+ Training | HomeGym

Wow! I have not hit the gym for over a couple of years now.

Had always frequented the ClubFit in Tampines Sports Hall every Sunday for an hour, after sending my son for his swimming lessons at the Tampines Swimming Complex short distance away.

Did my overall workout but focused more on my leg workouts since I did not get a proper workout at home on my old UltraFIT HomeGym. I bought it for S$700.00 when Weider Shop in Tampines Mall basement had a sale. The shop closed down a year or so later.

It had the basics for overall body workout but only leg extension, short of a leg press as alternative to squats.

I needed to coninute working-out since I frequented the gym lesser and lesser nowadays due to work and family commitments.

However, I still had one concern. By not going to the gym, I was deprived of squats. Squats are great for good overall gain for my legs, but doing free weights alone at home, coupled with my "shifty" left knee, it was kind of dangerous without a spotter to assist.

Doing leg exercises once a week was a consolation as far as gaining leg mass was concern. I needed to train my legs at least 3 times a week top balance my upper body gains.

My legs are the hardest to pack on mass for that matter, since I was always more of a cross-country runner in high school than anything else, and has always been lean and skinny.

When my son's basic swimming lesson was over, so were the trips to the gym too. I was desperate to get the exercise I needed.

On and off I surfed the net looking for another set of HomeGym that would include a leg press to replace my old one.

Scouted around at Aibi Health Equipment in Parkway Parade, Suntec City and several other outlets, but did not have with such configuration.

Surfing the net would only find the great ones available in the US. Weider had great sets but not available locally. The other brands had such configuration but was either astronomical in price or just too large to fit in my HDB bedroom.

Almost given-up until Good Health Products placed an ad in the papers. The website was not comprehensive enough to give the type of information needed as in the US, but very promising.

Made a call and went down to its showroom in 35 Tannery Road one Saturday with my wife. I just had to have a "blessings" for the kind of "investment" I would be forking out. A budget of S$5,000.00 in mind. Gulp.

The showroom was not exactly posh, the kind hardcore bodybuilders would patronise, not the yuppies, I would imagined.

There, at the corner stood my HomeGym. The PowerStation 1800.

Had all the basic exercises, plus some other extras as compared to my old set, but most importantly it came with an extendable leg-press to the main set. The whole footprint was compact enough for my room!

Tried the different types of exercises on it and it felt good, very good. Smooth articulation and very good stretch from beginning to end. The paddings were extra solid too.

Please let it be within my budget I prayed silently.

After talking to the manager, it came to S$3,200.00. He was nice enough to accept a trade-in for my old UltraFIT HomeGym and most importantly taking it away to make way for the new one.

I thank Allah for such find. I was all smiles after that.

About a month after I got the new HomeGym and trained on it religiously, I was delighted when I had several of my friends noticed and complimented on my gains, and they are not bodybuilders.

Wow! All thanks to Allah for the gift He blessed upon me.

I am a bodybuilder and will always be. Weight training is my passion. I can combine work, family quality time and my favourite sports all in under one roof now. Yes!

+ Motivator | Local Bodybuilders

Turned 39 this year 2005, but I feel I am stuck in my teen years still. Always aspired to be as big as the bodybuilders I saw on TV and magazines as far back as I can remember.

That was solely because I was skin and bones, did not think much about my appearance until my teen years, when I was often teased by some classmates whenever I took off my shirt during PE lessons.

It took me to my late teens when I finally decided to do something about it. I wanted to beef-up and improve my appearance and stop feeling inferior when I took off my shirt.

Bodybuilding was my obvious choice. It stuck with me once I felt the "pumped" feeling after the first workout. I still love the feeling till today.

I drew inspiration from the most fantastic bodybuilder ever, Arnold Shwarzzeneger. His incredible physique was mind-blowing. His face was on every bodybuilding magazines.

Closer to home, I have always admired the classic physique of local bodybuilders.

The unforgettable likes of Azman Abdullah, Singapore's most successful bodybuilder on the world map,

Fatholomein Ali, a house-whole name in local bodybuilding scene with his successive winning titles around Asia,

and Ibrahim Sihat come to mind. I could relate more to these guys because they are local and they are Malays.

Their photos in the newspapers were always awe inspiring, but can never do justice as they are even huge and awesome in person.

These guys are look incredible and powerful on stage when they compete. Poised and with such confidence, it would not be a surprise if many like me, took up bodybuilding after seeing them perform on stage.

Met Ibrahim Sihat in person for the first time, taking the same double-decker bus number 18 at SAFRA Tampines. He worked as a Gym Instructor at the Health & Fitness club there.

And again several more times during bodybuilding competitions at SAFRA Clubhouse, where he ushered the spectators at the entrance.

At first glance, his thick chest grabs your attention. His well-developed bulking shoulders complementing those big triceps are just an awesome sight. For some reason, he reminds me of Frank Zane with his classic physique.

I guess he is blessed with very good genes. Yes, he is well known as Singapore's Mr. Clean. No steroids. Just plain natural bodybuilding.

Just like me, every time I see them, I cannot wait to go straight to the gym to do more workouts. They provide me motivation even today. They are the source of my inspiration and motivation to keep training and keep fit.

Over time, more and more local bodybuilders became my Muscle Icons.

One huge guy is Mohd Ismail Mohd, a policeman by profession. I think he should be Singapore's answer to Arnold. Just huge!

