PAR-Q form template.
A ready-to-use Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for coaches. Add your business name and your client's details, mark the seven standard readiness questions, and print or save a clean, signed PDF straight from your browser. Free, no sign-up, and yours to reuse with every new client.
build your par-q
readiness questions
Mark each answer as your client reads them. A Yes to any question is a prompt to talk to a doctor before starting or increasing activity - it is not a diagnosis.
1. Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
3. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness, or do you ever lose consciousness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem (for example, back, knee or hip) that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity?
6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition?
7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?
readiness summary
Answer all seven questions to see the readiness summary.
the short answer
A PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) is a short self-report form a client completes before they start or increase physical activity. It asks seven yes-or-no questions about the heart, chest pain, dizziness, joints, medication and any other known reason to be careful. A client who answers No to all seven can usually begin a gradual plan; a Yes to any is a prompt to speak with a doctor first. Use the generator above to fill one in, then print it or save it as a PDF for your client to sign.
What a PAR-Q is, and why coaches collect one.
A PAR-Q - short for Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire - is a brief self-report form a client fills in before they start or increase physical activity. Its job is narrow and useful. With seven plain yes-or-no questions about the heart, chest pain, dizziness or fainting, bones and joints, blood-pressure or heart medication, and any other known reason to be careful, it flags the small number of people who should have a quick word with a doctor before they train harder. Everyone who answers No to all seven can usually begin a sensible, gradual plan. The form has been used across the fitness industry for decades precisely because it is fast, plain-language and easy for a client to complete honestly on their own.
For a coach, collecting a PAR-Q is the first real step of onboarding, and it earns its place for three reasons. First, duty of care: before you program hard sessions for someone you have often only met online, a readiness screen surfaces the handful of red flags that mean "check with a doctor first" rather than "add another set". Second, documentation: a signed form is a written record that you screened the client before you started, which is exactly what a certifying body or an insurer expects to see if a question ever comes up. Third, it sets the tone. Asking a considered health question before you sell a program tells a new client that you take their safety seriously, which is a stronger start than a payment link.
The way to read it is simple and deliberately conservative. Each question is scored on its own: any single Yes means the client should talk to a doctor about which activities are appropriate before starting or increasing physical activity. A Yes is not a diagnosis, and it does not bar the client from ever training - it just moves the next step from "start programming" to "have the conversation first, then start". When every answer is No, that indicates the client can typically begin a gradual plan, though you still apply your own judgement and re-screen whenever their health, medication or circumstances change. Readiness is not a one-time stamp; it is a check you repeat as the relationship continues.
A couple of limits are worth stating plainly. The PAR-Q is a screening tool, not a medical assessment, and it only works when the client answers honestly - so explain why you are asking rather than treating it as a box to tick. It is also not a substitute for professional advice: if a client has a known condition, or anything about their answers gives you pause, the right move is a doctor's input, not a heavier training block. Used the way it is meant to be used, though, it does one job well - it separates the clients who can start now from the few who should check first - and it gives you a clean, signed record either way.
From blank form to a signed PDF in a minute.
This is an interactive generator, not a static download, so you never open a PDF editor. Type your business name and your client's name at the top, add a date of birth if you want it on record, and set the date. Read the seven questions with your client - in person, on a call, or by sending them the link - and mark each answer Yes or No. The readiness summary updates as you go, so you can see at a glance whether any answer needs a doctor's conversation before you program anything.
When you are done, hit Print / Save as PDF. The page prints a single clean sheet - your business name at the top, the seven questions with the chosen answers marked, a short declaration, and signature lines for the client to sign and date. In the print dialog, choose your printer for a paper copy or "Save as PDF" for a digital one you can file and send. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our side; it stays in your browser, which is why the form is safe to use for real client details.
Where the signed form should live.
A readiness form only does its job if you can find it later. A signed PAR-Q contains personal health information, so keep it somewhere private and access-controlled rather than a shared inbox, a chat thread or an open drive, and hold onto it for as long as you could reasonably need the record - check the exact retention period with your insurer, since it varies by country. The practical rule is one file per client: the signed form sitting next to that client's intake answers and history, not scattered across apps where it is easy to lose.
That is the part a template alone cannot solve. Inside Coachway, each client has a single tab where their readiness form, intake answers, training, check-ins and messages live together, so the signed PDF is stored beside everything else you know about them instead of in a folder you have to remember to open. Coachway starts at EUR 69 per month for up to 5 clients, then EUR 9 per additional client, with every feature included and a 14-day free trial. The form on this page stays free to use whether or not you ever use the platform.
Frequently asked questions.
Is a PAR-Q mandatory?
It depends on where you work and who you answer to. There is no single global law that forces every coach to use one, but many certifying bodies, gyms and insurers expect a documented readiness screen before a new client trains, and some make it a condition of cover. Treat it as a baseline standard of care rather than an optional extra: it is quick, it is expected in the industry, and it gives you a written record that you screened the client before programming. Confirm the exact requirement with your certification and your insurer, because it varies by country and provider.
How long should I keep signed PAR-Q forms?
Keep a signed readiness form for as long as you could reasonably need the record, plus a margin beyond that. A common practice is to retain it for the duration of the coaching relationship and for several years afterwards, in line with how long a client could raise a concern where you operate. Retention periods and data-protection rules differ by country, so confirm the number with your insurer or a local adviser. Whatever you choose, store the signed form somewhere private and access-controlled, not a shared inbox or an open drive.
What is the difference between the PAR-Q and the PAR-Q+?
The PAR-Q is the classic short version: seven yes-or-no questions that flag whether someone should speak to a doctor before increasing activity. The PAR-Q+ is a newer, longer questionnaire that keeps the same idea but adds detailed follow-up questions about specific conditions, so fewer people are sent for a medical conversation unnecessarily. This generator uses the well-known seven-question format because it is fast and widely recognised. If your certification or insurer specifically asks for the PAR-Q+, use their official document instead.
What happens if a client answers Yes to any question?
A Yes is not a diagnosis and it does not mean the client cannot train. It is a prompt: the client should talk to a doctor about which activities are appropriate before they start or increase physical activity. Note the Yes on the form, hold off on hard programming until that conversation has happened, and keep your notes. If every answer is No, that usually indicates the client can begin a gradual plan, but you still use your judgement and re-screen if their health changes.
Is a printed or digital PAR-Q valid?
A form filled in on this page and printed or saved as a PDF holds the same content as a paper PAR-Q. What matters is that the client has read it, answered honestly and signed it, and that you keep the record. Some insurers or employers ask for a wet-ink signature or their own document, while others accept a digital signature. This is a starter template, not legal advice, so check what your insurer and certification require and follow that.
This PAR-Q form is a starter template, not legal or medical advice. Readiness screening requirements vary by country, certifying body and insurer, so check what applies to you and adjust accordingly. A "Yes" answer is a prompt to speak with a doctor before starting or increasing activity, not a diagnosis.
Keep building your onboarding: see the full templates library, the copy-paste client intake form and onboarding checklist, the guide to fitness assessments for new clients that the PAR-Q hands off to, and the free heart rate zone calculator for the training side of the same client.
Keep every client's readiness form in one place
This template gets you a clean, signed PAR-Q. Coachway keeps it beside each client's intake answers, training, check-ins and messages in a single tab - so nothing gets lost between a PDF, a chat app and a spreadsheet. Start the 14-day free trial and see the whole platform.
