Brook Adams

November 30, 2015

Case Scenario #1
HL 295
Please type your response in paper format, double spaced. When creating your
exercise program, you may use charts or tables. Paper should include questions
and detailed answers and should be 6-8 pages in length. Citing is not necessary as
it will be assumed that all of the information obtained will be from the NSCA
Essentials of Personal Training text.
You have just been contacted via telephone by Jane Doe, a 40 year old
female who would like to meet with you to discuss the possibilities of
obtaining your personal training services. Please describe the
consultation process that you will use. (Client-trainer compatibility should
be a main component here).
After being contacted by Jane Doe, I will first explain my credentials to her. I
will tell her I have a degree in Community Health Education from Northern Michigan
University and am a Certified Personal Trainer by the NSCA. I will also share my
mission statement, success rate, and unique features of my program. I will then ask
her about her past experiences, appreciate for exercise, time management, and
potential obstacles. After I will hopefully find us compatible (if not I will refer her to
a different personal trainer that I think will be a better fit) and we will schedule a
time for a fitness assessment.
After meeting with Jane, she has decided she would like you to be her
personal trainer. You have scheduled a fitness assessment with Jane for
the following day. Please describe what information you will need to tell
her to so that she is prepared for the assessment.
I will explain to Jane that in order to be prepared for the fitness test she should:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Get moderate rest (6-8 hours of sleep the night before)

Drink water to be properly hydrated
Avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages
Eat a small meal or snack 2-4 hours before the assesment
Wear loose-fitting clothing and athletic shoes for the assessment

I will also ask Jane to keep in mind some goals she has so we can make them official
and base her exercise program off of her specific goals.
Her goals are:
o

Lose 30 pounds

o
o
o
o
o
o

Decrease body fat

Increase overall health
Increase muscular strength and endurance
Increase mobility
Increased cardiovascular capacity
Better eating habits

Jane has arrived for her assessment. Which paperwork will you complete
with her and why? Based on her goals, which fitness tests will you
perform? Will nutrition advice be included in your assessment process?
Why or why not?
The first document I will explain, have her read, and sign will be the Personal
Training Contact Agreement. This will outline my program for Jane, the expectations
for her and myself, a time line, a payment process, and the cancellation policy. A
Physical Activity readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) will be the second document. This
will let me know if Jane is ready for physical activity or if she needs to see a
physician first. The third document is an Informed Consent form. This outlines the
risks and benefits of the program, confidentiality, responsibilities of Jane, and
acknowledgment and acceptance of the terms described. Lastly I will have Jane fill
out a Health and Medical Questionnaire. This will better help me gauge Janes
current health and work with her accordingly.
After looking at Janes goals, I have decided general fitness tests are all that
are required. She is not an athlete and her goals are relatively general. I will
conduct resting tests (i.e. blood pressure, weight, etc.), non-fatiguing tests (i.e.
flexibility), muscular strength tests (i.e. 3 RM bench press), local muscular tests (1
minute crunches), and a sub-max aerobic capacity test.
I will not include nutrition advice because that is out of the scope of my
certification. I will refer Jane to a nutritionist/dietitian that I believe could help her.
During the assessment, Jane explains to you that she suffers from anxiety,
stress and mild depression. How will you educate her regarding exercise
and its effects on these conditions?
I will explain that daily exercise has been proven to have a positive effect on
anxiety, stress, and mild depression. I will tell Jane that daily exercise will help her
feel less of the symptoms of these conditions and hopefully improve her overall
quality of life by doing so.
Explain to Jane some of the resistance and aerobic training adaptations
she can expect to see as a result of her training program. Why would it be
important to someone starting an exercise program to understand these
training adaptations?

I will explain to Jane that the first changes that will take place are small:
neurological responses, muscular changes, and endocrine changes. And that she
will not be likely to see physical changes until later as the program continues. It is
then that she will slowly notice more muscular strength, endurance, and power,
weight loss, and lower fat percentage. The aerobic training will also help her VO2
max increase, her blood pressure decrease, her resting heart rate decrease, have a
larger stroke volume, and greater cardiac output.
It is important to explain these adaptations so your client knows what is
happening in their body. This also will combat if the client has the idea that their
body is going to physically change right away. If they want to lose 10 pounds in the
first week, they need to know that is improbable but other great things are helping
their body.
During your assessment, you find the following:

Height: 62 inches
Weight: 180 lbs.
Body Fat: 30%
Blood pressure: 138/85 mmHg
Resting HR: 70
Upper body endurance: average
Lower body endurance: poor
Rockport walk test 18 minutes
Sit and reach: 16 inches

Jane has committed to training with you two days per week and three
times on her own. Based on your fitness testing and her stated goals,
what will be some of the short-term and long-term goals you will set at the
end of the assessment? Why is it important to set goals? What are some
important characteristics of goal setting?
Short Term:
1. Lower blood pressure (this one is especially important because she is
close to being hypertensive)
2. Increase lower body endurance (Rockport walk test)
Long Term:
1. Lose 35 pounds (Jane is obese according to the BMI scale. In order for her
to be in the healthy normal range, ideally she would lose 50 pounds.
However, the goal cannot be to dramatic as Jane is a beginner and change
will take a long time.
2. Decrease body fat percentage by 8%

