ASSESS LIKE AN

OPEX COACH
AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE OPEX ASSESSMENT METHOD
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING 4

THE OPEX BMW ASSESSMENT MODEL 5

AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX BODY 8

AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX MOVE 10

AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX WORK 13

CLIENT AVATAR QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 16

CONSULTATION SUMMARY 17

OPEX BMW ASSESSMENT SUMMARY 18

PROGRAM DESIGN AND NOURISHMENT SUMMARY 19

HOW THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS IS PROGRAMMED 20

CONCLUSION 22

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 OPEX Fitness is the leading education provider for coaches seeking career longevity
and fulfillment. The OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) provides comprehensive
coaching theory and practical application curated over 20 years by founder James
Fitzgerald.

The OPEX education platform allows coaches to realize their full potential as a
personalized fitness professional, mastering the pillars of professional coaching; the
business of fitness, consultation, assessment, program design, and nourishment.

Every month OPEX Fitness curates free, introductory knowledge on topics covered in
our Coaching Certificate Program (CCP). Our goal is to provide coaches with the tools
necessary to design effective fitness programs and create outstanding, long-term
experiences for their clients. We introduce proven OPEX Fitness principles and tools for
you to use with your clients immediately, and we encourage you to explore OPEX CCP
and take your coaching career to the next level.

In this free guide, you’ll learn about the OPEX Fitness BMW Assessment and testing
methodology for general fitness clients, and you’ll learn to utilize the tools and examples
to uplevel your fitness coaching.

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING

As an OPEX CCP Coach, you’ll understand the importance of strategically planned

and executed assessments and how the insight gained from proper testing becomes
an integral part of the program design process. New coaches entering the OPEX
Fitness system express a strong desire for deeper theoretical knowledge and practical
application of the testing process, protocols and implementation informing program
design.

When conducted properly, an assessment not only provides the coach with valuable
insight into how to start and design the fitness program for the client but also how to
determine whether or not it’s producing the intended results. Assessment is just one
of five pillars that creates a professional coach. Develop mastery across all five pillars:
Business of Coaching, Consultation, Assessment, Program Design, and Nourishment by
applying for the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP).

APPLY FOR OPEX

FITNESS CCP TODAY

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 THE OPEX BMW ASSESSMENT MODEL

“OPEX Assessment puts the focus 100% on the individual. Only through comprehensive
assessments and an understanding of the client’s goals can you craft a program that minimizes
risks to the client and develops them physically for whatever function they have in mind.”

- OPEX Fitness CCP Assessment Instructor Michael Bann

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 OPEX Fitness has devised a comprehensive client assessment model that evaluates
body composition, movement limitations, and how efficiently the client performs
assigned work capacity tests. At OPEX Fitness, our assessment model is referred to as
OPEX BMW Assessment: OPEX Body, OPEX Move, and OPEX Work. Each category
provides unique assessments critical to constructing an effective, individually designed
training program.

OPEX BODY
OPEX CCP Coaches obtain metrics utilizing the Summation
Scoring System (SSS) and/or InBody. These are methods to
determine a client’s body composition, which provide guidance
for their Program Design.

OPEX MOVE
A coach will analyze the client’s basic motor function and
movement ability relative to four distinct categories: stability,
relative strength, absolute strength and balance. This allows
a coach to understand what physical limitations their client
may have and how to safely program around or improve those
limitations.

OPEX WORK
A coach must understand their client’s work capacity in order
to help their client achieve their goals. These tests provide
insight into the physical and mental response from clients,
allowing coaches to design effective energy system training in
relation to the client’s goals.

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 Learn Detailed Application of
BMW Assessments by scheduling
a call with an OPEX CCP Advisor

START CCP TODAY

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 AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX BODY

OPEX Body is an analysis of the client’s height, weight, lean body, and fat mass. The
objective of OPEX Body is to provide the coach with an accurate overview of the client’s
health and body in relation to fat and lean muscle. This composition knowledge allows
coaches to better create training programs and monitor progress. This information
can be gathered in two primary ways: Through the Summation Scoring System (SSS)
using a body fat caliper or by utilizing an InBody machine.

