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Breakfast is the most important meal for me. In fact, it is that important that I make it a point to eat it at home before I leave for training, no matter how early the first training session is. 

A good breakfast makes or breaks my day. No hawker food for me, just a simple self-prepared meal comprising the following.

- Wholemeal Bread
- Tuna Fish
- Hard Boiled Egg Whites
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Protein Shake with reduced sugar soya bean milk (not in picture)



Yes, this is my energy boosting breakfast as there's an excellent mix of complex carbohydrates, protein & fibre. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the foods I eat and making a ceremony of it each time. 

Trust me, it does get rather therapeutic putting your own eggs to boil for 15 minutes and then peeling them one by one. Not forgetting slicing the tomatoes and lettuce. What's more when you put them altogether thereafter, just like what they serve in the cafes or delis in town, minus the thousand island dressing or mayonnaise.

This is what I eat everyday and I'm never tired of it! You should try it too.

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I detected a difference the moment I stepped into Delta Clubfitt Gym this evening. The free weight machines were pushed further away from the wall. And somehow, the walls feel rather empty.

That's because the Delta Clubfitt Gym is undergoing some minor renovations.


The entrance to Delta Clubfitt Gym

For the sake of a better workout environment, it makes perfect sense to endure some inconvenience that comes with the cordoning off of the toilet area, water cooler and reduced workout space. But that's only for a few hours as the workers finished the job efficiently. 

When I finished working out with my client at 10pm, the renovation was done.

Welcome freshly painted walls, new tiles and a bright yellow refurbished look that calls out to us all when we walk towards the bench press free weights area. And this time round, the familiar pictures are back on the barren walls again.


The refurbished yellow bench press free weights area


Welcome new tiles at the water cooler area


The smell of freshly painted white walls 

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Dear all,

You will realise that I now have an improved version of a photo gallery. Yes, it was completed today by my webmaster.  Instead of having to open the pictures one by one in the past, visitors can just click on the left or right side of the picture to view the next one.  Sweet!

I hope you enjoy this new experience as much as I do. Thanks to all for your support and do keep coming back to www.lionelim.com for more articles and blog updates :)

Cheers,

Lionel

 

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I decided to challenge myself today and do a different workout today. After all, variety is the spice of life, isn't it? Normally, I would just train one body part and max it out. But today, I decided to do a new gym workout which I term 'The Big Four'.

As the name suggests, 'The Big Four' workout refers to targeting the major muscle groups of the human body in one single hour.

This is what I did today. And trust me, even though I only did 4 sets of 15 reps for each of 'The Big Four', I was perspiring not unlike after my cardio run. Woohoo...try it!

My first exercise was the chin-up. There is no secret to doing a good standard chin-up. You basically get onto the chin-up bar and pull yourself up. But that's where the difference lies between doing it correctly and wrongly. I've seen many guys do chin-ups the wrong way. Yes, it's an IPPT staple item but still, you can get it wrong if you use the wrong muscles. The chin-up targets primarily the lats and to a lesser extent, the biceps as well.

Next up was the bench press. Often regarded as THE exercise to test a man's strength (if you gym often, you must have heard someone ask you this: "how heavy can you bench?"), the bench press is an excellent way to train your pectoral muscles, or more commonly known as the chest. And surprise, surprise, I could bench heavier without support today. 

Following the bench press, I proceeded to do my deadlifts. Deadlifts target multiple muscle groups and if you do them often enough, you will experience spikes in growth not seen otherwise. My lower back, hamstrings and glutes were the proud recipients after this exercise.

Rounding up, I faithfully did my squats. Squatting heavy and low, I worked my quads and glutes. Always relying on the mirror to check my posture, I have learnt to appreciate the beauty of squats and the benefits they bring to my body. 

After 'The Big Four', I was still feeling energetic. And that was when I found myself doing dips for my triceps. 

The finishing exercises for all my workouts remain the abs exercises. Combining various abs exercises, I did a total of 16 sets x 25 reps. Go figure what that number is...haha...mind boggling it seems but I know my abs will be super thankful come tomorrow!

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How time flies...the pioneer batch of Train The Trainer Programme graduates today! But before that, they have to pass the examination - in terms of client consultation, sales presentation & fitness training. Seeing them go through it all reminds me of when I first started off as well. It really brings back good memories as the participants are probably still unaware of the number of lives they can positively transform by virtue of this very noble profession called personal training.

Here are some candid shots of what took place on the sidelines of the examination. Remember, it's all about having fun during training too!


I think judging from the build of the 'client', he's exaggerating...is it really that heavy?

Two cobras sunning themselves in the open, surrounded by curious onlookers? Nay...just doing stretching


Did he break a bone or ligament? Look at his facial expression!! 

Congratulations to all the 4 newly minted personal trainers!

 

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I've finally finished designing the Train The Trainer Programme certificate. Just in time to get it printed and issued when the guys graduate this Sat. 

Looking at all the certificates I have received over the years, I decided to do away with the conventional designs that have a gold trimming as a border as it surely looks tacky. So for my Train The Trainer Certification Programme certificate, I came up with a design using strips and curves as the border. This reminds all of us that we have to be flexible in life and adaptability is important in this time and age. Playing with bright colours to liven up the mood, I chose orange (the colour of energy & vitality) and black (the colour of coolness & mystery).

Being a personal trainer is more than just about flexing your muscles. It is about knowing how to draw out the best in your client and 'infecting' them with your abundant energy. It is about being creative and designing new exercises when the equipment is spartan. Most importantly, it is also about being a steadfast beacon of support and motivation for your client when the going gets tough.

Paying tribute to my roots where it all started for me, I added in symbols of the the gym in the form of dumbbells and weighted plates. To this very day, I still train using them.

Lastly, for the 4 guys who started on this journey with us, I included a group photo and the trainer declarations. Each declaration is a declaration to the Universe of the values we hold true to our hearts. Being of service and adding value to other people's lives is definitely one of them :)   

 

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I received an email from one of my industry friends today asking if I could do 3 grooming & etiquette talks in Nov 09 for a primary school.

I've done talks for adults, teenagers and secondary school students. But as for primary school students, this is going to be my first time.

It should not be too much to worry about as I'll just treat it as a challenge and customise the information to their level. As good trainers, we always tailor our presentation to cater to our specific audience.  That's the importance of being client-specific. The same goes for this case. 

Having been a relief teacher for a short while at two primary schools before, I fully understand the limited attention span and hyperactiveness of children at that level. So, it's not so much the density of the content that matters, but rather how to package the content to make it interesting and arrest their attention. Lots of examples, hands-on, colours and fun activities would definitely be in the works.

Alright, I'll get down to work after my Malaysia trip. Yeah! 

 

 

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