Its important to have goals because it keeps the client motivated. Also one of the
main reasons people stop exercising after starting a program is because they are
not seeing results. But if a client has short term goals and is working to effectively
meet them, that gives them first hand proof of results and keeps them training.
Goals should be SMART:
Specific,
Measurable,
Attainable,
Realistic,
and Timely
Describe your resistance training program in detail and why you have
chosen this plan for this specific client. Jane is a beginner when it comes
to resistance training. Topics to include are:

Exercise choice
Frequency
Order
Load
Repetitions
Volume
Variation
Progression

Jane has poor lower body endurance. Therefore, I have created a lower body
workout focused on endurance. Testing for a 1RPM is not practical for Jane as
she is a novice and already has poor endurance. Therefore, one will be
estimated.
Exercise Type Frequency
Intensity/Loa Repetitions
Sets
d
Squat
2-3 times per
50% 1RPM
10-15
3
week
Leg press
2-3 times per
50% 1RPM
10-15
3
week
Lunges
2-3
Body weight
10-15
3
Leg Curl
2-3 times per
50% 1 RPM
10-15
3
week

Jane will also have an upper body workout. She has average endurance so
her workout will focus on strengthening (in accordance with her goals to increase
muscular strength). Again, a 1RPM will be estimated.
Exercise Type

Frequency

Chest Press or
Dumbbell
Bent-Arm Fly*
Seated Row

1-2 times per

week

Intensity/Loa
d
70% 1RPM

Repetitions

Sets

1-2 times per

70% 1RPM
8
2
week
Bicep Low
1-2 times per
70% 1RPM
8
2
Pulley Curl
week
Tricep
1-2 times per
70% 1 RPM
8
2
Pushdown
week
*I used or as an option for Jane. If she is efficacious enough to do a bench press I
will coach her through the technique as it is a great core lift to target many muscles.
However, if she feels uncomfortable with the bench press, a dumbbell fly will also
work a similar area.

Although Jane does have average upper body endurance, we still want to improve
from there. As such I also created an endurance based workout.
Exercise Type

Frequency

Chest Press or
Dumbbell
Bent-Arm Fly*
Lat Pull down

2-3 times per

week

Dumbbell
Bicep Curl
Dumbbell
Tricep
Extension

2-3 times per

week
2-3 times per
week
2-3 times per
week

Intensity/Loa
d
50% 1RPM

Repetitions

Sets

10-15

50% 1RPM

10-15

50% 1RPM

10-15

50% 1 RPM

10-15

For both lower and upper body workouts, the load should increase as Jane finds the
exercises getting easier.
Describe your cardiovascular plan in detail and why you have chosen this
plan for this specific client. Topics to include are:
Exercise mode

Exercise intensity
Exercise duration
Exercise progression
Which types of aerobic training programs will you choose? Why?

Mode:
Walking, swimming, or jogging
Intensity 70-80% estimated maximum oxygen uptake
:
Duration 30 to 60 minutes
:
Frequenc 3 days a week (because she is a beginnerafter a few weeks this can
y:
be reevaluated and increased to 4 to 5 days a week)
Jane is an untrained beginner and as such will start with an improvement program.
This program will be focused on endurance as that is where Jane is weak and should
be improved first.
Jane would like to set up an exercise area at her home. What are some
SPECIFIC guidelines and recommendations you could give her regarding
which equipment to purchase and the logistics of setting up an exercise
area?
I would advise her to be sure there is adequate space, flooring, and air circulation. I
would also advise for her to have a way to block off the area from children or pets.
They may injure themselves out of curiosity of what the equipment does or wanting
to play on it. I would also inform her that equipment should be kept on the
perimeter of the room and allow space to move within. I cannot recommend any
brands of equipment, but I will give them the heads up that exercise equipment is
expensive. I would recommend a treadmill or stationary bike or some form of cardio
equipment, a set of dumbbells, and an exercise ball. These are all equipment that is
easy to find and use. However, I would be sure to tell her she can ask me any
questions about how to use the equipment and proper form. She is a beginner and I
do not want her to hurt herself at home by trying something new that she may not
know how to do.
How would your overall approach to the program change if Jane was 30
years old and 3 months pregnant?
A very important factor is that Jane is considered by the BMI scale to be obese. This
may be a contraindication to exercise that needs to be evaluated by a physician
before participation in exercise.
If cleared for exercise, the resistance and cardiovascular programs would be
changed to reflect a less weight bearing program. I would also have to keep a
closer eye on Janes blood pressure as she is already almost hypertensive. Also
within this stage of pregnancy it is likely Janes body temperature will be hotter than

usual. I would recommend she drinks a lot of water before, during, and after
exercise.