Wednesday 19 November 2014

The importance of fitness assessments

Hi All

Mark here again, it's been a few weeks now since my last blog. Things have been hectic and I really wish there were more hours in the day.

This week I will be writing about the importance of conducting fitness assessments on new clients and how personal trainers have a duty of care to do so.

Getting your potential new client to fill out a PAR-Q is a MUST! What is a PAR-Q you ask? (Physical activity readiness questionnaire) This questionnaire will give your personal trainer important information regarding any medical conditions,  injuries, (past or present)  medications you may be taking, current fitness level and what it is you hope to achieve from your personal training. It will also assist your personal trainer in constructing a fitness program that is suited not only to your goals but also to your fitness level taking into account any injuries or bio mechanical issue's.

Next is measuring blood pressure and a weight in,  followed by taking girth measurements and conducting a body fat analysis. Girth measurements involves measuring certain body structures like the arms, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calves. We measure body fat with a hand held body fat analysis machine as this method is the most non invasive.  Taking both girth measurements and body fat percentage is a great way for tracking progress and really drives people in reaching their fitness goals. By comparing the two we can see if there has been a gain in muscle mass, a loss in body fat.. ect. The scales alone are not a good indicator on telling us how progress is coming along. Let me explain... Muscle weights more than fat, so if someone gains lean muscle mass thru resistance training without putting on body fat at or even losing body fat, then the scales may indicate they have gained weight. This can be disheartening for that individual as they feel they have gotten no where. However, that weight increase was purely muscle mass. I hope I haven't lost you guys!

Lastly, a quick flexibility and postural assessment to determine what muscle groups are short and tight or long and weak is important to assist your  fitness professional in prescribing the most beneficial exercises for you. These assessments should be carried out every 5-6 weeks to track progress.

So there you go, if you plan on commencing personal training please make sure your personal trainer covers all of the above steps. IT IS A MUST! Walk away if he/she doesn't!!

We offer personal training mill park, personal training greensborough and personal taining bundoora.
 Check out www.alltonefitness.com.au or www.bngbootcamp.com.au for more info

This is Mark, over and out


Wednesday 5 November 2014

Introducing Matt Grose to the Butts n Gutts team!

This week I have the pleasure of announcing our new team member Matt to Butts n Gutts.
Matt will be assisting with the Saturday boot camp and is currently under going his studies to become a personal trainer and boot camp instructor.  Great to have you on board,

Hi guys! My name is Matt and I am very excited to be a part of the Alltone Fitness and Butts and Gutts team! I have known Mark for around five years and cannot speak higher of his knowledge and passion for fitness training.

I have been involved in customer service within the health and fitness industry for almost five years and am currently completing my Certificates III and IV inFitness. I am passionate about following a healthy lifestyle and my fitness related hobbies include playing tennis, swimming, running and weight training. I am also a keen cricketer and have played in the Victorian Premier Competition for eight years and had the chance to play professionally in the UK.


I can’t wait to work with lots of different clients to help them achieve their goals!

www.bngbootcamp.com.au