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Enjoy articles about health and fitness, as well as client features, written by our personal trainers.
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STRENGTH
Kelvin Ngian: “I train to build more upper body strength”
Kelvin has been a regular at Level’s classes since Oct 2020. In Feb 2022, he decided to try small group personal training for a more structured and focused training programme.
Audrey Tan: “I train so I can have my cake and eat it”
Having trained with John since 2019, Audrey loves her lean physique but most importantly, she loves how John does not restrict her diet.
Mai Tomida: “I train to elevate my fitness levels”
When Mai stopped making progress in her HIIT classes, she decided to start personal training with John Cheah to elevate her fitness levels.
Desmond Lim: “I train for a stronger body”
After sustaining injuries in Crossfit and boxing, Desmond, a fashion director at Vogue, began Calisthenics training at Level. His goal was to build a stronger body.
Nadiah Hazwani: “I train to improve my confidence”
Nadiah wanted to get stronger to carry her two kids, but she subsequently realised that she wanted to train for herself, for her mental and emotional well-being.
Marcela Viola: “I train to strengthen my core”
An aeriel instructor, Marcela has been attending Handstand and Calisthenics classes to strengthen her upper body and core.
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, 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.
SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Eleni Sardi: “I train so I can be a better runner”
As an avid runner, Eleni embarked on a personal training programme designed with plyometrics for strength to improve her running performance.
Barbara Latimer: “I train so I can box better”
Barbara, a boxing instructor, 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.
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.
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.
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.
REHAB
How Working with a Personal Training Coach Can Help with Injury Rehabilitation
While a personal training coach may and should not diagnose your injuries, they can guide you post surgery and rehabilitation.
Motoko Gollent: “I train to rehab my shoulder injury”
Motoko suffered a shoulder injury as the result of a miscalculated adjustment during yoga. After surgery, she started training at Level to rehab her shoulder and regain her strength.
Marc Torel: “I train so I can regain confidence after a knee injury”
After Marc tore his ACL and MCL, he lost confidence and was afraid to lift heavy. It was Jamie, his wife, who suggested doing personal training sessions at Level.
Sheranne Wong: “I train so I can strengthen my back”
Sheranne 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.
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.
OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING
From Injured Athlete to 1st Place in National Weightlifting Championship
Learn more about how Daniel overcame multiple back injuries to place first at the National Weightlifting Championship in his category.
Barbell Club: Behind The Scenes
The Level Barbell Club trains 6 days a week at Robinson Road, and is made up of an interesting assortment of people. We caught up with Daniel, Sherling, Manoj and Jacintha and asked them if they get tired of lifting, of Coach Wu, or of each other.
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 this sport and whether there’s hope for us as uncoordinated people.
PRE / POST-PARTUM
Jamie Victoria Guna: “I train post-partum so I can regain strength and get back to work after pregnancy”
After giving birth, Jamie knew she had to recover her pre-pregnancy fitness levels if she wanted to return to work as a boxing instructor.
Sheetal Pritmani: “I train pre-partum so I can be strong when my baby arrives”
When Sheetal found out she was pregnant, she wanted to be able to lift her baby without injury, and prevent aches and pains during pregnancy.
Nobody Asked: What No One Tells You About Being A New Mother
This is a guest post written by Erica Tenggara, a personal training client at Level. Erica trains with John Cheah (pre and post pregnancy).
GEN X
Effi Jono: “I train for better bone density and to prevent osteoporosis”
Effi was afraid of osteoporosis and her daughter suggested that weight training would help improve her bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
Thomas Coffman (age 66): “I train for better metabolic health”
As the Dean of Duke-NUS Medical School, Thomas Coffman understands the benefits of being metabolically healthy and has been training at Level for the last six years.
Mr and Mrs Xie (age 55 and 50): “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.
HANDSTANDS
Client Stories: It Takes Two Hands…to Handstand
Marcela and Asawinee are both regulars of our Handstand classes with Lorne, so we caught up with them to find out a bit more about this common love for being upside down.
Coach Spotlight: Lorne Peart
If you’ve been around our Telok Ayer branch at lunchtime, you might have noticed a lone figure standing on his hands in the sun. We caught up with Lorne to ask him about his training, his take on movement, and what makes him tick.
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: 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: 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: 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.
COACH SPOTLIGHT
6 Things I Wish I Knew before Starting my Fitness Journey
Our female trainer Krystle shares six tips for beginners at the gym – useful for anyone just starting on their fitness journey!
Coach Spotlight: Bryan Tan
We sat down with Bryan to talk about his heart, and how sometimes that’s far more important than what the head is going through.
Coach Spotlight: Hannah Ko
We caught up with Hannah through a screen to talk about life beyond it; her love for adventure, exploration and helping others feel the same way she feels while doing that.
Coach Spotlight: Hadrian Ro
We caught up with ex canoe-sprinter Hadrian Ro to ask him about his work outside the gym and how it’s like joining a new company in the middle of a pandemic.
Coach Spotlight: Krystle Theseira
The ex-powerlifter Krystle works with female clients, changing their mindsets about working with barbells, and uses resistance training as a medium to helps others feel empowered, strong and confident.
The Olympic Journey: John Cheah
It has been over a year since John Cheah competed at an overseas event. We decided to catch up with him one last time as he gears up for the competition ahead.
Coach Spotlight: Daniel Paul Anugraham
Daniel joined us recently as a full-fledged coach, but he also spends his time as a part time student, training for his next powerlifting competition and sharing memes!
Coach Spotlight: Coach, Wife, Daughter… Mother!
The last time we met Eva, she was a fresh-faced coach just beginning her journey at Level. She’s still fresh faced (good beige don’t age), but is now armed with a new son and a wealth of knowledge through working with clients and coaches who’ve allowed her to forge a path of her own.
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 this sport and whether there’s hope for us as uncoordinated people.
CLIENT STORIES
Client Stories: It Takes Two Hands…to Handstand
Marcela and Asawinee are both regulars of our Handstand classes with Lorne, so we caught up with them to find out a bit more about this common love for being upside down.
Client Spotlight: Adithi and Yiamunaa
Adithi and Yiamunaa have very different goals, yet train together under the watchful eye of coach John. We caught up with the both of them to see how their training has been affected by the lockdown, and what they’re doing to get back on track.
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.
PERSONAL TRAINING
6 Things I Wish I Knew before Starting my Fitness Journey
Our female trainer Krystle shares six tips for beginners at the gym – useful for anyone just starting on their fitness journey!
How Much Does A Personal Trainer Cost in Singapore?
To give you an idea of how much to pay for a personal trainer, here’s a back-of-the-envelope summary of average costs based on the prices of personal trainer in Singapore.
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.
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.
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.
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