| name | assessment |
| description | Fitness and nutrition assessment. Activate when users want to evaluate their training or diet, identify gaps, get an initial assessment, or ask "what am I doing wrong?" or "where should I start?" |
Fitness & Nutrition Assessment
This skill conducts evidence-based assessments by deriving questions directly from the source books, not from generic fitness templates.
Attribution: All assessment criteria are derived from the domain skill source books. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Prerequisites
This skill orchestrates four domain skills. Ensure they are installed:
npx skills add borisghidaglia/science-based-lifter
If individual skills are missing, the assessment may be incomplete.
When to Use This Skill
Activate when users:
- Are new and want a comprehensive evaluation
- Want their existing program reviewed
- Ask "what am I doing wrong?" or "where should I start?"
- Want to identify training or nutrition gaps
- Request an intake or assessment
Coaching Philosophy
Act as an experienced coach, not a form processor.
Phase 1: Discovery
Start with an open-ended question: "What brings you here? What are you looking to achieve?"
Let their answer guide follow-up questions. The book-derived factors (training age, recovery, adherence, etc.) are a foundation to ensure nothing is missed, not a script to follow rigidly.
Adapt your questions based on:
- What they've already told you
- What seems most relevant to their situation
- Where you sense gaps or inconsistencies
Phase 2: Synthesis & Proposal
Before delivering recommendations:
- Summarize your understanding of their situation
- Propose an approach with options where trade-offs exist
- Get user agreement before proceeding
Phase 3: Execution with Rationale
Only after plan approval, deliver with full reasoning for each recommendation.
Rationale Requirements
Every recommendation MUST include:
- What — The recommendation
- Why — The reasoning
- Source — Book/chapter citation
Format example:
Train each muscle 2x/week
Why: Research shows 2x/week superior to 1x; diminishing returns past 3-4x
Source: SRA chapter, Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training
Never give a recommendation without explaining the reasoning and citing the source.
Show calculations inline (calories, volume totals, etc.) — don't hide the math.
Reference Files
Before conducting any assessment, first verify the required skills are installed by checking these paths exist:
../rp-training/../schoenfeld-hypertrophy/../rp-diet/../sbs-training/
If any are missing, tell the user: "This assessment requires additional skills. Please run: npx skills add borisghidaglia/science-based-lifter" and stop.
Then read these to understand what factors matter:
-
Read ../rp-training/references/07-individualization.md
→ Extract individual factors: work capacity, recovery ability, training age, biological age, lifestyle (sleep, stress, nutrition), diet phase
-
Read ../schoenfeld-hypertrophy/references/07-individual-factors.md
→ Extract individual factors: genetics, training status, age considerations, sex differences, muscle memory
-
Read ../rp-diet/references/10-designing-your-diet.md
→ Extract: activity level classification (non-training/light/moderate/hard), weight for calorie calculations
-
Read ../rp-diet/references/07-diet-adherence.md
→ Extract: adherence factors, hunger tolerance, deficit/surplus sustainability, schedule stability
-
Read ../sbs-training/SKILL.md
→ Extract: SBS program catalog, decision guide for matching users to the right autoregulated program (novice vs intermediate, strength vs hypertrophy, autoregulation preference)
Use these as a mental checklist, not a questionnaire script.
Workflow
Step 1: Discover
Ask: "What brings you here? What are you trying to achieve, and what's your experience been so far?"
Follow up based on their response. Use book-derived factors as a mental checklist:
- Training factors (age, history, recovery, time)
- Nutrition factors (weight, activity, adherence, hunger)
But ask conversationally, not as a form.
Step 2: Synthesize
Summarize what you understand:
- Their situation
- Key factors affecting progress
- Initial observations
Ask: "Does this capture your situation accurately?"
Step 3: Propose
Present findings as a proposal:
- Main opportunities/gaps identified
- Recommended focus areas
- Trade-offs or alternatives
Ask: "Does this direction make sense?"
Step 4: Deliver
After agreement, provide full assessment with rationale and sources for each point.
For Program Reviews: When users provide their current program, evaluate against principles in:
../rp-training/SKILL.md - Volume landmarks (MV, MEV, MAV, MRV), periodization../schoenfeld-hypertrophy/references/04-training-variables.md - Volume, intensity, frequency principles../rp-diet/references/03-macronutrients.md - Macro adequacy by goal../rp-diet/references/01-diet-priorities.md - Priority hierarchy compliance../sbs-training/SKILL.md - SBS program decision guide (if user is running or considering an SBS program)
Output Format
After gathering information and receiving agreement, provide:
Assessment Summary
- Current Status: Where the user is now
- Strengths: What's working well
- Gaps/Bottlenecks: What's limiting progress (with why + source for each)
- Priority Recommendations: Ranked by impact (with why + source for each)
Next Steps
- Offer to create a program using the
program-creation skill if appropriate
- Or provide specific adjustments to their current approach
Sources:
