What is a CHEK practitioner?

Many of us will know what to expect from a Personal Trainer. But what happens when the trainer has a holistic approach to training; when his skills and knowledge are enhanced so that the gap between a Personal Trainer and a Physical Therapist is bridged? Then you have a CHEK Practitioner (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiologist.)

CHEK your health and fitness

A CHEK Practitioner views the health of his clients as being influenced by physical, mental, and emotional issues, and as such does much more than just devise a “fitness” programme for them.

CHEK practitioners are trained by the faculty members of the CHEK Institute, based in California, which was founded by Paul Chek, a prominent expert in the field of holistic health and corrective and high-performance exercise for over twenty years.

The practitioners are trained to assess posture, flexibility, muscle balance, stress levels and the overall health of their clients, using knowledge drawn from many kinds of therapies including osteopathy, chiropractic, homoeopathy and naturopathy.

A postural assessment will include a plumbline test for static posture, tests for abdominal function and strength, measurement of spinal curvatures, flexibility tests and tests for spinal issues such as disc problems or sacro-iliac joint dysfunction.

Faulty posture will consist of a mixture of muscles that are too short and tight, and other muscles that are too long and weak.

Once the assessment is complete, a training program is created designed to address and correct any postural issues. The program will consist of stretches to restore normal length to tight muscles, and strengthening exercises for those muscle groups that are weak.

A nutrition and lifestyle assessment involves clients completing a comprehensive battery of questionnaires and keeping a 7-10 day diary of their water and food intake, exercise, activity, sleep quality and energy and stress levels. The information provided helps pinpoint which of their body’s organs, glands, joints and muscles need most help; what nutritional improvements are required; and areas of their lives where they need to reduce stress.

The results of these various tests are then presented to the client accompanied by recommendations for how they may best proceed in addressing their health issues.

CHEK Practitioners are also trained to refer clients to other skilled therapists where necessary e.g. physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists and hypno/psycho-therapists.

A number of training packages are available to suit the wide-ranging needs of clients, including losing bodyfat and toning up, building muscle and strength, improving sports performance, pre and post-natal exercise, and training for the disabled. These can all be tailored for the individual by the qualified CHEK practitioner.

Cristian Ramis
RAMIS Health & Fitness, Westcliff near Southend-on-Sea

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