Client Intake: Principles Guide Decisions

MEASURING MOVEMENT FOR ONGOING CLIENT PROGRESSION

By Dr. Lee Burton

Clients have two main goals when they join a gym. They want to feel better and they want to look better. Both are directly related to their quality of movement and quality of life. They want to feel good enough to do the daily activities that they enjoy, and that includes working out.

Alloy is one of the most successful gyms and personal training systems in the United States. Between their flagship location in Roswell, Georgia, and their hundreds of licensees worldwide, Alloy delivers countless training sessions each year. Meeting their clients’ goals and keeping them safe is their priority. Before the first drop of sweat is formed, each client undergoes a Functional Movement Screen. The Screen is integral to Alloy’s philosophy and allows them to build appropriate programs for every fitness level.

When looking to build a system, Rick Mayo and his Alloy team looked for a tool that was simple enough that all staff members could perform it but, that was also backed by research.

According to Alloy founder Rick Mayo, their ability to diagnose dysfunction in a client’s movement pattern with the FMS and tailor training plans accordingly is a major key to their success. Rick goes on to add:

“You have to have a way to measure movement and it has to be part of ongoing client progressions. FMS gives us this ability. It’s probably underestimated most in its ability to sell personal training.

Eighty-seven per cent of new members EXPECT some type of fitness consultation upon joining a new gym and when we get to the end of our one-hour sales process and we’ve done the FMS, we can now make a prescriptive sale.

The penetration of people who participate in fitness is maybe up a percent or two.

Maybe. The competition is up 300 per cent in that same market. How are you going to differentiate yourself? How about you do something on the front end that says ‘You are important to us as an individual.’ That’s one of the things I love about the screen.

If you’re not running some type of movement measurement or assessment then how can you solve 50 per cent of the goals that walk into the gym? You can’t.”

The first principle of Functional Movement Systems is to protect the individual in front of you. If someone comes to your gym and gets hurt after a session or two, they are not going to come back. That is not good for you, or them. You do not want to take someone who cannot move and stick them in a high-energy fitness class. Exercise under the wrong guidance is a risk factor for an injury, and it should not be.

The Functional Movement Screen is designed to give the feedback needed to create custom programs in 10 minutes or less. This allows staff to optimize client training by removing the roadblocks that prevent individuals from reaching their goals. Improved client outcomes are sure to lead to increased retention and referrals.

Learn more about Functional Movement Screen Certification at info. functionalmovement.com/FMSLevel1

FMS Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Lee Burton, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS, has presented internationally on numerous sports medicine and performance topics. Lee consults with a wide variety of organizations and individuals including the Cooper and Mayo Clinics on injury prevention and performance enhancement.