SSS aggregates seven site measurements into an indirect measurement of body fat
percentage.

Those seven sites are:

MIDAXILLA TRICEP

UMBILICAL SUBSCAP

CALF ILIAC

THIGH

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 Caliper measurements are divided into three categories to measure health: in range,
out of range, or unhealthy. Each measurement can be utilized across genders, except
for the tricep, which must be differentiated between men and women.

A client should be tested as often as their goals and training age require. For example,
a client with high body fat and low training age may be tested weekly, whereas a client
with a high training age, is fairly lean and has no body composition goals could be
tested as little as once a year. The seven SSS sites in OPEX Body are the most effective,
sex-neutral, and least invasive sites to test.

The second method for body composition is utilizing an InBody machine. While more
expensive, InBody provides the coach with additional information. Specifically, InBody
can provide coaches with data on:

WEIGHT

LEAN BODY MASS (LBM)

BODY FAT MASS

INTRACELLULAR WATER

EXTRACELLULAR WATER

SEGMENTAL LEAN MASS ANALYSIS

No matter the acquisition method, the acquired data should be tracked to understand
trends and influence Nourishment and Program Design prescriptions.

Coaches can develop an in-depth understanding and practical application of the OPEX
Body Assessment in the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP).

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 AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX MOVE

In the OPEX Move Assessment, a coach will take the client through a variety of
movements in ascending levels of difficulty. The selected movements and starting
point for the assessment will vary depending on client goals, and where the coach
believes client weaknesses lie.

OPEX Move is a tiered, five ‘level’ system consisting of the following movement types:
core, bending, upper body pull, upper body push, single leg, and double leg. Below is an
example of a progressive assessment taking a client from isolated movements through
dynamic movements for two of the six-movement types.

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 CORE MOVEMENT BENDING MOVEMENT

Level One: Side Bridge Level One: Waiter's Bow

Level Two: Leg Lowering Abs Level Two: Sorensen

Level Three: Tabata Sit Up A (8 Reps) Level Three: Relative Deadlift

Level Four: Tabata Sit Up B (12 Reps) Level Four: Loaded Bending

Level Five: Knees to Elbows Level Five: Reverse Med Ball Toss

UPPER BODY PULL UPPER BODY PUSH

SINGLE LEG MOVEMENT DOUBLE LEG MOVEMENT

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 Schedule a call with
a CCP advisor

START CCP TODAY

The information gathered from OPEX Move will aid you in creating a personalized
fitness plan tailored to the client's unique movement capabilities and limitations.
Remember that OPEX Move testing is based on the client’s goals. A coach of a client
who is only interested in general health, and not fitness competition, may not need
to look at a client’s clean-and-jerk. A client could; however, express enjoying the
movement in their consultation and lead a coach to include it in their program design.

Coaches should test all the movement patterns from Level 1 to 5 and use the collected
data to inform their choices of movement within the program design.

The OPEX Fitness Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) covers what pass and fail looks
like at each level of OPEX Move, as well as what factors may lead you to look past a
failed movement and continue to progress in the assessment. To understand the detail
necessary to accurately conduct an OPEX Move Assessment, apply for CCP today.

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 AN OVERVIEW OF OPEX WORK

OPEX Work encompasses energy system and work capacity testing. This section of
the assessment is focused on evaluating a client’s work capacity. It’s important that
coaches investigate the specific work a client performs to identify their limiting factors
and point of fatigue. The types of tests selected are always based on an understanding
of the client’s training history, current capacity to perform the work, as well as their
specific lifestyle requirements and fitness goals.

OPEX Work tests are segmented by ascending level of difficulty and denoted by the
terms beginner, intermediate, and advanced. These three categories can be broken
down further, into specific energy systems being tested. For the purposes of simplicity
and this guide, we are going to reference tests by the level of difficulty and not the
energy system training category. Here are a few examples of OPEX Work tests.

