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challenge BE INSPIRED

Jul-Sep 49

 “I  wasn’t  really  active  after  I  left  secondary  school.  Before  that  I  was  fairly  fit  because  I  was  in  the  National  Cadet  Corps,  

and  would  go  on  weekly  marches.  But  when  I  started  work  at  Fitness  First  as  a  membership  consultant,  I  started  losing  weight  by  combining  strength  training  and  cardio  exercises.  That  motivated  me  to  help  other  people  to  lose  weight.  That  was  when  I  decided  to  take  up  courses  to  be  a  fitness  trainer.  

After  three  years  working  at  an  established  gym,  I  wanted  to  develop  my  own  training  programme  so  I  opened  AlphaFit  in  December  2011  to  focus  on  Kettlebell  training.  As  a  business  owner,  I  have  the  freedom  to  train  my  clients  in  a  way  I  think  is  most  effective.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  challenging  as  well.  But  it  is  worth  it.  

I  chose  to  focus  on  Kettlebell  as  a  training  tool  because  it  gives  a  complete  workout  with  a  few  simple  moves;  swinging  a  Kettlebell  for  50  repetitions  is  good  cardiovascular  workout  for  the  whole  body.  It  is  also  great  for  building  strength.

I  joined  the  Strongman  Challenge  in  March  this  year  partly  to  challenge  myself  and  partly  to  prove  that  you  don’t  have  to  be  big  in  size  to  be  strong.  

For 28-year-old fitness

trainer and Strongman

Challenge finalist Hayati

Nuffus, being strong is all

about mind over matter.

By JOLENE LIMUCO

I’m  1.6m  tall  and  weigh  about  60kg.  To  be  able  to  flip  a  tractor  tyre  that  weighs  almost  three  times  more  than  me,  and  to  carry  logs  twice  my  weight  are  no  easy  feats.  What  I  learnt  from  participating  in  the  Strongman  Challenge  is  that  I  can  complete  any  task  if  I  put  my  mind  to  it.  To  prepare  for  it,  I  did  strength  training  almost  every  day  by  lifting  deadlifts  weighing  95kg  and  flipping  tractor  tyres  that  can  weigh  up  to  150kg.    

In  the  Strongman  Challenge,  I  found  the  log  walk  —  where  I  had  to  carry  a  50kg  log  on  each  arm  and  walk  for  20m  —  the  hardest  because  all  the  stress  was  on  my  arms  and  hips.  Most  people  

TO BE ABLE TO FLIP A TRACTOR TYRE THAT WEIGHS ALMOST THREE TIMES MORE THAN ME, AND TO CARRY LOGS TWICE MY WEIGHT ARE NO EASY FEATS.

PHO

TO: Steve Zhu

think  that  pulling  a  two-­‐tonne  car  is  difficult,  but  to  get  it  moving  all  you  need  is  to  use  your  body  weight  and  the  right  technique.  To  be  able  to  carry  the  heavy  logs,  however,  you’d  have  to  use  all  the  strength  in  your  arms  and  legs.  

I  travelled  to  Moscow  and  Belgorod  in  Russia  in  May  to  take  part  in  the  Open  European  Kettlebell  Championship  where  I  won  a  medal  in  the  featherweight  category.  I  have  also  competed  in  regional  Kettlebell  competitions,  such  as  the  Hong  Kong  Kettlebell  Open  in  June  last  year  and  the  Singapore  Kettlebell  Championships  in  February  this  year.  At  the  latter,  I  competed  in  the  long  cycle  event  and  was  awarded  overall  best  female  lifter.

To  me,  being  physically  strong  is  being  in  control  of  my  body  so  that  I  can  enjoy  my  life.  Also,  it  means  that  I  have  the  mental  strength  to  complete  whatever  task  I  set  out  to  do  —  whether  it  is  pulling  a  two-­‐tonne  car  or  lifting  weights  as  heavy  as  150kg.  And  to  be  able  to  do  this  takes  a  lot  of  discipline.  If  you  can  do  this,  you  can  tackle  anything  in  life  —  be  it  at  home  or  at  work.”  

IN CONTROL OF HER BODY

Hayati uses a sledgehammer to hit tractor tyres, to work her upper arms and shoulders.