Would anyone drive a car without checking to see if they have gas, air in their tires and their brakes are working? No. You would never drive your car over any sustainable distance without knowing these key metrics. How come you do this in your fitness and training?
This is a really good question and I have made this mistake many of times. In fitness or training, we walk into a gym and just start picking up weights and you wonder why you have aches, pains, and injuries. This reason is why THP created a checklist or Performance Screen. We want to ensure that the individualized program design is right for you and your goals. The movements, exercises, lifts, and conditions fit you.
The first step is to understand your background. This part is called the Lifestyle Goals Screen. This screen gives the THP team valuable information on your health, goals, development background, and your communication style. We start this process with a detailed form to streamline the process. Once we receive your form or information, we set a time to go through the questions to get a deeper understanding of you.
The second step is evaluating your health or Body Composition Screen. This screen is way deeper than just your body composition or muscle and fat ratio, we are also looking for how you are handling stress. Stress is one of the top precursors of increased body fat and weight. Stress leads to low sleep that skews the hormone level that contributes to weight gain or muscle loss. Before we discuss your movement and fitness, we need to understand your lifestyle and health status. Poor movement, injuries, and increased inflammation can all be stimulated from stress levels. To move without pain or without limitations, you must be healthy enough to move well which will lead to moving more often.
The third step is learning how you move. If we don't screen your movement, you could be in a bad position with the wrong training program at the wrong time. This logic is why we screen movement first before fitness screening. The movement screen that THP uses is called FMS, Function Movement Screen. FMS takes your through 7 developmental patterns or functional patterns to give insights to movement literacy. We are looking to see if you can achieve the right body positions to create patterns. These patterns and positions that lead to functional movements like a squat, lunge or stepping patterns which have certain standards. Now you don't have to be perfect in the FMS, just efficient enough to add fitness or the ability to repeat these patterns under load and duration. This movement screen step is the most missed step in evaluating fitness and deciding on the best individualized training program for you. If you can pass the movement screen to acceptable standards, it is now the right time to assess your fitness level and how well you perform functional movements under stress.
The fourth step is gaining knowledge of your fitness level. The fitness screen differs based on your needs, wants and goals. We are not going to test an athlete in a certain sport the same way we are going to test a person who is trying to get fit. Each person has different goals and demands on their performance. The fitness screen has standards for each person and has components that are similar like strength, power, endurance and work capacity. It is vital to get a baseline on your fitness to create the right amount of training at the right intensity level to see your progress. If we are not setting a baseline and measuring it, how do you know if your training program is working?
Lastly, we need to understand your performance level for your goals and to develop long lasting sustainability. You must be able to endure the wear and tear that you are putting on your body. Also, you should not just be surviving in life or sport, but thriving to new levels. Performance is a value part in developing a resilient, sustainable, and adaptable you. If you clear the performance screen as well as the other screens, you are going to have long lasting success and happiness in your individualized training program. You have true enjoyment in the process of optimizing your human performance because you are doing it well.
Now, I am sure you are thinking that this performance screening process is not you. You are not the only one thinking this idea. Let me ask you this question... what if the performance screen process will give you the training plan that will unlock your potential? Would it be right for you now? Don't wait until you are fit enough to get started. Now is your time to start the process and become aware of what you have been missing to ignite your passion and human performance. THP not only has an amazing team, but a community to support, inspire and motivate you to new levels. Reach out and book a performance screen with the THP Team.
