Name: Effi Jono
Occupation: Housewife
Age: 52
Height: 1.58m
Weight: 48kg
Trainer: John Cheah

With worries of stubborn pain in her thumb, Effi was introduced to Level by her daughter Erica Tenggara, who had trained under John in the past. Effi was afraid of osteoporosis and Erica suggested that weight training would help improve her bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

“Bone density becomes more important as we age. It doesn’t take long before your bones become brittle. Typically Asian women lack calcium, so for us osteoporosis is always an issue. It is proven that weight training can help to prevent it.”

Effi was not new to working with a personal trainer in a gym, but was surprised at how, even in a small group setting, she was able to progress so quickly with her goal-specific training.

“John showed me that training could be result oriented, and specific. For the first time, I was not just hopping from machine to machine.”

With the knowledge that strength training helps to prevent bone density deterioration, Effi was motivated to get stronger with her training at Level. One of the movements she wanted to work on was the pull up, and John tailored a program to help get her stronger with the movement.

Effi already had some strength but lacked body awareness, so John got her to perform simple bodyweight exercises to work through essential movement patterns – “boring but essential exercises”.

These tempo exercises at moderate intensities challenged her motor control and built on her body awareness, so Effi could better “feel” the muscles that were working in each position.

“Effi was already very strong and fit when she first started seeing me, but Erica told me she had no awareness of her body, She would muscle things up just because she could, but those numbers plateaued fast because there was no awareness of how the body works in unison, like a chain”, said John.

It did not take long before Effi was able to hit her goals.

“I set out to achieve one pull up in time for Christmas, but I ended up achieving that goal one month early in November. Now I am able to do three pull ups!”

Today, apart from being able to execute three clean pull ups, Effi has built her deadlift up to an impressive 70kg. She can also perform weighted push ups and dips. Effi trains in a small group setting, along with our other clients Motoko and Sheranne, both of whom train at Level to rehab their injuries and get stronger.

“It’s good training with the girls. We all have different areas we are working on. Sheranne trains to strengthen her back, Motoko is trying to rehab her shoulder. It’s more fun and we all motivate each other.”

A recent bone density scan showed improvement since Effi started strength training at Level. She now continues to train under John with the goal of getting stronger every day.

“A few months ago, I had a fall – just walking on Orchard Road. I tripped and used my hand to stop myself. If I did not do weight weight training, I would have sprained my wrist or fractured my bone. My doctor was very impressed.”

“Every woman should do strength training – it’s very important especially as we age. We tend to think that it is for vanity but it is not. It’s very important for your health, well-being and quality of life.”

When asked about her experience training at Level, Effi said,

“Level has a good set up, it’s very open and you never feel intimidated. It’s not like other gyms that have machine after machine – which can be cold. This is definitely a great place for clients to achieve their fitness goals.”