Body Composition
Fitness assessments are a great tool to help with their goals. Fitness assessments should only be taken every six weeks. A fitness assessment consists of resting heart rate, blood pressure, body composition, cardiovascular assessment, strength test, and flexibility test. One of the important sections to a client in a fitness assessment is body composition.
Body composition is very important information for a client to know. Body composition gives the client an idea as to where they are at with their health. Body composition will allow a personal trainer to easily determine disease risk for the client. It can also help the client set goals for themselves. Many people want to see results almost instantly. However, it takes time to see results. If someone is in a fitness program and they can see their body composition tracked on paper, they will be able to see that they are gradually improving.
Body composition is determined by height and weight measurements, Body Mass Index (also known as BMI), Waist to hip ratio, various skinfold measurements, bioelectrical impedance, hydrostatic weighing and a bod-pod measurement. However, hydrostatic weighing and bod-pod measurements are not used in typical fitness settings.
Body composition for certain clients can be difficult for them to perform. This is because for the clients that are considered obese, they can be very self-conscious about their weight, waist measurement, and hip measurement. You always want to ask permission to perform these measurements before you even start the fitness assessment. Make sure that the client understands what is going to happen and make sure that they are comfortable during the assessment.