Basic Fitness Assessments for Coaches

A Basic Fitness Assessment is the Basis of A Good Fitness Program

A coach needs the concrete data collected from an assessment to construct a fitness program bespoke to their client. Without a personalized fitness program, a client cannot reach their full, athletic potential. Quality assessments are the catalyst for successful programming, but what defines a quality assessment? The OPEX Assessment redefines quality and individual program design. You can redefine your assessment method with our free guide: Assess Like an OPEX Coach. Inside, we introduce you to a client avatar and walk you through the assessment conducted and what a coach should recognize from each step.

(Coach’s Resource: Learn the OPEX Assessment in the free guide Assess Like an OPEX Coach.)

Quality Assessments Define a Coach

A comprehensive assessment is a necessity when developing a long-term, sustainable program for a client. When conducted properly, an assessment not only provides the coach with valuable insight into how to start designing a fitness program, but also how to determine whether or not it’s producing the intended results. At OPEX Fitness we break the assessment down into three parts: Body, Move, and Work. Each category provides unique assessments critical to constructing an effective, individual design program.

OPEX Assessment:

1. Body: This is an analysis of the client’s height, weight, lean body, and fat mass using either a body fat caliper or the InBody composition machine. This body assessment provides the coach with an understanding of the clients fat and lean muscle levels.
2. Move: Here we look at how the client moves across four categories: stability, relative strength, absolute strength, and balance. The movement assessment will determine the client’s capabilities and influence programming.
3. Work: Here we take a client through energy systems and work capacity testing relative to where we think they currently sit in fitness. Work capacity is tested through aerobic work.

A proper assessment will allow coaches to program successfully for functional fitness and provide clients with the outline needed to reach their goals. OPEX Assessment will help coaches develop all aspects of the assessment, a necessity for successful coaching. We’ve laid out the basics of the OPEX assessment method in our latest guide to coaching. Start using the OPEX Assessment with your clients and download the free guide Assess Like an OPEX Coach today.