Every professional service should have a starting point that can be quantified or accurately qualified and include a plan to reach the desired goal. This applies well to the personal training community, particularly when it comes to assessing clients.

 Why Perform an Assessment? 

There are many benefits to knowing your physiological or psychological status. Some of the main benefits include:

• a reference point compared to the general population (at your age and gender;
• a starting point to design a program;
• an awareness of how much one wants or needs to change;
• an awareness of risk of getting a certain disease;
• the motivation of a tangible, quantified, “real” goal;
• an awareness of a weakness or imbalance in health or mental state.

 A comprehensive fitness assessment measures five main components:

• cardiovascular conditioning;
• flexibility;
• body composition,
• muscular strength;
• muscular endurance.

Most significant physiological changes will take 6-10 weeks when exercises are performed consistently and at the necessary intensity level. Some changes, such as flexibility, often occur sooner.

Assessments should be done by an individual who has been trained to both administer and interpret the various components. All tests in an assessment have particular techniques and criteria that need to be adhered to because inherent error occurs in the best-case scenario. This error can easily increase to make the measurement invalid without a skilled tester.

Fortunately, several techniques exist to increase the validity of a given measurement.

Assessment Methods

This is among the easiest methods. Cross measurement refers to the practice of evaluating the same things in different ways. For example, it is possible to measure body composition by means of calipers, bio electric impedance, and a body mass index. If the measurements using each of the these methods agree, then they are likely to be accurate.

Another way to increase accuracy is to compare different measurement takers (testers) or to use different measurement methods on the same individual. For example, a bike test and stair climb test could be used to measure aerobic capacity a day apart with different testers to determine if the measurements agree.

Yet another method to ensure accuracy is to  use high-quality, regularly-calibrated equipment. The downside is that since only a hospital or university possess the best equipment, it might not be an viable option from a cost and accessibility standpoint.

Types of Assessments

Health risk assessments (HRAs) are commonly administered in a corporate environment so that general health habits can be addressed. In theory, this leads to lower insurance rates based on the reduced risk of claims. Some HRAs give informative profiles which describe areas needing improvement and tips to gain the improvement.

Nutritional assessments involve food recalls nutrient intake evaluations, blood work, urine analysis, and some even do hair and saliva analysis which are of questionable scientific merit at best. Some assessments look at how well a given dietary regime will prevent or reduce the incidence for cancer, or heart-disease prevention.

Unfortunately many of the assessment tools in nutrition are unreliable. Blood work and urine samples are volatile or fluctuate easily with changes in dietary intake and exercise. This is why most blood samples are taken after a 12-hour fast and after sleeping overnight. Blood or urine results are best used to confirm some other physiological sign. For example, if someone complains of fatigue and the blood work results show that his or her iron and hemoferritin levels are low, then one can assume anemic symptoms.

The food recall or self-reporting method is also prone to errors and inaccuracies because it is hard for people to separate “what is” from “what it should be”. Unfortunately, food recall or records can be quite high in this “perceptual shift”. For example, someone filling out a food recall may conveniently forget about some of the snacks they had or they don’t want to show a“sweets binge” and will report only 1 out of the 5 cookies actually consumed.

Health-oriented psychological assessments, which primarily include stress indexes and health self-control surveys, are popular for counselors, and those in mental health care. Much research and statistical effort have been put forth to ensure validity and reliability in these tests because this is the primary tool this profession has to assess how an individual “feels and thinks”.

As can be seen, the benefits of assessing clients are many. While not all methods may be practical at all times, it is important to realize that there are options and that assessments are one of the best measuring tools any professional has at his or her disposal.

About the Author

Mark P. Kelly holds a doctorate in Exercise Physiology and Education Administration. He has specialties in kinesiology, exercise and nutritional biochemistry, weight management, and endurance athletic physiology. He was a nationally ranked duathlete, body building contest winner, trainer of professional athletes, and personal trainer for over 20 years. He runs Principle Centered Health Human Performance Services, which specializes in assessments and corporate wellness. He can be reached at www.principlecenteredhealth.net or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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