Hadrian joined the gym earlier this year just in time for the first Heightened Alert, which explains a lot about why you might not have seen him around the gym. The former canoe sprinter gives back to the community in his work with youths across schools in Singapore when he’s not playing with his exceedingly cute Japanese Spitz (Snowy), and enjoys a moisturising mask from time to time (your face isn’t going to take care of itself!). We caught up with Hadrian to ask him about his work outside the gym, how joining a new company in the middle of a pandemic is working out, and whether he treats athletes the same way he treats his other clients (spoiler: he doesn’t!).

It feels like we’ve had you around for a long time, but also not really! Tell us about yourself and how the first months of Level have been for you.

The first months of Level was challenging, as I started in the midst of the pandemic and the Heightened Alert. As the restrictions eased, I was progressively taking on more classes, and it was wonderful meeting the people of Level.

Tell us about how you got into coaching!

I started coaching midway into my athletic career as a means of sustenance. Prior to that, I was already interested in behavioural psychology, and how proper conditioning could result in positive results. Over the years, I have applied my athletic experiences, as well as my understanding of behavioural psychology, to achieve high levels of performance amongst those that I coach.

How does your experience as an athlete carry over into coaching the teens you work with?

My experiences as an athlete helps me understand that teens require proper progression in their movements.

Tell us about the clients you see outside of the competitive realm. What is your approach with regular people, or people who don’t have competition goals?

For my non-athletic clients, the tenets of training will involve learning to move, and moving to move! In learning to move, my clients will be taught the basic language of movement – hinge, bends, lunge, push, pull. Moving to move will encompass multi-planar movements to challenge the body in functional situations. On the same note, educating my clients on training principles, as well as nutritional guidelines, are a core part of my coaching approach.

The goal is to help people sustain an independent fitness lifestyle, and that involves helping clients understand the what/why/hows of training and nutrition.

What are three things people don’t know about you?

[He laughs] Firstly, I am particularly neat and organised with my belongings.

Two, I will always own two or more of the same clothes (maybe sometimes in different colours!). If you see me in the same attire, it is because i have multiple sets of the same attire. Even for my casual/formal clothes, and shoes! I have two pairs of the same Onitsuka Tigers, in different colours.

Three, I can remember and accurately identify various species of plants and animals, as well as random facts about these plants/animals. I have no particular interest in plants and animals, but certain pieces of information from my earlier years are somehow burnt into my memories.

Hadrian is available for personal training at both our 14 Robinson Road as well as our 137 Telok Ayer outlets. He teaches Skill and Structure classes on the weekends when the government isn’t busy closing his workplaces.