along with ’height weight tables’ (BMI) which is an indication of cardiac risk. There is however, more to height and weight than simple BMI. Height is required for calculating predicted lung function results. Weight is needed for calculating VO² (cardiovascular efficiency) and for converting body fat percentages into real values.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is quick to take and one of the indicators to health risk. High blood pressure and a poor exercise program (i.e. lifting heavy weights) is liable to cause injury.

The negative effects of high blood pressure can be balanced with a good exercise program.
Automatic digital machines are reliable but taking blood pressure readings manually is better and less expensive although it requires a good degree of professional knowledge.

Lung Function

With Asthma on the increase in many parts of the world, and being a problem induced by exercise it makes sense to screen for Asthmatics. Requiring a few seconds to conduct the test a reliable indication of lung disorders such as Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema and effects of smoking can be detected with a spirometer. A simple peak flow meter can detect signs of Asthma and is relatively cheap.

Body Composition

The aim of many of our clients is to lose weight then maintain their shape. Being overweight and even obese is a main concern. Body composition has mainly been expressed as fat percentage, but this is a narrow outlook as it can also be expressed as lean percentage or lean to fat weight. Muscle mass increases with exercise (and therefore sometimes weight) and can be as much a marketing point as fat mass.

Taking skin fold readings is a normal way of measuring body composition but many trainers rarely calculate more than body fat. Some other methods of estimating body fat percentage, such as Bio Electrical Impedance, involve equipment that provides more data.

Cardiovascular Condition, VO²

To say whether or not a user is fit to exercise, the prime consideration should be the condition of the heart and lungs. There is a direct correlation between pulse and workload. If you require a lower pulse to perform the same amount of work, you must be fitter. You will also find the ability to perform everyday work easier, and therefore more safely as you place less strain on the cardiovascular system. To measure the initial condition and improvement of VO² (Volume of Oxygen) uptake, a standard six minute test on a cycle ergometer can be performed. This is a submaximal test that estimates maximal VO². There are many adaptations to the test but the same principle of the pulse relating to work load applies. If the test is well structured it should work but the standard is to use a Monark bike with a chest belt pulse meter, with stringent protocols such as the Astrand six minute test.

Flexibility

A simple sit and reach box test can be used to indicate the condition of general flexibility. This is a useful piece of equipment to indicate to someone their need for improved flexibility.

Strength

Sometimes strength tests are performed as part of a gym induction assessing the ability to lift weight on various machines and / or the ability to perform a number of repetitions. This can be performed in a regimented fashion testing the number of sit ups, press ups etc performed in one minute. Grip strength tests are another method although there true value is debatable. These add on tests are not required for fitness screening but provide gym instructors with useful indicators for prescribing a structured and monitored program.

Conclusion

The aim of the above is to provide you with information regarding the assessment tools procedures that are part of the programme and what additional assessments that you could undertake.

Should you wish to partake in these additional assessments, contact your local gym or leisure centre.