CrossFit at a new Fuel Athletics gym!

A few weeks ago, I had a great experience at the weight lifting introduction class in Fuel Athletics. Recently, they opened their doors to a new outlet in Shah Alam and invited me plus a few friends to try CrossFit after iftar (breaking our fast). I immediately said yes because I was drawn to CrossFit’s high intensity; I can get maximum amount of work done and calories burnt in a short period of time.

CrossFit can be roughly defined as varied high intensity functional movements, while combining certain aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing and more. (source: https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit). Based on this definition, CrossFit is not new to me. I had similar experiences before at Revelation Republic and a few LesMills GRIT classes, under various names such as Body Conditioning or GRIT Strength. To me, the principles and movements are pretty similar so experienced athletes (or in my case, athlete-wannabes) will have no problem transitioning.

However, what makes Fuel Athletics different is its location and spacious design. Currently, Fuel Athletics is the first CrossFit certified gym in Shah Alam, attracting crowds from as far as Sungai Buloh and Puncak Alam. The location at Menara Naza TTDI is strategic, with a nice mix of working adults and student crowd. The gym has 2 floors, an outdoor space, and a pool with changing room and surau.

IMG_4607CrossFit space and equipment on the lower floor

IMG_4620Spacious upper floor, with future plans for yoga classes

IMG_4621Plus point: This gym even has an outdoor pool too!

After some dynamic stretcing and warming up indoors and outdoors, we proceeded to the highlight of the night – the WOD (Work Out of the Day). For tonight’s session, the WOD was simple, yet effective: partner up, and one person does burpees while the partner holds weight plates above his/her head. Then switch roles after the partner completes a few burpees. Do this as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes. Do not underestimate the lack of fancy equipments or movements, because burpees are advanced enough to be considered as a full body work out. So after a few rounds of burpees and holding up the weight plates above my head, my arms were already shakey. I even hesitated if I should decrease my weights from 10kg to 5kg so I can ‘survive’ all 10 minutes of the WOD!

IMG_4596Warming up outdoors with some sprints

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetThe WOD got me like… (in a good way of course)

I can see that these series of WOD will definitely complement my marathon training programme. It will build up my legs muscle strength so I can run longer, faster, and less prone to injury. As for my upper body which has been neglected for some time, needs a lot of work as it has gotten flabby and weak. Perfection is still a long road ahead, so for the mean time, I just need to strike a balance between strength work outs and clocking in enough mileage.

For more info and registration: http://www.fuelprimecrossfit.com/

For more reviews on other types of cross-training and gyms:

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner

 

The Weekend Runner: WOW Run 2015 Malaysia

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Music was pumping, everyone was smiling, and the air was buzzing with excitement – The haze may have stopped our run, but it can never stop our spirits! It was in everyone’s best health interest that the 5km fun run had to be cancelled for Nashata WOW Run 2015. However, we can still have fun indoors. The Zumba, Fitness Challenge, and Women Empowerment Dialogue proceeded as planned, and everyone had fun.

 

Zumba was lead by Aida Mohd, a well-known fitness instructor. Thanks to her energetic moves, everyone was panting and sweating by the end of the session. We thought that Zumba would wear out everybody, and there will only be a handful willing to participate in the fitness challenge. We were so wrong! There was even a tie for the burpee challenge! I guess 3 minutes was not enough to wear these strong ladies out.

1781950_541543352670890_5857756829422841750_nWork it, ladies!

1948078_541544599337432_4596086542488002360_nWow, still energetic after Zumba? What did you have for breakfast ladies, a bowl of confidence laced with sugar?

 

Personally, I felt that the real highlight of the event was the Women Empowerment Dialogue Session. It was a very lively forum session, moderated by Nadiah Tan Abdullah (HR Director, Experian Malaysia), with real and personal stories from Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir (Women’s Right Activist), Dato’ Ng Wan Peng (COO, MDeC), and Karen Loh (Founder, Marathon Women Malaysia). They spoke about:

  • Breaking stereotypes – Women are leaders,  with their own distinct style of leadership. Their role as a leader is important because they set an example for their children. Do not allow these stereotypes to be a limitation on yourself.
  • Women in sports – running as a platform to build confidence and self-esteem, which can be used in the corporate world too.
  • Women in the IT world – the IT world is a good industry for women because of its flexibility and it focuses on talented minds instead of physical strength and attributions. Prove that you can deliver a good work, and you will get noticed for that.
  • Women should learn how to network better – your friends are your potential solutions to your problems too. Network from different fields, as it might be useful for you one day to have a various connections. Plus, use technology too.
  • Women should help each other – as role models, help pave the way for the future generation.

12189098_541547922670433_7039703854587554870_nI am glad that I was given the opportunity to hear from such inspirational people, for they have inspired me to be a COO/CEO and an ultra marathoner too.

 

We wrapped up the day’s event with prize-giving ceremony to the winners of the Most Creative Photo, Funniest Photo, and Best Wefie.

 

In conclusion, all of these would not be possible without the support from the ladies behind Nashata. Give these ladies a round of applause for making WOW Run 2015 a huge success!

 

12072628_10207710888120038_2637163957243059800_nAn incomplete picture of the ladies behind Nashata WOW Run 2015.

 

Note: All pictures are courtesy of Nashata’s website. Head over to their facebook profile for more pictures.

 

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.