Put New Fitness Assessments to Work for Safer Results

Fitness Together Ellicott City has taken the idiom “new year, new you” to heart for 2021.

For months, our team has been vigorously pursuing various improvements to our fitness assessments and systems. We started by asking a number of questions: What do we need to know about our clients to prevent injury and help them reach their goals? What should our clients know about us?

We hired specialists to help us formalize our approaches. We held team and training meetings. We established new check-ins to determine our clients’ progress and satisfaction. Now, we’re pleased to announce a streamlined, 4-step process that will provide a more dynamic, consistent experience for our clients.

Step 1: Ongoing Fitness Assessments Keep Things Moving

Trainers will meet with clients for a 45-minute appointment every four to six weeks. These fitness assessments will provide trainers with the opportunity to ask clients what they liked or didn't like about the previous 4-6 weeks, what they would like to accomplish moving forward, and what, if anything, has changed. Have specific goals been accomplished? Why or why not?

You can address any concerns – health or otherwise – during this time, from any pain experienced during workouts to range of motion issues and beyond. These brief, but integral, conversations will help your trainer build a customized workout program and will also help us determine what we can be doing better as a studio.

The following measurements will be assessed:

• Blood pressure and resting heart rate
• Cardio FIT test to measure cardiovascular health
• Tape and body composition measurements (muscle mass, fat mass, water, metabolism)
• Flexibility (measuring mobility, muscle coordination, and posture to reduce the risk of injury and muscle soreness)
• Overhead squat (for ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder screening)
• Endurance (your muscles’ ability to resist fatigue)

Following the assessment, you will be asked to complete a short health questionnaire – a quick snapshot, if you will, of your thoughts and feelings.

Step 2: Fitness Assessment Reports Track Progress

In an effort to create benchmarks and measurable goals, we also purchased software to store data, track progress, and provide our trainers with suggestions for corrective exercises. The program also allows trainers to prepare a professional assessment report that can be emailed to clients.

Once you receive the fitness assessment report, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain a better understanding of which health indicators are under control and which need improvement. The information you receive should ultimately help you drive your goals in your next six-week block of training.

Step 3: A Cardio Prescription Keeps the Blood Pumping

Your trainer will now provide written recommendations for cardio workouts you can complete when not in the studio. He or she will first discuss how much time you are willing to give to cardio exercise, and whether exercises should be completed indoors or outdoors. You will gain a better understanding of your target heart rate, and how this factors into accomplishing your weight loss and cardiovascular fitness goals. Based on your conversations, your trainer will make recommendations for cardio training that work best with a strength training program.

Step 4: Stronger Together Program Prevents Backsliding

Stronger Together is an annualized program broken down into eight six-week phases. Based on your initial fitness assessment, it ensures a system of progressions and regressions, so that your body does not become accustomed to a specific workout, hindering progress. It’s your trainer’s job to ensure perfect form, add or subtract weight, add or subtract reps and sets, and consider any limitations. This systematic approach to training will not only limit your risk of injury but will also identify foundational movement issues and help you advance to higher levels of fitness.

Despite the limitations brought about by a pandemic that has forced everyone – client and trainer, alike – to adapt, regular exercise remains one of the best things you can do to maintain your health. Fitness Together Ellicott City’s new and improved fitness assessments will help you gain a better, more complete, understanding of your physical progress, helping you to move forward and enjoy more lasting results.

Contact us today to learn more.