Assessments ......Do we really have to?

So your probably thinking this part is going to read something like ......"tape measurements of waist, hips, thighs, chest and arms, BMI, Blood Pressure, Pre health questionnaire and your weight and height ....."Well yes we do need this information (what all the Boot Camps do; but were NOT A BOOT CAMP). So at Peak Physique we take it much deeper than that because you want far greater results in the long term and not just for 5 days during your stay at Hargate Hall.

Upon arrival and ready for your induction, you will hand in your pre attendance questionnaires, any relevant medical notes and doctors Notes if applicable, plus a completed 2 weeks food diary and lifestyle questionnaire for our Nutritionist and Zoe Whitby the Life Coach to analyse.

During the first exercise workshop of the day, Hayley and Mike will screen and assess each one of you. Observations and notes will be taken on your Posture, Flexibility, Range of Movement, Coordination, Strength, Balance and Fitness noting any significant Muscular Imbalances and Limitations.

So Why is it important to do such in-depth screening and fitness assessments?

Let's look at just one common scenario.

You wake up in the morning and if you're good you sit down and have your breakfast.  You then sit in your car to get to work.  You sit behind a desk in the office using a computer for several hours.  Your day is finished and you drive home sitting in your car and again if you're good you travel straight to the gym.  You follow the same gym routine/exercise program you have been doing for the last 6 months.  Warm up on the bike, then you start a series of machine weight baring exercises such as leg extension, shoulder press, vertical row, hamstring curl, all of which are “sit in machines” and to finish off your workout you do 100 sit ups on an abdominal cruncher.  You may stretch but usually this takes no longer than 3 minutes so you shower, change, get back into your car, get home, sit down for tea, and then sit in front of the television, then off to bed.

Just in case the penny hasn't dropped yet – SITTING is mentioned a few times.  This is a classic scenario of a lot of people living each day of their lives.  These habits would contribute to poor postural habits, as sitting is a repetitive movement, which has consequences to your overall posture.  If your technique in the gym is less than perfect, (which if you are not aware of what your everyday activity is doing to your muscle and skeletal system and doing appropriate stretches/corrective strengthening exercises to counterbalance this effect) then there is a good chance you start to get little niggles/injuries for no apparent reason.  Maybe they are in your groin, knee, hip, lower back, neck or even shoulder.  Does this sound like you? 

So you have poor postural habits, repetitive movements, and now an injury. This injury stops you from training with optimal technique (it just hurts your back too much if you try and squat), so you have then developed poor training techniques and you start sticking with upper body (mostly) exercises because they hurt less.  There are plenty of other scenarios as well that contribute to muscle imbalance.

At Peak Physique we will ask you to complete lifestyle and health questionnaires prior to attending your course.  We will also assess each one of you upon arrival during your induction.  This is so that you get the very best prescribed exercises that will help correct poor postural habits, decrease injury and prevent further injury, plus tone, shape and increase your fitness, that you probably will not have benefited from before in your local gym induction.  All Warm Up Functional Exercises, Main Programme Exercises and Cool Down Flexibility protocols will be available in your post course material, all of which will have safe and effective progressive exercises and tips to sustain and increase your fitness, health, flexibility well beyond your 5 day stay.