Klang Valley Streets: Kettlebell fitness

WHEN we think of weight training, we imagine rows and rows of gym machines and equipment with people pumping away like there¡¯s no tomorrow.

Although it may get you results, doing the same thing over and over again is monotonous and could lead to over-working your muscles. You may also neglect the proper way to use the machines, inviting potential injury.

Also, you may not work on certain areas of your body as you focus only on some muscles. For example, you work on your chest muscles when using a bench press machine, but forget to work your abs and back (the core region responsible for keeping you upright and stable).

You add extra strain on your your back and the rest of your body is not toned.
Vince Choo, a fitness coach, addresses this issue. He dispenses with machines and trains clients in core strength training.

He does so with a unique weight called a Kettlebell which looks like a ball with a handle attached to it.

¡°It¡¯s a very versatile tool, as you can hold it in various ways while using your body weight to execute different movements that work the muscles,¡± explained Choo.

While the kettlebell is used in such countries as the United States and Australia, it is not widely known. It is an alternative to weight training with machines or free weights.

¡°Training with it can help you with everyday activities like carrying groceries, walking up stairs, lifting heavy loads, or picking up small children.

¡°With machines, if you¡¯re not coached properly, they can prove injurious. I get clients who complain of lower back pain, and shoulder and neck pain because of the hours they spend behind a desk. Such inactivity and bad postures lead to eventual loss of muscle tone and mass,¡± Choo said.

The kettlebell is also useful in addition to regular weight training or if you are involved in a sport.

Said Choo: ¡°If you swim or play badminton, for example, you should consider building your fitness to enhance your performance in the sport. It gives an overall balance to muscle training. For example, cycling uses the lower body muscles a lot, so we work on the upper body. If you swim, which requires upper body work, we¡¯ll strengthen your legs.¡±

Choo¡¯s clients at his KDT Academy range from housewives and working adults to professional athletes and fitness instructors.

Kettlebell workouts can be mild or intense. Each workout is different in order to constantly challenge the body and prevent it from adapting to the same exercise done repeatedly, a condition called Specific Adaption of Imposed Demands (SAID).

Choo also uses other methods for maximum physical conditioning including stability ball exercises, latex bands, cable workouts, interval training, plyometrics (intense and short bursts of movements), shuttle runs and martial arts, specifically boxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu

You¡¯ll be sure to work all the areas that are important to improve your health and fitness ¡ª these include your cardiovascular range, stamina, endurance, strength and flexibility.

KDT Academy is unlike your typical gym: it¡¯s bare and the floor space is for everything and anything. ¡°Once I show people how to do it, they immediately feel they can do it anywhere,¡± said Choo.

The academy has various group classes which are divided into beginner, intermediate and advance levels.

There are also personal training sessions conducted by Choo or a certified trainer. ¡°I end up training too in the one-to-one sessions with a client,¡± he said.

Choo said that if you don¡¯t take part in any sports, you can always do a general conditioning programme for life.

¡°I make it a point to only work with those who are serious about being fit. I¡¯ve trained both amateur and professional athletes like PGA golf professionals, professional Japanese baseball players, rugby players, martial arts fighters as well as office workers and housewives.

¡°One component of my personal training programme involves advising clients about proper nutrition, although I am not a licensed dietitian. I advise moderation and balanced diets from quality foods. The workouts that they do require them to eat healthily. I don¡¯t subscribe to any extreme diets or fads (e.g. low-carb diets).

¡°Most of my clients are in their early 30s with established careers and families, who are now investing in themselves as they realise health is their wealth.

¡°There are no shortcuts to health. Asians, I find, generally tend to shy away from exercise because they don¡¯t like sweating or working out. Working out correctly and safely is largely determined by your present physical condition and your goal. What do you aim to get out of the workouts? Otherwise, there will be a high drop-out rate,¡± said Choo.

He also explained that there are many forms of ¡°fitness¡±. Is a body builder fit? How about a marathon runner? The answer is that they are fit, but in different ways. Most of us are not aiming for a body builder, or marathon runner physique. Women want a toned, slim body.

Many people think that to work out means that they have to be involved in some sport or other. Not true at all.

¡°Housewives and businessmen ¡®workout¡¯ 24/7, while athletes have ¡®on¡¯ and ¡®off¡¯ seasons. They engage in their sport for six to eight months of the year and then get time off. They are required to deliver for one or two hours during a game, and then it¡¯s off to the massage therapist or hot tub, straight away.

¡°More is demanded on average from those raising families or running businesses in terms of physical and mental fitness than professional athletes. Who has the tougher job?¡± asks Choo.

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