Blog: Musings of a Boxing Fitness Coach

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The Health Commitment Statement (HCS)

The Health Commitment Statement (HCS) is a form used during gym sign-up that formalizes the balance of responsibility for health and wellbeing between the gym/trainer and the participant, evolving from the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q). The HCS clearly lists mutual obligations, such as the facility's commitment to providing safe equipment and qualified trainers, and the participant's commitment to exercising within their abilities and seeking medical advice for pre-existing conditions.

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Units of Fitness

Fitness is measured across several specific components, with quantifiable units used to track and assess progress in areas like Strength, Speed, Stamina, and Suppleness (flexibility). Strength is measured in weight (e.g., kilograms or 1RM), Speed as distance over time (e.g., km/h), Stamina as time duration or repetitions, and Suppleness in degrees of joint range of motion (often using a goniometer), while Skill is judged subjectively based on sport-specific criteria like clean punches and ring generalship.

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Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ)

Personal trainers minimize risk to clients by using a standardized health screen, such as the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), which determines whether a client needs medical clearance before beginning an exercise program. If a client answers 'yes' to any question, the trainer must use professional judgment to decide if a sensitive, documented referral to a medical professional is necessary to ensure the client receives appropriate guidance, contraindications, or specialized exercise referral.

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How to Run a Group Induction

Fitness professionals conduct a group induction to introduce new clients to the gym environment and equipment safely, focusing on six key objectives: preparing the space, welcoming the group, conducting a verbal health screen, providing essential health and safety guidance, outlining the workout, and maintaining professionalism. The induction involves a structured session that guides clients through the five stages of a workout while checking for prior injuries or conditions via a verbal screen.

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Post-Workout Stretches

Enhance your recovery and flexibility with these post-workout stretches. Discover the best stretches to perform after a workout to help reduce muscle soreness, improve mobility, and enhance your overall fitness in this informative post. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced exerciser, this post has something for everyone looking to improve their post-workout routine and feel better after exercise.

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Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretching, which involves moving a limb through its full range of motion, is an essential component of a boxing training program, improving flexibility, fluid movement, and punching power in the ring. Examples of these movements include the Diagonal Chest Opener and Inchworms for the upper body, and Leg Swings and Forward/Side Lunges for the hips and legs, all performed to prepare the muscles for high-intensity exercise.

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Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ)

The Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ) is a screening tool used by fitness professionals to gather essential information about a client's training history and personal exercise preferences, distinguishing it from the health-focused PAR-Q. The PAQ's purpose is to ensure the trainer sets appropriate and enjoyable exercises by asking questions about prior experience, frequency of activity, favourite and least favourite movements, and engagement in external sports or dance.

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General Health and Safety

As part of general health and safety duties, fitness instructors must perform routine checks across three areas: Cleanliness and Hygiene (C&H), Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), and Risk Assessment (RA). The goal is to ensure a safe environment through daily cleaning checklists and proper client conduct, safely handle cleaning substances using appropriate PPE and disposal methods (COSHH), and systematically identify and mitigate potential workplace hazards (RA).

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Smart Goals Made Wise

The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) model is a valuable, instrumental framework for transforming vague fitness aspirations like "get fit" into concrete, actionable steps. However, to address its limitation in guiding intrinsic values like "goodness" or "happiness," the post suggests adding WISE criteria: Why is it valuable, are your Intentions sincere, are you willing to Strive for it despite limitations, and is it based on Endless timeless values.

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NAMSET: Clear Introductions to Technique

Improve your coaching with the NAMSET technique, a proven method for clear and effective instruction. Discover the key principles of NAMSET and how to use them to improve your communication and help your clients master new techniques in this informative post. Whether you're a personal trainer or a coach, this post is a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their coaching skills and get better results from their clients.

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Educational Objectives

Educational objectives are classified by Bloom’s Taxonomy into three domains — Cognitive (mental skills), Affective (attitudes/values), and Psychomotor (physical skills) — providing a structured framework for teaching and learning. This taxonomy allows coaches, such as in boxing, to design comprehensive training programs by targeting specific goals within each domain, from basic knowledge to developing characterization and mastering skilled movements.

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Primary Movements

Primary movements, including pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, and carrying, are fundamental, essential movements that form the foundation for overall physical health and specialized boxing skills. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) classifies these movements into five categories: bend-and-lift, single-leg, pushing, pulling, and rotational.

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How to Run a Consultation

A comprehensive fitness consultation involves three stages - Paperwork, Static Measurements, and Dynamic Measurements - to gather all necessary client information before creating an exercise plan. This process ensures client safety and readiness through health screening (PAR-Q, BP, RHR), clarifies expectations (HCS, IC), establishes goals (SMART), and sets a movement baseline by assessing fundamental patterns like squatting, lunging, and hinging.

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Exercise Alphabet

The Exercise Alphabet is a practical list of bodyweight movements, from Arm Circles to Zig-zags, designed to facilitate fun and engaging fitness games, especially for kids sessions. This tool makes it easy for coaches to conduct challenges, like the 'Alphabet Challenge,' which teaches exercise names and provides a great 15-20 minute full-body workout.

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Range of Motion

What is the normal range of motion for each joint of the human body? Range of Motion (ROM) quantifies the distance and direction a joint can move, providing a critical baseline measurement for assessing physical capability. The normal ROM is precisely measured in degrees for major body segments, detailing everything from shoulder movement to lumbar spine flexion.

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The Anatomical Planes

Explore the anatomical planes of the human body with this informative post. Learn about the different planes of motion and how they are used to describe movement and positioning in the body. Whether you're a personal trainer or simply interested in learning more about the human body, this post is a great starting point for understanding the fundamental principles of anatomy and physiology.

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Warming Up with The Borg Scale

The Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a numerical tool, ranging from 6 (No Exertion) to 20 (Maximal Exertion), used by coaches and athletes to subjectively gauge the intensity of their warm-up and training sessions. This scale is cleverly linked to heart rate, as multiplying the RPE score by 10 gives a decent estimate of the user's actual heart rate, with the target for a proper warm-up being 13 ("Somewhat Hard") to reach the target heart rate zone.

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4 Health Measures

Fitness professionals rely on four basic measurements — Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure (BP), Resting Heart Rate (RHR), and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) — to broadly assess an individual's health and risk for metabolic complications. These simple metrics provide essential starting points for a training program and offer clear data on the effectiveness of lifestyle changes over time.

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The Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an inexpensive and easy screening tool used to determine a healthy body weight by calculating the ratio of weight (in kilograms) to height (in meters squared). While a basic measure with an ideal range of 18.5 to 24.9, BMI has limitations because it does not measure body composition and may inaccurately classify highly muscular athletes as overweight or obese.

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