As part of the LIVEIT. membership offering within The Gym Group, FitQuest is readily available for use by their members independently and with their trainers. As well as enabling personal trainers to track their clients’ progress, it can also assist by supporting the development of tailored programming. At FitQuest, we are always keen to hear how our users are progressing and being supported through their fitness journeys.
A bespoke training plan
One such story is that of Abbie Flemming, and her personal trainer Barbara Veloso. Abbie joined The Gym Manchester at the start of 2018 to help manage her genetic health condition, Charcot Marie Tooth disease, to help her increase her weight, muscle strength and improve her energy levels. Charcot Marie Tooth is a condition that affects the peripheral nerves of the body – these are the nerves outside of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It is also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. The condition causes muscle weakness, particularly in the arms and legs and as a progressive condition, it can make everyday tasks challenging.
‘This disease makes it really difficult to gain muscle. My ankles are extremely weak and so are my hands. It isn’t great when you’re a 25-year-old girl who wants to wear high heels! I also cannot open bottles and struggle to grip onto the weights when I am in the gym. I didn’t realise how much it effected my body until I started going to the gym and realised I couldn’t do a lot of the exercises. Barbara has been very understanding and has really helped me gain my confidence with exercising.’
Abbie.
Measuring progress with FitQuest
Charcot Marie Tooth was not a condition Barbara was familiar with prior to working with Abbie and as a result of some thorough research and discussion with physiotherapists, Barbara was able to develop a comprehensive training plan which catered for Abbie’s needs, making adjustments to the exercises based on what Abbie was capable of and supporting her to improve her technique in activities that are impacted by her muscle weakness in her hands and ankles and collapsed arches in her feet.
FitQuest BIA was installed in The Gym Manchester in March, and Abbie has been using the machine to measure her progress every two weeks alongside her trainer, Barbara. One of the benefits they have both found as a result of using FitQuest regularly is being able to accurately track progress so they can both see improvements,, helping to keep Abbie motivated.
‘Even when there are some weeks when I feel like I haven’t achieved much in my training sessions, I can see the results on the graph on FitQuest,’ Abbie said.
From a trainer’s perspective, Barbara uses the FQscore portal to track Abbie’s progress. ‘It’s great that everything is computerised so I can track everything digitally, with an easy to use interface. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend FitQuest to other trainers and gym members or class attendees. I use it to track my own training and love how easy it is to see how I’m progressing’.
The right kind of weight gain
Due to her health condition, Abbie has really struggled to increase her weight and gain muscle while training on her own over the last 5 years. Even small increases can be a real challenge and as a result of her workouts with Barbara, with a particular focus on strength training, she has been able to increase her weight with a corresponding increase in muscle mass.
‘I can track Abbie’s weight gain, and most importantly, what kind of weight it is that she has gained. She initially came to me asking for dietary guidance as she was finding it hard to gain weight, but with the right calorie intake and strength training she is now gaining 1kg every 2 weeks. FitQuest has shown that this increase is in muscle mass which helps us stay at ease knowing that it’s not body fat. We know we’re on the right track with her training’,
Barbara.
Increased confidence and energy levels
Working with a trainer has given Abbie the confidence to try new exercises and equipment, both with Barbara and independently. As a result, Abbie has noticed a significant increase in her energy levels too.
Both Barbara and Abbie are keen to continue using FitQuest and see it as a crucial part of their training and programming. Barbara uses FitQuest to support all of her personal training clients as it helps them to understand where they can improve their fitness and records their progress over the duration of their training with her.
‘It’s a great way to help me track my client’s progress with regular testing in their first session and every 2 weeks after that. It clearly records where they are at the start of their training and helps them track their progress towards their goals. I’ve been able to achieve consistent decreases in body fat percentage and increases in muscle mass by utilising metabolic resistance training and other strength training protocols with my clients and it’s fantastic to be able to prove how effectively their training is working with our tests every two weeks’,
Barbara.
To follow Barbara and find out more about the training methods she uses and how FitQuest plays a part in supporting her clients, follow her on Instagram @barbsfit.pt and on Facebook @youvsyou.mcr.
To learn more about FitQuest, contact our support team and follow us on our social media handles for all the latest news and information.