Beginner OPEX Work Test:

10-Minute AirBike for Calories

Intermediate OPEX Work Tests:

60-Minute Row for Meters
10K Run
1RM Back Squat
Row 30 seconds on / 30 seconds off x4

Advanced OPEX Work Tests:

60-Second AirBike for Calories
150m Sprint

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 Schedule a call with
a CCP advisor

START CCP TODAY

When analyzing your client’s score it is important to consider their ‘perceived’ effort.
Perceived effort is determined by monitoring body language and verbal cues as the
client responds to the requested task. OPEX CCP Coaches are instructed to ask the
client how they felt completing the test by providing them with a number on a scale
of one to ten difficulty how it felt. This clues the coach into how the client's mind
and central nervous system are reacting to the work tests and will provide a basis of
comparison in the future when the client is retested.

Testing within OPEX Work becomes infinitely more complex within the advanced
category due to there being a massive amount of repeatable tests that can be conducted
across every energy system domain. However, for general fitness clients, it’s best not
to overcomplicate this process and to keep the testing simple. As always, the tests a
coach selects are always dictated by the client and their goals. If you want to learn more
about OPEX Work and the dive deeper into energy system assessment, we recommend
completing the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP).

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 A PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF
THE OPEX ASSESSMENT MODEL

While a deep understanding of theory is important, fitness coaching requires a practical

application. OPEX coaches conduct thousands of assessments and are constantly
improving their approach to ensure that they have the most insightful inputs for
program design. In this section, OPEX Fitness Education Instructor Sam Smith will
walk you through how to take a client through the BMW Assessment process. You will
also get a glimpse at how the assessment of this particular client and the information
gathered played a role in the development of his training design and a sample week
of that training. The graphic on the next page includes all the of the data that was
collected from the consult and the assessment of this particular client.

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 CLIENT AVATAR QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

CONSULTATION SUMMARY
Improve overall health, have more energy and lose a bit of body fat

JOHN’S ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

OPEX BODY RESULTS:

Inbody Test: 16% Bodyfat

Sleeps 7 hours per night (some nights are interrupted, wakes up to

pee a few times per week)

Has a small breakfast with coffee, a snack midday, big lunch, drowsy in
the afternoon, then medium size dinner
CLIENT
John Energy fluctuates quite a bit throughout the day

SEX
Male OPEX MOVE RESULTS: LEVEL 2
AGE Double Leg Movement: John’s Air Squat was solid but couldn’t do
25 years old with a bodyweight load for one repetition in the back squat.

Single Leg: John’s Lunging pattern good, Split Squat (unweighted) 8

HEIGHT
reps / leg @ 3010, could not perform loaded
5’10"
Upper Push: John was tested with a Stationary Dip. He got 3 reps
WEIGHT: @ 3010 tempo. However, it was completed with maximal effort and
175 pounds because of this, no further weight was added.

TRAINING BACKGROUND Upper Pull: The client was asked to do a chin-up with a pronated grip.
Played basketball and baseball in He completed 3 reps @ 3010 tempo but no weight was added.

high school Bending: John completed a Sorensen Hold hold for 1:32.
He also completed a Deadlift and built up to a tough single with a final
Lifted weights through college
weight of 200lbs. This means he was a little off 1.25 times his body
Currently trains 3-4x per week weight which happens to be a metric for level 3 in bending movement
patterns.

PROGRAM DESIGN AND Core: John completed a Side Plank. He scored 72 seconds on Right
NOURISHMENT SUMMARY Side, 70 seconds on Left Side.

