READ OUR BLOG
Enjoy articles about health and fitness, as well as client features, written by our personal trainers.
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WHY WOMEN LIFT
Why Women Lift: What are the benefits of lifting weights for women?
We asked our female clients and trainers: What are the benefits of lifting weights for women? Here’s what they had to say.
Why Women Lift: Is training with light weights better than heavy weights for women?
We asked our female clients and trainers: Is training with light weights better than heavy weights for women? Here’s what they had to say.
Why Women Lift: Is Aerobic Exercise More Effective than Resistance Training (for Burning Fat?)
We asked our female clients and trainers: is aerobic exercise more effective than resistance training (for burning fat)? Here’s what they had to say.
Why Women Lift: Will You Get Bulky Lifting Weights?
We asked our female clients and trainers: will you get bulky lifting weights? Here’s what they had to say.
Why Women Lift: What would you say to a woman who’s afraid to lift heavy?
We asked our female clients and trainers: What would you say to a woman who’s afraid to lift heavy? Here’s what they had to say.
I TRAIN SO I CAN
Jordi Chiu: “I train so I can play soccer”
As a hedge fund manager, Jordi spends most of his day at his desk – save for his weekly soccer and volleyball sessions. He started personal training at Level in March with the goal of preventing injury during his soccer games.
Barbara Latimer: “I train so I can box better”
A boxing instructor at Uppercut Boxing, Barbara wanted to build her overall strength, reduce body fat and gain muscle mass. She was also hoping to strengthen her back after she suffered a lower back injury from Muay Thai back in 2017.
Wee Shu Ting: “I train so I can practice yoga pain free”
As someone with scoliosis and SI joint issues, Shu Ting wanted to engage in strength training to help prevent injury and let her maintain a pain-free yoga practice in the long haul.
Matthew Coleman: “I train so I can perform better on the rugby field”
A rugby player, Matthew Coleman wanted to perform better on the rugby fields despite injuries. Alex developed a personal training programme that would help him achieve just that.
Mr and Mrs Xie: “We train so we can improve our mobility”
When Julie started personal training at Level, she convinced her parents (age 55 and 50) to join too, as she thought it’d be good for them to build some strength and lead a more active lifestyle.
Arjun Raghavan: “I train so I can win my squash games”
Arjun loves a good game of squash. It was with the goal of improving his game and preventing injury that he started working with his personal trainer Jeff.
Clarence Lim: “I train so I can build muscle and get stronger”
Clarence has been coming to Level for almost 2 years, but only started personal training 2 months ago. He wanted to get bigger and stronger, and gain some muscle too.
Erica Tenggara: “I train so I can move better and lift heavier”
Erica, a yoga teacher at Yoga Lab, is no stranger to the gym. However, personal training sessions provided her with the guidance she needed to get closer to her goal of moving better and lifting heavier.
Sheranne Wong: “I train so I can strengthen my back”
Sheranne, a yoga teacher at The Locomotive Co, has been struggling with back pain ever since she had undergone surgery 10 years ago. She knew she had to strengthen her back, so she decided to work with a personal trainer.
Adelene Stanley-Cheah: “I train so I can dance better”
As a freelance dancer, Adelene is moving all the time. She decided to work with a personal trainer to prepare for her upcoming dance tour in China.
Cheryl Teo: “I train so I can chase my Olympic dream”
Cheryl is a national sailor who is training to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Her personal trainer developed a programme that would allow her to see the results of her hard work in the gym on water.
COACH SPOTLIGHT
Coach Spotlight: Evadne Woon
We caught up with Evadne (we call her Eva), one of our brightest coaches here at Level. We ask her about her pregnancy, how she manages to train while growing a human being inside her, and how she manages to coach others to their highest potential at the same time.
Coach Spotlight: Alex Salihin
We spoke to Alex Sahilin – the man behind the madness at Level – about the growth of the business, his influences behind some of the decisions he’s made, and how he doesn’t plan his own training.
Coach Spotlight: Wu Chuan Fu
We caught up with Wu Chuan Fu, our beloved weightlifting coach and asked him about his history as a weightlifter, his love for finding beauty in a sport that’s often associated with brute strength and whether there’s hope for us as uncoordinated people.
