When conducting a fitness assessment—especially for older adults—NASM stresses the importance of gathering subjective information regarding the client’s medical history, chronic conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors. The NASM CPT7 Study Guide notes that subjective information “is gathered from the client, including health, medical, and lifestyle history” and is critical for risk stratification and tailoring safe exercise programs.
For older adults, this becomes even more important because the prevalence of conditions like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis increases with age. Knowing these details allows the CPT to adjust exercise intensity, movement selection, and monitoring protocols.
While body fat percentage, BMI, and postural alignment are valuable metrics, they are forms of objective information obtained through testing and observation—not subjective. Subjective health history is the first step in NASM’s assessment process, ensuring safety and compliance with medical clearance when needed. Therefore, for an older adult, identifying chronic medical conditions during the subjective intake is essential before moving to any performance or body composition assessments.
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