In the gym, develop postural

endurance and overall strength
OPEX WORK RESULTS: LEVEL 2
Out of the gym, improve nutrition and
food selection to support blood sugar 10-Minute max calories on AirBike - 125 calories
management and implementation
2000m Row Time Trial - 7:56 (1:59/500m split average)
of evening ‘wind down’ routine to
improve John’s sleep quality 1 mile run for time - 6:52

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 CLIENT JOHN’S CONSULTATION SUMMARY

During an indepth consult, Coach Sam Smith gathered a detailed health and training
history. Client John has a history of being physically active, playing basketball and
baseball in college and high school, but does not currently participate in competitive
sports. He did lift weights in college for fun and averages three to four training
sessions per week of a casual nature. He is 5’10” and weighs 175 pounds. His goals are
to improve his energy and his physique. Only after conducting a detailed consulation,
can Coach Sam begin the assessment process.

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 OPEX BMW ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

OPEX BODY ASSESSMENT

Coach Sam opted to test John's initial lean body mass and fat mass with an InBody
machine instead of getting a summation score with a hand caliper. The InBody
revealed that John has 16% body fat. A consultation and discussion with the client
revealed additional information about his lifestyle and eating habits. Specifically, John
said he got about seven hours of sleep per night, with some disruptions in that sleep
pattern due to a need to use the bathroom during the night. He has a small breakfast
with coffee, a snack midday, a big lunch and then a medium-sized dinner. His energy
fluctuates throughout the day and he feels drowsy and tired in the afternoon by 3 P.M.
every day.

From the information discovered in OPEX Body, Coach Sam is better equipped to
observe trends in behavior and changes in body composition as the client progresses.
Sam will also be able to provide more targeted suggestions in regards to John’s
nutritional practices to help improve his energy.

OPEX MOVE ASSESSMENT

Coach Sam decided to keep the tests relatively simple and lightly loaded, due to John’s
fitness goals and low training history. John was tested in all the movement types and
patterns as detailed by the OPEX Move Assessment protocol. You will notice that
Coach Sam selected level two tests that include compound movements involving little
to no weight. Take a look at how the John performed each of the tests below and the
notes Coach Sam took. For results, refer to the OPEX MOVE Test Results section in the
Avatar profile.

Coach Sam’s OPEX Move Assessment revealed underlying movement issues and
imbalances that could hold John back from his strength development goals and will
leverage those insights to structure a program that will help John overcome these
weaknesses.

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 OPEX WORK ASSESSMENT
In the last phase of this assessment, Sam will test John’s work capacity. Since John’s
goal is unrelated to performance, the tests will be fairly basic and minimal. All the tests
Sam conducted were intermediate tests. For results, refer to the OPEX WORK Results
section in the Avatar profile.

The results of the tests will help Sam design work capacity training that addresses
John’s health and physique goals. These results provide a benchmark for reference for
future retests to help Coach Sam evaluate John’s progression.

PROGRAM DESIGN AND NOURISHMENT SUMMARY

After reviewing data from all components of the assessment, Coach Sam identified
several critical insights John's overall health. These insights will directly influence
Coach Sam's program design and nourishment progressions.

Here are a few notable areas Sam will address:

In the gym, postural endurance and overall strength development

Out of the gym, improved nutrition and food selection to support blood sugar
management and evening routine ‘wind down’ practices to improve John’s sleep
quality

OPEX COACHING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OPEXFIT.COM

 HOW THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
IS PROGRAMMED

A full OPEX Assessment doesn’t take place over the course of one day. There’s simply
too much to test and not enough time to allow the client to recover and perform each
test effectively. Instead, a proper assessment should be structured over the course of
one to two weeks and be seamlessly integrated into the client’s program design.

On the next page, we have provided an example of how Coach Sam has programmed
John’s assessment.