His big frame is his advantage. His forearms are amazing size. His well-developed biceps and triceps are indeed envious to many bodybuilders, but I think his thighs are his prized assets. They are bulky just like Arnold's in his prime days.

Have met him many times at Kallang Canteen where I worked. Gathered all my guts to approach him and shook his hand to congratulate him on several occasions when he clinched the gold and silver from National and SEA Games.

A very nice approachable person and a rich one too with the monies he has won over the years at major sporting events overseas.

Another fantastic sportsman is Nazaruddin Seladin. He was an Ambassador for Youth Bodybuilding who promoted the sport amongst teenagers, going from school to school telling the benefit of taking good care of your body and health.

He was top on the national bodybuilders' league surpassing even the veterans. I recalled Fathol ever mentioned in a news article that he was watching out for Naz because the young lad had become a formidable contender to him.

Naz has an average height like me not as tall and bulky as other big framed bodybuilders, but his wonderfully perfect symmetry and proportion were his blessings.

He worked out to an awesome definition at competitions that made him the stood out as a clear winner many a times at local and overseas competitions. To top it all, his smooth, confident free-pose routines were one of my favourites to watch. Excellent presentation overall.

Sadly he faded away from the competitive scene when he lost the top 3 position during the SEA Games. I am still wishing he would make a comeback, because this bodybuilder has all the right stuff to take home the medals again. Period.

+ Training | Past Gyms

Started to the gym for weight training when I was in my teens, while I was a student at Tanjong Katong Secondary School during my 3-month Pre-U days before the GCE 'O" results.

I remember my first gym was Health & Fitness Club at Joo Chiat Community Centre.

I went with my Kaki Bukit Secondary School classmate Aziz, who was also my classmate in Pre-U. I was skinny, just bones. And he was plum and wanting to get rid of his baby fat.

Both of us had common interest in sports that was Bodybuilding, and both had common objective - that was to beef-up, be fit and have a muscular physique. A bodybuilder's figure would be awesome, but we kept our goals simple and focused gains in small steps.

The gym was outside, beside the community centre building with aluminum roofing. Quite spacious, but the exercise equipment were quite old and rusting due to the mist when it rained.

Got to know many "seasoned" bodybuilders with big muscles pumping hard and regularly training there. Benefited well with many tips on training, types of food and supplements but most of all the motivation they give.

It is something they share with fellow bodybuilders there to keep training. When one guy progressed with good gain, one would see the others trained even harder to over-take the attention.

It just good, clean competitive training fun. It kept everyone training hard and consistent.

When I left Pre-U to study at JSTI or Japanese-Singapore Technical Institute, which was renamed as Nanyang Technical Institute a few years after I graduated from there.

I had a group of fellow classmates going to the gym. We went to the National Stadium Fitness Club.

An open-air gym that was very spacious and had 3 multi-station gym sets, 4 stations of pulleys, 2 squatting stations and plenty of free barbells and dumbbells to go around.

It was a great place with good showers facilities, etc and spectacular view of the track and green manicured field. The entrance fee was only 80 cents per person per entry.

We were all set to achieve a manly, macho form. We were somehow freaked out by stories of bad experiences - almost torture-like training, one had to go through during National Service.

Initially a group of 6 to 8 when together after school, but after a few months, the enthusiasm faded away for most of my friends. I was left with only Sulaimi who stuck to going to the gym and kept on training together.

Again, I was not as beefed-up as I had hope to before JSTI, he, on the other hand was in good shape naturally. Thanks to his genes. But never hurt to improve even further.

We spot each other, and some times when one could not make it, there were many beginners and intermediate bodybuilder who would gladly assist spot each other during bench presses, etc.
That gym was my longest with the gym and I had the most gains training there with Sulaimi.

+ Welcome | Weight Training

Never passionate about sports until I had to go for bootcamp after my studies. Friends kept telling that recruits would be "tortured" during training.

Well, there is some truth to that, but the secret is out. It is the physical and mental endurance that all recruits need to have, to go through with little scathe. If you are physically fit, then you will have less "torturous" experience, as you can endure mentally too more than the next person.

I decided to learn to swim, to train with weights and revive my high school sports activity of long distance running, to jogging to have stamina.

All worked out very well for me while I was in the army, fitness wise.

With weight training I as the platoon's best guy with the most pull-ups in one go. I could do forty-five or more in a single go.

With the running and combined with weight training, I came first for SOC or Standard Obstacle Course in my platoon. Could not recall my time taken though.

With swimming, now that was a bit of a problem. A blessing in disguise for me. Did not have enough time to "master" swimming, I was sectioned off as a weak swimmer. What a relieve when I saw numerous times, the guys had to do circuit training and puked while they were at it, week after week. I only had to do the basics and prepare for the test. With some "difficulties" I managed to pass the test.

Now all sports are great for your fitness, but weight training stuck with me and become my passion since and I reckon will be till I am too old to pick up a barbell.

I have always dreamed of competitive bodybuilding, but with my puny frame and genetically thin-boned, I definitely had to pack much more muscle for the whole body, especially my legs.

With my limited knowledge of bodybuilding and strained for time, I nonetheless gained muscle mass but at a very slow pace. Never can become a competitor, but a bodybuilder, I am.

This section of the blog is dedicated to all my fellow bodybuilders whom I admire (with envy) because they either have good genetics to start with, discipline to train and diet well, or even gathered good knowledge in bodybuilding to achieve a dream physique to be proud of.

Here's to all the hard work and sweat at the gym, the pain and continuous achievements you dedicate yourself to, the sport of bodybuilding.