MEASURING UP

A successful personal training program also includes good record keeping.

Taking your body's measurements once a month enable you to keep tabs on the effects that exercise has on your body and allows you to stay focused on your goals.

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The best way to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise on your body is by having a Body Composition Assessment.

In short, this is a test that determines what percentage of your body is made up of lean muscle and what percentage is made up of fat.

By recording the results of this test you are able to keep track of how much body fat you have lost and how much muscle mass you gained.

The most accurate of these tests is Hydrostatic Weighing. This involves being submersed in a tank of water and having the percentage of body fat calculated from the body's weight in and out of the water. Although highly accurate, this test can be expensive and somewhat impractical to the average person.

The next best things are the Skin Fold Test, which can be performed by a certified personal trainer and the increasingly popular Bioelectrical Impedance devices which electronically measures the body's lean and fatty tissues.

By recording and analyzing the results of a Body Composition Assessment you and/or your trainer can best determine the next course of action in your properly designed fitness program.

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