PERSONAL TRAINING
How to Set Up Your Home Gym
Let’s face it: we’re in this for the rest of the year. With all the gyms in Singapore possibly reopening with some kind of capacity restriction, we’re already in an unprecedented winter— and it’s here to stay.
Weightlifting- Wait, What?
John Cheah talks about Weightlifting: the myths associated with it, how he think it makes sense for people who work in a 9-5 job, and how to start trying it for yourself.
The Perfect Valentine’s Day Workout… for YOU
Why not use this Valentine’s Day to do something for yourself? Here are five exercises that you can do to show yourself some love.
Why it Might Be Better To Sleep instead of Going to the Gym
So when should you skip the gym for sleep? This post will tell you when to listen to your body, because something you treat well will usually in turn, treat you well.
How To Build Upper Body Strength That Matters
The next time you’re in the gym, do a thing or two for your lats. The lats stabilize against all sorts of human movement: bending, hanging, pushing, holding and twisting.
What Should I Eat After My Workout?
The base answer is a mathematical one. Depending on what you’re going to the gym for, the energy and fuel that you need to take back in will vary.
WEIGHT LOSS
What is More Important for Losing Weight? – Diet or Exercise?
I’d say the first step to seeing change starts with exercise, simply because an hour three times a week is more actionable at first.
Can I Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?
A better question whould be what is the optimal condition you need to be in to perform your day-to-day function.
CLIENT STORIES
Client Spotlight: Emilie Potvin
We caught up with Emilie, who works with governments across Asia to think about how technology affects the future of transport. It’s not a coincidence that she’s one of the first clients who have used technology to advance her own journey in fitness!
Client Spotlight: Daniel Tan
We caught up with Daniel, who normally spends his time in Coach Wu’s barbell class. With the circuit breaker in place, he’s now moved to train remotely with Alex, who is working with Daniel to maintain strength and muscle over the course of the month.
Client Spotlight: Premilah Streram
We caught up with Prem, who fell in love with us at first sight (her words, not ours). When she’s not running a Spartan Race (Prem ran 3 in 2019!), she works as a Dentist. We asked her about her training, and how it’s evolved across her time at Level.
Client Spotlight: Sarah Cole
We caught up with Sarah Cole, a prodigal coach of Level who’s now at the other end of the coaching relationship. Her goals have changed dramatically over the years and what drove her years ago is firmly in her rear view mirror.
Client Spotlight: Shin Hui
Shin Hui came to us to get in shape for her wedding: her body weight dropped from 57.2kg to 52.8kg, and body fat percentage also decreased from 25.5% to 20.1%!
Client Spotlight: Geoff Stockwell
Geoff has been with us for close to a a year now since his move to Singapore. We caught up with him as he caught up (literally) with his son to ask him about how he also finds the time and energy to show up at the gym.
Client Spotlight: Kaylene
Kaylene’s a familiar face around Level, coming for Skill, Handstand and Movement Classes. We caught up with her after seeing her around for a year, and asked her about her training and herself.
Client Spotlight: KC
We caught up with KC, a long time client of ours, who attributes his newly found outlook on life to the way his training in the gym affects his life outside, and vice versa.
Client Spotlight: Tobias Wilson
This month, we meet Tobias Wilson who had clear goals in mind when he started training with our founder and lead coach, Alex Salihin.
SPARTAN TRAINING
Coach Spotlight: Dimitri Stroobant
We caught up with Dimitri, who came in second in the 30-34 age group in the Spartan Beast held at Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru. We spoke to him about his training, his advice for first-time Spartan Racers, and his plans for the new year.
Should I Run A Spartan Race?
As someone who has run a Spartan Race before, here’s what I think: whether you’re someone generally fit and strong, or if you’ve been inactive on your couch for 10 years, do your homework, and then take that next step.
Spartan Race Client Spotlight: Aneesh Chowdary
Despite it being his first spartan race, Aneesh completed all the obstacles at the Bukit Timah Spartan Sprint on the 3rd of August 2019, coming in top 50 in his age category.
The Bukit Timah Spartan Race 2019 – “Veni, Vidi, Vici”
The 2019 Bukit Timah Spartan Race saw familiar faces return to run with Team Level, along with a host of new faces who thoroughly enjoyed their first taste of obstacle racing.
