Biography

Name: Sheranne Wong
Occupation: Yoga Instructor
Age: 30
Height: 1.7m
Weight: 50kg
Personal Trainer: John Cheah
Time with Level: 10 weeks from October 2019

Sheranne, a yoga instructor, had undergone a spinal fusion surgery 10 years ago. Ever since, she’s been struggling with the pain everyday – even laying flat on a yoga mat hurt.

She knew she ought to build strength in her back and various friends had suggested that she try weight training.  However, she didn’t know where to start.  Her surgeon had told her that she wasn’t meant to lift anything heavy because her back couldn’t take it. Since then, she had always afraid of doing anything that would hurt her back.

“The most fundamental thing when working with a personal trainer is really the trust. “

For Sheranne, it was very important to have a personal trainer who she could trust and who was aware of her condition. Getting to work one-on-one with a personal trainer at Level was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“John makes what seems impossible, possible.”

Keeping her back surgery in mind, John Cheah created an exercise regime that taught Sheranne how to use her posterior chain and upper back, starting off with more basic exercises.  A typical workout would include clean grip deadlifts, push-ups, front rack split squats, behind the neck strict presses, goblet squats, good mornings and single arm dumbbell rows.

“When you look at the workouts, it always seems very daunting, but somehow John makes it very digestible. Sometimes you start out thinking that’s impossible to achieve, but then you get there eventually.”

In just 10 weeks, her training has proven to be highly effective. Not only does she feel stronger, the pain in her back has been kept at a minimum. “Weeks ago, I couldn’t lift a 20kg kettlebell off the ground. Now I can deadlift 53kg.”

“Learning about weight training, movement and the body has made me grow not only as someone who comes to train, but also as a teacher.”

“Now, when someone is dealing with similar issues with their back, I’m able to better understand their situation, and adapt my classes and teaching to suit them. It has made me aware of things beyond what I knew and has also offered a different perspective” says Sheranne.