The Three-Part Physical Assessment
The assessment session includes:
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OPEX Body: Body composition analysis to anchor the conversation in reality, not assumptions.
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OPEX Move: Movement screening to understand how the person moves, and what constraints matter for training design.
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OPEX Work: A simple work capacity test to observe approach, expression, pacing, and effort.
These are not random tests.
Each part links directly to how you’ll design the next block of training and lifestyle.
OPEX Work: What You’re Actually Testing
There is a common misconception that OPEX Work is an energy systems test. It isn’t.
It is a practical way to watch how a person approaches and expresses work, then decide what type of work they should get next.
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The test: 10 minutes on an Assault bike, accumulate as many calories as possible.
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What matters most: how they approach the work, not just the final number.
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Do they go out hot then crash?
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Do they know what high effort feels like?
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Can they sustain without falling apart?
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Can they pace?
The objective score helps with context and comparison.
Coaches using CoachRx can apply bodyweight conversions to make scores comparable across clients. But the top priority is the behavior you observe.
How OPEX Work Guides Program Design
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If someone cannot move non-stop for 60 minutes, they don’t need an aerobic progression yet. They need practice moving consistently, like walking daily, plus 2 to 3 days of resistance training.
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If a client sprints then nosedives by minute 3, teach pacing and gears. They may have a big engine but lack control.
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If a client is four minutes in and feels nauseous at a modest pace, they likely need more baseline movement before higher efforts.
Use the test to shape what comes next.
Assessment Builds Professionalism
A system that every client moves through creates trust.
People can feel when you’re winging it.
They can also feel when you have a process that adapts to them.
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It sets a strong first impression. Clients see value in one hour that many have never experienced before.
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It makes the service feel personal. You’re not guessing. You’re showing, explaining, and aligning.
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It lets you teach. Most people have seen body fat numbers or heart rate zones, but few have had a coach explain what those numbers mean in plain terms.
When you teach someone about their body in a way that makes sense, you lower anxiety and increase buy-in.
Challenge and Support: What Clients Actually Hire You For
Assessment surfaces discomfort. Some clients do not want to step on a body comp machine. Some resist work tests. Many coaches stop there. This is where your role matters.
A professional coach balances challenge and support. That balance looks different for each person.
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Challenge can be a hard effort on the bike or a calm set of questions about why someone is avoiding a test.
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Support can be slowing down the plan, reframing the numbers, or focusing on wins.
You are in a position of authority in this relationship.
With that comes responsibility.
You are guiding behavior change, from current habits to next best actions.
Assessment is one of the cleanest places to practice that balance.
Reassessment: Accountability for Coaches Too
Clients aren’t the only ones who feel nerves around reassessment.
Coaches do too. Six months in, what if the numbers did not move the way you hoped?
That is the point. Ongoing assessment is a mirror.
If a client is doing the work and not improving, the plan needs to change.
Use truth to adjust and move forward.
Make Your System Simple, Repeatable, and Useful
It’s easy to add more tests. It’s harder to remove noise.
The strongest advice from this week was to simplify.
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Keep what informs your design, remove what doesn’t.
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Make your intake, consultation, and assessment the same flow for everyone.
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Customize the conversation and priorities inside a consistent structure.
Over-assessing leads to a pile of data that never gets used.
Keep the pieces that directly connect to what you will program next.
What Coaches Can Implement This Week
If you’re following along outside the mentorship, use these steps to sharpen your own system:
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Write your two-day onboarding on one page. Intake, 60-minute consult, then one session for Body, Move, Work.
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Script your consult. List the 8 to 12 questions you must ask every time.
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Define your movement screen. Choose a small set of patterns you’ll always assess.
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Adopt the 10-minute Assault bike test. Record calories, pacing notes, perceived exertion, and any breaks.
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Set your reassessment cadence. Choose cycles when you’ll retest and how you’ll present results.
Keep it simple, repeatable, and tied to your design choices.
What’s Next Inside the Method
Next week moves into program design.
The focus starts with resistance training inside OPEX Gain, then aerobic training in OPEX Sustain, then anaerobic work in OPEX Pain. The series ends by putting it all together into daily, short-term, and long-term plans.
Expect clear examples, plus frameworks for building macro cycles that match the person in front of you.
If you want to follow the full mentorship and join an upcoming cohort, explore the OPEX Method mentorship.
Enrollment for the next cohort opens soon, you can apply and book time with the education team to see if it fits where you are in your coaching career.
Final Thoughts
Assessment is not a hoop, it’s a conversation with proof. It creates shared language, it tightens your design, and it invites clients into the process. Keep the system simple, use it with everyone, and let truth do its work for both you and your clients.
Want a nudge this week? Refine your onboarding to two days, then run it with your next new client.