This August, hopeful sportsmen and women will gather in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro to take part in one of the world’s most anticipated sporting event – the Olympic Games. Closer to home, three of Malaysia’s youngest and brightest sports stars – Pandalela Rinong, Khairul Anuar Mohamad and Welson Sim – are training especially hard in preparation for the big event.
Jonathan Tan, Sports Toto Fitness Manager and Senior Instructor of Bootcamp Malaysia discusses their training regimes and shares tips on how to stay in top form for each of the sporting category.
Pandelela Rinong
Branded the nation’s sweetheart after becoming Malaysia’s first female athlete to win a medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Pandelela will once don our national colours this August.
“Good core strength, flexibility coupled with dexterity and lean muscles are some of the most important traits of a good diver,” says Jonathan, who has been promoting personal fitness and health for 15 years. “Pandelela’s success today is attributed to her disciplined training, a well-balanced diet and utmost dedication to the sport.”
To achieve Pandelela’s lithe diver physique, firstly build your core strength with a series of planks, crunches, sit-ups and push-ups. Then, elevate these series of exercises with a yoga exercise ball, which helps to work and activate harder-to-reach core muscles.
Improve your flexibility and build lean muscles through a dedicated training schedule. If you are already exercising, try increasing your frequency and incorporating new routines into your existing ones.
If you haven’t already started resistance training, it is time to get some resistance band packs, for it will enhance the exercises you are doing to reduce body fat and burn calories.
Of course, a healthy diet helps, along with a good pair of swimsuit to give you support and that extra confidence at the pool. The Powersprint Placement Powerback swimsuit, for example, is ideal for divers, thanks to its ergonomic design, support features and understated elegance.
Khairul Anuar Mohamad
Khairul is no stranger to the archery scene in Malaysia. He was determined to bring home a medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but alas it wasn’t meant to be then. This time around, the 24-year-old is working doubly hard to ensure that he achieves his goals.
“Many people have the misconception that archers don’t need a high level of fitness, but what they fail to realise is that archers are required to be physically fit with excellent upper body muscular control, have good hand/eye coordination and balance, as well as upper body strength to do well in the sport,” Jonathan explains. “Archers utilise their fitness to create a conscious calmness through the lowering of their heart rates in competition. The calmer they are, the more accurate the shot.”
Weight lifting is one of the more effective ways to build good upper body strength. The muscles formed from lifting adjustable dumbbells will help develop the right muscle groups to draw the bow, control and extend the bow arm. This, combined with the right gears, will help pave the way to becoming a promising archer.
There are three basic items that a novice archer needs: a set of leather hand guards, a beginner archery bow and extra arrows. The hand guards are important because they cover your forearm and act as a protective barrier when you release your arrow. The leather fits snugly and keeps your sleeves, hair and skin out of the way of your bowstring.
It is always advisable to engage a coach, as he will teach you invaluable techniques and help sharpen your skills. One note of caution: always practise shooting your targets in an enclosed, dedicated space to prevent accidents or injuries to yourself and others.
Welson Sim
Welson started swimming at the tender age of 11, and has never looked back since. With the encouragement from his parents, he has decided to swim competitively. His hard work is rewarded when he became the first Malaysian to qualify for the Rio Olympics 2016.
“Swimming is one of those sports that require a lot of stamina, as competitive swimming can take quite a toll on the body. Speed in the water comes through training strength and sustaining muscle fatigue. Therefore, swimmers should reinforce their strength training for better resistance in the water,” shares Jonathan, who has participated in triathlons.
Typically, swimmers do a variety of endurance, power and speed work, so they spend a lot of time lifting weights to strengthen their upper bodies and build muscles. Some swimmers leverage ankle weights to complement their lower body endurance training.
To build stamina, many coaches encourage their swimmers to skip ropes. This good form of cardiovascular workout is usually enhanced with special jump ropes, such as the cordless jump rope, which is useful even for the most novice fitness enthusiast.
Swimming, whether for leisure or competitively, will not be complete without the full gear – complete body swimsuits (which helps retain body temperature and promote faster swims), anti-fog goggles (for clearer underwater vision) and swim caps (to protect hair against chlorine damage).
Support, support, support!
As our athletes embark on their Rio 2016 Olympic Games adventure, so can we with a fitness regime of our own. At 11street, you will find many shocking deals for athletic gears at competitive prices. Other than the items mentioned here, there are many other gadgets for sports such as badminton, hockey and basketball. Once an order is put through, 11street will manage everything – from liaising with the sellers to ensuring accurate delivery.
11street is organising a ‘Take Me to Rio” contest from 8 to 31 August. The grand prize, worth more than RM40,000, encompasses a pair of flight tickets to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, accommodation, meals and sightseeing expenses. The contest is open for all registered members of 11street. For regular members, they are entitled one contest entry for every RM50 spent. Meanwhile, VIP and VVIP members get one contest entry for every RM30 worth of transaction.
For more information, please visit http://www.11street.my/.
Note: The advertisers gathered here have no relation to the Rio 2016 Games and only sponsor this special section.
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