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 ASSESSMENT WEEK

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Perform A - E cold,
no warm-up, film A. 10-Minute 10-Minute max Off; Hike for A. 3 sets: A. 3 sets: Off / Rest
all pieces, please
warm-up: calorie AirBike 30-45 minutes 10 calorie AirBike 10 calorie Ski Erg

A. Standing Toe 10 calorie AirBike unplugged 10 alternating 10m Crab Walk

Touch: (2 reps 10 Walking Step-Up @ 24” 5 Push-Ups
Result: 125
perpendicular Lunges 30 sec Side Plank 30-second Ring
to the camera/ Calories
10 Air Squats / Side FLR
from the side
10 Push-Ups
and 2 reps from
30 Single Unders
behind) B. Goblet Squat B. Stationary Dip
@ 3010; 10 tough @ 3010; 3 reps
B. Deadlift; Build
B. Active reps x 3 sets, rest x 6 sets, rest as
Straight to a tough single
90 sec between needed between
Leg Raise; for the day
2 reps/side, sets sets
*reset between
perpendicular to reps
the camera
C. Dumbbell C. Strict Pull Ups
C. Stationary Reverse Lunge; @ 2010; 3 reps
C. Scratch Test; 2
Dips; Perform 10 tough reps x 3 x 6 sets, rest as
reps / side
3 reps @ 3010 sets, rest 90 sec needed between
tempo, if able, between sets sets
D. Step Up onto
20” box; 2 reps add load once 3
/ side; film from reps have been
behind shown D. 2000m Row D. 1 mile Run for
Time Trial time
E. Air Squat; +
2-3 reps facing D. Strict Pull-Up; 10-Minute
camera and from Perform 3 reps cooldown
the side @ 3010 tempo,
if able, add load
F. Push-Up; 3-6
once 3 reps have
reps
been shown
G. Back Squat;
Build to a tough
single for the day E. Slight Incline
Powell Raise @
H. Rear Foot 3010; Build to an
Elevated Split 8 rep max / side,
Squat @ 3010; rest 2-minute
Build to a 8 between sides
rep max / side,
rest 2-minute
between side

I. Sorensen
Hold on Glute-
Hamstring
Developer
(GHD); 1 set to
failure

J. Side Plank;
1 set to failure
/ side, rest 2-3
minute between
sides

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 As you can see, the assessment is integrated into the training regimen in a natural
manner as to allow the client to train. The assessment process should not be conducted
in a manner in which it becomes obtrusive or counterproductive to the client’s goals
and objectives. Remember that assessment phases always reoccur at a later date,
likely with the same tests provided the client’s goals haven’t changed. Based on the
fact that the client has a low training history, Coach Sam has decided to test the client
once every 7- 8 weeks. Testing frequency is determined by the coach and based on the
client’s goals.

CONCLUSION

The OPEX Assessment model builds from the foundation established in the OPEX
Consultation, where the coach has gained a clear understanding of the client’s goals,
lifestyle, and intrinsic motivations. The OPEX Assessment is designed to help the
coach gain a deep understanding of the client's current state and abilities in relation
to the goals established and design the perfect fitness program for that client.

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 OPEX Fitness is committed to your success as a professional fitness coach. We hope
you will take what you’ve learned about the OPEX Assessment model and apply it to
your own coaching practices. When you do, you’ll begin to see the benefit of using a
holistic assessment model to inform your program design.

If you are passionate about coaching and looking for the tools and mentorship to help
you build a successful coaching career, OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) is
the program for you. OPEX CCP provides access to the curriculum, resources, and a
network of experts necessary for long-term coaching success.

OPEX CCP gives you the opportunity to learn directly from OPEX founder and
industry-leading educator, James FitzGerald and master the proven OPEX Fitness
coaching principles that will set you apart as a professional fitness coach. The guided
video course facilitates self-directed study, while our cohort calls enable rich and
collaborative concept exploration. The six-month program will provide deep, individual
design programming knowledge, implementation tools, and the practical application
needed to drive long-term results for your clients.

Take the next step in

your coaching career.

REGISTER FOR OPEX

CCP TODAY

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 COMPANY ADDRESS
7826 E EVANS RD
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260

CONTACTS :
M : INFO@OPEXFIT.COM
W : WWW.OPEXFIT.COM