PAR-Q forms for personal trainers
A PAR-Q is a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire — a pre-exercise screening form that personal trainers use to identify whether a client can safely begin training or should consult their GP first.
It's a core part of client readiness. Before you train someone, you need to understand their health status. The PAR-Q gives you that clarity.
What is a PAR-Q?
PAR-Q stands for Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. It's a short screening tool designed to identify clients who may be at risk if they begin exercise without medical clearance.
The standard PAR-Q asks seven yes/no questions about chest pain, dizziness, heart conditions, joint problems, medication, and other factors that might affect exercise safety.
It's a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If a client answers "yes" to any question, the safest next step is to recommend they speak to their GP before starting training.
UK-based personal trainer?
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Why personal trainers use PAR-Qs
Personal trainers use PAR-Q forms for three main reasons:
Identifying potential health risks early
A PAR-Q flags issues before training starts. If a client has chest pain during exercise or has been advised by a doctor to limit physical activity, you need to know that before the first session.
Starting conversations about medical history
The PAR-Q opens the door to discussing health conditions that might affect training. It gives clients permission to share information they might otherwise assume isn't relevant.
Making informed decisions before training begins
You can't design a safe programme without understanding a client's readiness. The PAR-Q ensures you're starting from a position of knowledge, not assumption.
This isn't about covering yourself legally. It's about professional responsibility and doing right by your clients.
When should a PAR-Q be completed?
A PAR-Q should be completed before the first training session, ideally as soon as a client commits to working with you. This gives you time to review their answers and make informed decisions about their readiness.
Completing a PAR-Q mid-session creates problems. The client is already there, you've allocated time, and there's pressure to proceed even if their answers suggest they should speak to a GP first.
Paper-based PAR-Qs cause delays. Forms get printed, emailed, forgotten, or lost. Clients turn up without completing them, and you're back to collecting information on the spot.
Asking clients to complete a PAR-Q before they arrive means you can review it, identify any concerns, and start the first session with clarity.
Common mistakes with PAR-Q forms
Personal trainers often recognise these issues:
- •Using outdated templates. Old PAR-Q forms downloaded years ago may not reflect current best practice or may be missing important context.
- •Collecting PAR-Qs but never reviewing them. The form gets filed, but no one actually reads the answers. If a client has flagged a health concern, it needs to inform your decisions.
- •Losing forms or storing them across tools. Some PAR-Qs are in email, some on Google Drive, some filed physically. When you need to reference a client's form, you can't find it.
- •Treating the PAR-Q as a checkbox exercise. The PAR-Q gets completed because it's expected, but it's not treated as a meaningful part of the onboarding process.
These mistakes don't make you unprofessional. They're the natural result of managing forms with tools that weren't built for this purpose.
PAR-Q forms for online personal training
If you work with remote clients, PAR-Q forms need to be completed digitally. Emailing a PDF and asking clients to print, fill, scan, and return it adds friction and delay.
Screenshots of completed forms on phones are hard to read and difficult to store properly. Text-based responses in email threads get lost or buried.
Digital PAR-Q forms that clients can complete on any device, with responses automatically saved, remove these barriers. You're not chasing files or trying to piece together information from multiple messages.
How Simple PAR-Q handles PAR-Q forms
Simple PAR-Q treats the PAR-Q as part of a broader onboarding flow, not as a standalone form. When you send a client their onboarding link, the PAR-Q is included alongside consent and intake forms.
Clients complete the PAR-Q online, on any device. Responses are saved automatically and stored securely. You can see who's completed their PAR-Q and who hasn't before the first session.
If a client answers "yes" to any PAR-Q question, you'll see that clearly. You can review their answers and make an informed decision about whether to proceed, modify training, or recommend GP clearance.
PAR-Q forms are part of client onboarding
A PAR-Q shouldn't be treated in isolation. It's one part of a complete onboarding process that includes informed consent, client intake, and background information.
When you collect everything together, clients complete their paperwork in one session rather than being asked for information in multiple separate requests.
If you want to understand how PAR-Q forms fit into the wider picture of client readiness, read our guide on personal training client intake forms.
PAR-Q forms and paperwork management
PAR-Q forms are just one type of paperwork that personal trainers need to manage. Alongside PAR-Qs, you'll need consent forms, intake questionnaires, and emergency contact details.
Rather than managing each form separately, treating them as part of a single onboarding workflow reduces admin and improves clarity. For a complete overview of what paperwork personal trainers actually need, see our guide on personal training paperwork.
Frequently asked questions about PAR-Q forms
What is a PAR-Q?
A PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) is a pre-exercise screening tool used to identify whether someone should seek further advice before starting physical activity.
Do personal trainers need clients to complete a PAR-Q?
Many personal trainers use PAR-Qs as part of their onboarding process to understand client health history and support safe training decisions.
When should a PAR-Q be completed?
A PAR-Q should be completed before the first training session and reviewed by the trainer before physical activity begins.
Is a PAR-Q the same as medical clearance?
No. A PAR-Q is a screening questionnaire, not a medical assessment or diagnosis. It helps identify whether further advice may be needed.
Manage PAR-Q forms with confidence
Simple PAR-Q helps personal trainers collect, review, and manage PAR-Q forms as part of a clear onboarding process.
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