Get the official form
The PAR-Q+, the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone, is published by the PAR-Q+ Collaboration, a Canadian group chaired by Dr. Darren Warburton, at eparmedx.com. The current English edition is the 2025 form, four pages long.
- PAR-Q+ 2025, fillable PDF, the one to email a client
- PAR-Q+ 2025, print PDF
- The official online PAR-Q+
- The download page, with translations and the physician clearance form
New versions go up there as the evidence changes, so do not reuse an old PDF. On a Mac, clients filling it in with Preview should use File, then Export as PDF, so the ticks survive.
What the seven questions cover
Page one asks seven yes-or-no questions. We describe them rather than reprint them, because the official download page says the form "must remain unaltered and may not be incorporated into electronic surveys, research tools, or any derivative materials without the express written consent of the PAR-Q+ Collaboration." Give the client the real form.
| Question | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Heart | A doctor-diagnosed heart condition or high blood pressure. |
| 2. Chest pain | Chest pain at rest, in daily life or during exercise. |
| 3. Dizziness | Losing balance from dizziness, or losing consciousness, in the last 12 months. |
| 4. Other conditions | Any other diagnosed chronic condition. |
| 5. Medication | Prescription medication for a chronic condition. |
| 6. Bones and joints | A bone, joint or soft tissue problem, now or in the last 12 months, that more activity could worsen. |
| 7. Supervision | A doctor saying activity should only be medically supervised. |
Pages two and three hold follow-up questions by condition: arthritis, osteoporosis or back problems, cancer, heart or cardiovascular conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes and other metabolic conditions, mental health or learning difficulties, respiratory disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, and anything else.
What happens after a yes
The form routes the client itself. Follow the route it prints rather than deciding what a yes means yourself.
- No to all seven. The person is cleared for physical activity, signs the declaration on page one and skips pages two and three. Anyone over 45 not used to vigorous to maximal effort should still consult a qualified exercise professional before training that hard.
- Yes to any of the seven. They answer the follow-up questions on pages two and three.
- No to every follow-up. Page four says they are ready to become more active and should sign.
- Yes to any follow-up. They should seek further information first: complete the online ePARmed-X+ and/or work through it with a qualified exercise professional.
The ePARmed-X+ can end by advising a visit to a physician. The Collaboration's physician clearance form says that person then needs medical clearance and is limited to low intensity activity until they have it. The PAR-Q+ does not replace a doctor where the process sends someone to one.
The form also says to delay becoming more active during a temporary illness, in pregnancy, or when health changes, and closes: "If in doubt after completing the questionnaire, consult your doctor prior to physical activity." The form does not define "qualified exercise professional"; ask your certifying body whether that includes you.
Running it with a new client
- Send it before session one. Email the fillable PDF or online link with the booking confirmation, so a yes that needs the ePARmed-X+ surfaces before you plan anything.
- Read it together at the start. A yes starts a conversation, and the lines where the client lists conditions and medications hold the useful detail.
- Keep the signed copy. The declaration says the fitness centre may keep a copy and will keep it confidential under applicable law. Store it securely and ask your gym, insurer or certifying body how long to keep it.
- Re-screen at 12 months, or sooner. The clearance lasts at most 12 months and becomes invalid if the person's condition changes. A new diagnosis, medication, injury or pregnancy means a fresh form.
- Keep it apart from goals. The PAR-Q+ says nothing about what the client wants, how they have trained or which days they can make. That is your intake conversation.
Use the whole form, unchanged, as the PDF requires: pages two to four are what tell a client with a yes what to do next.
PAR-Q vs PAR-Q+
Many searches still mean the original PAR-Q: one page, seven questions, for ages 15 to 69. It came out of British Columbia in the 1970s and was revised in 1994 and again in 2002, the 2002 version published by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.
The Collaboration's history of the form says the PAR-Q's purposely conservative design "led to many 'false positives' leading to unnecessary medical referrals", and that its age limit was a barrier for children and older adults. The PAR-Q+ was introduced in 2010. In its 2011 validation, the new process sent 0.8 percent of people for medical referral, against 15 percent under the PAR-Q.
| PAR-Q (2002) | PAR-Q+ (2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Ages 15 to 69 | Everyone; a parent or guardian co-signs for minors |
| Length | One page | Four pages, with follow-ups by condition |
| After a yes | See a doctor first | Follow-up questions, then the ePARmed-X+ if needed |
| Status | Replaced | Current |
If your intake pack still has the one-page PAR-Q, or an edited copy, swap it for the current PAR-Q+.
Where Onyx fits
Onyx Coach is our software for personal trainers. It does not include the PAR-Q+ or collect health screening answers; the official form does that job.
It covers the rest of onboarding. When a client completes setup in the Onyx app, their answers (goal, training experience, training days, where they train, focus areas, height and weight) appear on their profile in your dashboard, so the goals conversation starts from something. Pinned notes show on each client's profile, a good place for the date the PAR-Q+ is due again. Scheduled check-ins collect weight, body fat, circumferences, photos and a note, and a client who mentions a new injury there has told you it is time for a fresh form.
