The Importance of Assessments

In my experience, a comprehensive assessment is crucial before designing any fitness program. It's like building a house – you wouldn't start construction without a solid foundation, right? Similarly, understanding your individual movement patterns and potential limitations through an assessment allows us to build a safe and effective training plan tailored to your specific needs or limitations.

That's why the Overhead Squat Assessment (OHSA) is my starting point. It's a full-body movement that reveals a wealth of information in a relatively short amount of time. By observing how you perform the OHSA, I can gain insights into your:

• Shoulder mobility: Can you comfortably reach your arms overhead and maintain proper posture throughout the squat?

• Core strength: Does your core engage to stabilize your spine during the movement?

• Hip mobility: Do your hips have enough range of motion to allow for a deep squat with proper form?

• Knee joint alignment: Do your knees track properly over your toes as you squat down?

• Ankle mobility: Can your ankles dorsiflex (bend forward) enough to achieve a full squat with your heels flat on the ground?

The OHSA essentially acts as a movement screen, highlighting any deviations from ideal mechanics. These deviations can be caused by tightness in certain muscles, weakness in others, or even limitations in joint mobility. Addressing these issues through targeted flexibility and resistance training becomes the foundation of your personalized program.

Think of it this way: by correcting these underlying imbalances, we're essentially creating a strong foundation for your fitness journey. This not only helps you move more efficiently and effectively during your workouts, but it also helps to prevent injuries down the road. So, the OHSA might seem like a simple squat at first glance, but the information it reveals is key to building a program that gets you the results you desire, safely and efficiently.