Campus Rec Services Aim to 'Pump You Up'

By Chad Austin, News Services 

After struggling to the finish of the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach two weeks ago, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "This isn't what I'm supposed to look like after running a marathon!"

With summer fast approaching, I knew that I needed to drop the 15 extra pounds I'd put on during the cold, winter months.

Tired of trying to figure out what to do on my own and knowing that Campus Recreation now offers an array of new services like fitness assessments and personal training sessions, I decided to seek help from the fitness professionals here on campus.

I showed up for my initial assessment and was greeted by Michael, the personal trainer I'll be working with over the next few weeks. After filling out some paperwork and exchanging pleasantries, Michael asked me about my goals.

Bicep strength (or lack thereof) is one of the areas measured during fitness assessments offered through Campus Recreation.

"I want you to make me look like The Rock," I said optimistically.

Michael shot a glance at my stomach, instinctively sensing the weakest link in my fitness plan. "We have to be realistic," he said.

Quickly falling back on plan B, I replied, "OK, then make me look good in a swim suit."

Michael then put me through a battery of tests, starting with weight, resting heart rate and blood pressure checks. Then out came the dreaded calipers to determine what percentage of the 175.3 pounds on my 5-foot-8 frame was flabby body fat. "The calipers don't lie," intoned my co-worker David, who had tagged along to help document my assessment for the Bulletin.

After recording skinfold measurements from my chest, abdomen and thigh, the trusty computer let me know that my body fat percentage was 19.8 percent, in the "fair" range for someone my age and height. I was surprised (and excited) to learn from the computer-generated report given to me at the conclusion of my assessment that I would only need to lose four pounds of fat to move into the "fit" category, which is recommended for optimum health.

The assessment didn't end with the body composition analysis. Michael put me through the paces in two areas I feared – strength and flexibility. The bicep strength test revealed what I already knew and what I knew bodybuilders Hans and Franz from Saturday Night Live fame would tell me... that I had the strength of a "girlie man." My flexibility score was even worse, measuring a measly 23 on a scale of 62.

The final phase of the assessment tested my aerobic fitness, an area I felt like I'd score well in because of the running I do. Even if I'd slipped some over the winter, I still felt like I had a good base to draw from. So Michael strapped a heart-rate monitor on me, and I jumped on the stationary bike as the computer recorded my heart rhythms and cadence as the intensity level gradually increased.

At the conclusion of the assessment, Michael printed out my "Fitness Profile," which provided a snapshot of my scores in each category – aerobic fitness, body fat, strength, resting heart rate, blood pressure, and flexibility. The snapshot noted where my scores in each category rated on a scale ranging from "needs work" to "excellent." Based on the data, the program also computed a total fitness score.

My assessment revealed that flexibility is another area whee I need work... lots of it.

As Michael reviewed the results with me, I was surprised to learn that despite ranking in the "excellent" range in aerobic fitness, resting heart rate, and blood pressure, my overall fitness score rated only in the "fair" range, hurt, no doubt by low scores in body fat ("fair"), strength ("needs work") and flexibility ("needs work").

"A lot of people don't think about flexibility when it comes to overall fitness," Michael reassured me. "And that's what this assessment is for, to give you a baseline so you'll know where you are and what you need to work on."

And now Michael is going to put me to work. I'll begin working with him as soon as he helps develop a personalized workout plan for me based on my fitness analysis and goals. I'll be retested again in about five weeks and again at 10 weeks, and I plan to keep Bulletin readers informed along the way. Hopefully, writing about my progress will also give me some extra incentive and motivation to stick to my workout.

Working with Michael might not make me as strong as The Rock or as flexible as Mary Lou Retton, but the assessment certainly revealed the areas I've neglected and need to improve upon. After all, the calipers, and the numbers, don't lie.

Want to get in shape but don't know where to start? Consider scheduling a fitness assessment or personal training sessions right here on campus at the Carmichael Recreation Center. More details and information is available on the Campus Recreation Web site. Also, watch the Bulletin in the coming weeks for information on how readers can have an opportunity to win free specialty services from Campus Recreation such as fitness assessments, personal training or massage sessions. Stay tuned for details.