ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR TRACKING PROGRESS

Tracking progress is essential to our success because if we are setting out with the goal of muscle gain or fat loss: we are going to need metrics to determine whether or not we are following through with that goal. Below are assessment tools that will assist you in measuring and tracking your body composition and progress. Be aware that each assessment tool has its strengths, weaknesses, and varies in its level of precision and reliability.

TOOL #1: WEIGHT SCALE

The weight scale is a common and simple tool to utilize for tracking progress. However, it is extremely common to see people develop an unhealthy relationship with the scale and create an attachment to specific numbers. While it is normal to have this tendency to strive toward being a certain weight: it is encouraged to avoid any kind of emotional attachment to numbers on the scale as they are only data points.

Weight gain on the scale could mean many different things including:

• Pure fat gain

• Pure muscle gain

• A combination of fat gain and muscle gain

Nonetheless: changes in body weight are easy to track and when combined with the other assessment tools outlined below, valuable insights and estimations are achieved.

Using The Weight Scale: It is recommended to track your body weight for 4 to 7 days per week at the same time of day. Also, aim to use a digital scale that is sensitive enough to measure in 0.2 pound increments. With 4 to 7 body weight measurements per week: you can calculate a weekly average and then compare that weekly average to other weekly averages to determine whether your weight is trending up or down over time. For the most accurate weigh-ins: it is suggested to weigh yourself as soon as you wake up, after using the bathroom, and before drinking any water or eating any food. It is important to understand that daily weight fluctuations are completely normal. This can be due to many variables including stress levels, water intake, sodium intake, carbohydrate intake, food volume, prior training, menstrual cycle for women, and bowel movements.

TOOL #2: MEASURING TAPE

A measuring tape can be used to obtain important pieces of information: waist circumference and other body part measurements including chest, shoulders, arms, legs, and calves.

Waist Circumference: A waist measurement will help indicate whether or not fat is being lost. For example: if your body weight is increasing and your waist circumference is decreasing, that is a highly reliable sign that you are building muscle while losing fat. To ensure consistency when taking waist measurements: measure at the belly button or the smallest site on your waist. Most importantly, be consistent with the measurement location over time. To avoid fluctuations due to water retention: it is suggested to take waist circumference measurements once per week on the same day.

Other Body Part Measurements: When taking body part measurements: measure at the largest site on the muscle. For the legs, arms, and calves, be sure to record both a left and a right measurement. This will allow you to track any asymmetry and thereby modify your training to correct for imbalances. Similar to the weight scale: realize that body part measurements are not a perfect science. For instance, many of these measurements may decrease despite a gain in muscle to the area as this may happen if you lose more fat than add muscle to that area. Overall, this information can be used to complement the body weight and waist measurements. Body part measurements can be taken every one to three months when assessing muscular progress on specific areas and weak points.

TOOL #3: PROGRESS PHOTOS

Rather than constantly checking yourself in the mirror which can lead to false and inaccurate assessments: it is recommended to take progress photos at regular time intervals with consistent lighting and camera setup.

Same Time and Location: Take photos at the same time and location each week: this helps with consistency

Fasted: Photos are to be taken fasted: in the morning before food and fluid and after going to the bathroom if possible. A fasted physique is more reliable for making assessments and minimizes the influence of foods and fluids which can impact appearance

Lighting: Take photos in natural light by facing sunlight and placing the camera between you and a window. Otherwise, take photos with lighting in front of you such as bathroom lights

Camera: Selfies and poorly lit photos are not ideal. The camera should be ~6 feet away from you and at waist height. Only capture the head to feet in different poses and use a self-timer or record a video and take screenshots

It is recommended to take progress photos one to four times monthly!

SUMMARY

Comprehensively, each of these assessment tools is convenient to use and can provide valuable insights for tracking progress and making sure you are on target with your desired fitness goals!