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Do you measure up?

Do you measure up?

MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release - 4 August 2015

It’s fair to say that moving more rather than less is always a good outcome regardless of what it is and how often it’s done - no need to measure that.

But for most of you there are other benefits you seek when choosing how you exercise, from how often, what style and what intensity. Your reasons for exercising may be aesthetic improvements, a reduction in negative health issues, a faster time in a race or being able to play a sports game better.

This is where making sure you are measuring how well your exercise programme is doing it’s job through regular exercise testing comes in.
Using an appropriate range of exercise testing can make sure you are on track to your intended results and to offer guidance if your workout needs to be adjusted.

Those new to exercise often fear exercise testing, as they are afraid it’s going to show exactly how ‘unfit’ they are. There is no need for this fear, the type of tests that are used for beginner exercisers can be novice-friendly and non-invasive and while the initial results may not be what you want to hear the retesting done after you have exercised for a period of time will be. And that’s what testing is all about.

For regular exercisers and those working at a more advanced level exercise testing also makes sense. As you get fitter you can hit a plateau where the exercise you are doing is no longer getting you the results you once got. Targeted exercise testing can highlight areas that can be improved, and results can be tracked even if you cannot see or feel them as much as you did when you started.

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Exercise testing has benefits beyond just getting a measure of fitness so you can have your programme adjusted. Exercise testing can also motivate you; giving you feedback that your effort is being rewarded, it can also encourage accountability; if you know you are to be tested you are more likely to stick to your programme.

It’s worth mentioning that separate to these exercise tests are basic health testing and checks, these should be completed before you start exercising in order to ensure any exercise you do is safe for your current health status and also to allow for modifications if you have any illnesses or injuries. While trainers have a range of exercise tests that you can choose to select from, when it comes to health screening, it’s not negotiable.

The range of exercise tests used ranges from highly technical tests done in a controlled setting through to easy tests you can do with your trainer on the spot, which ones you choose will depend on your needs.

The best place to start if you want to get some exercise tests done to monitor your results is with a registered trainer. One of the core skills every registered trainer will have is the ability to do a range of reliable exercise tests. Book an appointment and ask how exercise testing can help your exercise programme measure up.

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