Private Fitness Assessment

A private fitness assessment evaluates your current levels of fitness. This can help provide you with a baseline from which you can create a bespoke training plan to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. It can also help identify underlying health issues you may not be aware of.

During a fitness assessment, you will undergo a series of tests to measure your:

• Heart rate - before and after exercise
• The percentage of oxygen in your blood
• Your VO2 Max cardiovascular score

Heart rate measurement

Testing your heart rate provides insights into your resting heart rate as well as how well your heart recovers following exercise. During a private fitness assessment, your heart rate is tested at various points, usually at rest before exercise commences and after exercise. For most healthy adults, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. Generally, a lower resting heart rate is associated with more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.

Percentage of oxygen in blood measurement

The percentage of oxygen in your blood is measured during a fitness assessment, as this can provide a helpful indication of your physical fitness. Generally, the fitter you are, the better your body is at getting oxygen into the bloodstream. Blood oxygen level is usually measured as a percentage and should ideally range between 95 to 100%.

VO2 Max cardiovascular measurement

Your VO2 Max cardiovascular score is also assessed during a fitness assessment, as this is widely accepted as the best measure of cardiovascular fitness and endurance. A VO2 Max cardiovascular score measures how much oxygen your body uses while exercising. The more oxygen you inhale, the more energy your body can use and the higher your VO2 Max cardiovascular score. VO2 Max cardiovascular score can be especially helpful for people planning to take on endurance events like a marathon or triathlon.

A private fitness assessment can be beneficial for anyone looking to learn more about their fitness. It can provide vital insights into existing fitness levels and in some circumstances, help identify underlying health issues.

A fitness assessment can be especially helpful for people who:

• Feel fatigued or light-headed after exercise
• Feel tired or lethargic upon waking up in the morning
• Get short of breath from day-to-day activities like walking up the stairs
• Experience pain or discomfort during gentle exercise
• Know heart disease runs in the family
• Are returning to exercise after a break
• Are taking on a specific fitness or endurance challenge, like a marathon or triathlon

Our private fitness assessment involves having a series of tests before and after a Step Test exercise to assess your general fitness level.

The Step Test is designed to measure a person’s aerobic fitness. You are required to step up and down a step for three minutes to increase your heart rate so that your fitness can be assessed.

During the assessment, we measure your heart rate, the percentage of oxygen in your blood, and how well your body utilises oxygen, known as a VO2 Max cardiovascular score.

Measuring your heart rate

Your heart rate is measured at rest before you start the Step Test and again after you complete it. This ensures you get a reading of your resting heart rate and how well your heart recovers following exercise. Generally, healthy adults have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. A lower resting heart rate is associated with more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.

Measuring the oxygen in your blood during exercise

The percentage of oxygen in your blood is measured using a pulse oximeter, a device that attaches to your finger and measures how much oxygen is in your blood. The device is worn during the test to assess how your oxygen levels change in response to exercise. Blood oxygen level is usually measured as a percentage and should ideally range between 95 to 100%.

Need help? Call free on 0800 652 2183 to speak to one of our team.