You know you’ve heard us talk about them – the fitness assessment – but perhaps you don’t exactly know what it is and have been afraid to try or are just starting your fitness journey. Well, luckily for you they’re free and come at no risk. In case you’re still unsure, here’s a breakdown of what a fitness assessment at Elite Sports Clubs consists of.
My Fitness Assessment Experience
A few weeks ago, I met up with Carrie Steib, a Member Services Representative at Elite Sports Club – River Glen, to get some information on membership services at the club. She had me fill out a form that had basic contact information on it, as well as what I was most interested in at the club; personal training, group classes, swimming, tennis, etc. Carrie mentioned that as a new member I could get three appointments with a Certified Personal Trainer for FREE! About a week after touring the facilities and talking with Carrie, I received an email from personal trainer, Marshal Stich.
Appointment 1
I decided to take advantage of the complimentary appointments with a personal trainer, so I set up a meeting as soon as I could. On the first of the three sessions, Marshal walked me through what personal training is, a functional movement screen, basic body measurements, and we talked about my goals. The movement screen is a really great benchmark to see where you fall as far as flexibility and tightness in the body. Marshal noticed that my right shoulder was much tighter than the left, and that my hip flexors could use some work. It was really beneficial to see from a professional’s perspective the things that needed some extra work and improvement.
Appointment 2
The second session that I had was a complete lower body workout orientation. We did a full hour of lifting and core exercises such as, goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, plank dumbbell taps, and reverse lunges. I had always done a lot of lifting throughout college, so I had assumed that these exercises would be relatively easy for me. I mentioned to Marshal in my first session that I struggle with muscle memory, so he incorporated movements that I generally would not do. Although these movements used only my own body weight for resistance, or adding something light, such as 20 pounds, it was a much harder workout than I had anticipated! I never realized how beneficial using just your own body weight could be for a workout. Marshal also decided to incorporate core exercises in between the lower body workouts we were doing. I had told him that my core was something I wanted to work on and that it is also my least favorite exercise area. He did an amazing job of listening to what I needed out of a fitness plan, and incorporated those things right away.
Appointment 3
The last session I did with a personal trainer was an upper body workout that focused on my chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and back. I originally thought that these were a ton of different areas to focus on during one workout. But, Marshal mentioned to me that their philosophy is less emphasized on specific muscle groups, and more focused on how you’re moving your body with direction (push, pull, lift). By exercising so my different areas of my upper body all in one session, my whole upper body felt sore the following day. It was a great feeling! I had fallen into a routine of working out out the same muscle groups every week. Having someone there that forced me to change up my routine gave me a lot of insight as to how I can do these exercises with or without a personal trainer.
Review of the Fitness Assessment
Overall, the experience was great! I left with (hopefully) better form and a new outlook on how to change up my workouts. Marshal made me feel comfortable, asked lots of questions to get to know my strengths and shortcomings, and I did not feel embarrassed when he had to correct my form. He made great recommendations for me specifically that I now incorporate into my weekly routine. The whole process was beneficial for me, and it is something that I’d recommend to anyone starting out at Elite, whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie.
So what are you waiting for?! Sign up for your FREE fitness assessment today!
Set up a Free Fitness ConsultationWritten by Amanda Grauman, Marketing Intern at Elite Sports Clubs