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

 

#SayaPilihCergasRamadan , Anda Pula Bagaimana?

P1020671Kekal aktif di bulan Ramadan agar cergas sepanjang tahun. Pilihannya di tangan anda!

 

Hampir tiba di garisan penamat!

Tanpa disedari, sudah lebih 2 minggu kita melaksanakan ibadah puasa. Masa berlalu begitu pantas apabila diisi dengan aktiviti berfaedah dan bermanfaat. Sudahkah anda mencapai semua target dan matlamat di bulan yang mulia ini? Gunakanlah hari-hari terakhir ini untuk berlumba-lumba mengaut ganjaran beribadah, umpama pecutan rohani dan spiritual yang terakhir sebelum tiba di garisan penamat. Namun, jangan mensia-siakan rutin sihat yang telah berjaya dibentuk semenjak awal bulan lagi dengan mengambil sedikit masa untuk bersukan. Kekalkan momentum dan tabiat yang telah diasah. Seimbangkan matlamat di akhirat dengan pencapaian di dunia. Saya yakin, jika niat kita betul, beriadah juga merupakan satu bentuk ibadah.

P1020678Sesi bersukan yang santai dan sekejap, asalkan dapat mengeluarkan peluh!

 

Tampil lebih berseri di Aidilfitri

Dengan hari raya yang bakal menjelma, saya tumpang gembira melihat rakan-rakan dan kaum keluarga membeli-belah busana raya yang pelbagai fesyen dan warna. Kita semua mahu kelihatan cantik dan kacak di hari raya, bukan? Namun, jangan lah kita hanya mementingkan paras rupa luaran. Pernahkah anda mendengar pepatah “You are what you eat”? Maksudnya begitu senang: Makanan berkhasiat akan menjadikan tubuh kita lebih sihat. Jika kita menjaga kesihatan tubuh badan dengan diet yang seimbang sepanjang bulan Ramadan serta mempunyai hati yang bersih, saya yakin wajah kita akan bertambah berseri-seri di hari Raya. Sesungguhnya, Aidilfitri tahun ini akan lebih bermakna!

 

Eratkan silaturahim bersama AIA Vitality dan Hotfm

Marilah beramai-ramai bersukan sambil bersosial!Marilah beramai-ramai bersukan sambil bersosial!

Sambutan hari raya juga merupakan peluang untuk kita saling bermaaf-maafan, menziarahi kerabat dan rakan tauladan, serta menjalinkan persahabatan. Namun, kita tidak perlu menunggu sehingga bulan Syawal tiba untuk mengeratkan silaturahim. Di bulan Ramadan, kita juga boleh beriadah bersama keluarga dan rakan-rakan sebagai langkah mengeratkan hubungan silaturahim tanpa mengira bangsa mahupun agama. Pelbagai senaman ringan boleh dilakukan ketika berpuasa, seperti berjogging atau membuat yoga. Selain itu, ringankan tulang untuk membantu menyediakan persiapan Hari Raya dengan mengemas rumah, pergi ke pasar untuk membeli barangan basah, dan memasak ataupun merewang. Walaupun kecil dan dianggap remeh, ia boleh membantu membakar kalori juga.

Di kala anda sedang beriadah dan bersukan, apa kata ambil beberapa gambar sempena Hotfm Cergas Ramadan bersama AIA Vitality. Anda berpeluang untuk memenangi baucer barangan sukan bernilai RM300 agar terus bersemangat untuk bersukan dan beriadah dengan baju dan kasut baru! Hanya upload gambar anda di Facebook atau Instagram dan jangan lupa untuk tag #SayaPilihCergasRamadan #AIAVitalityMY @hotfm976.

 

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.

Open Water Diving Course: All-In RM1499 Budget

Have you ever thought of scuba diving as your next family holiday? It was always on my mind for many years and it got materialised when my youngest son reached 10. That is the minimum age requirement for PADI Open Water Diver course. Since all my family members could swim and float reasonably well (part of the requirements), I waited no more and scouted for affordable and suitable arrangement that could fit our schedules. Due to different school holidays and other commitments, the most suitable time was during tail end of national school holidays, which co-inside with fasting month.

Breath Deeply & Slowly

18 meters is the Max Depth for Open Water Divers

DIVING AT PULAU PERHENTIAN KECIL

Perhentian Island was my preferred destination as I had never been there prior to this and it was one of the closest diving destinations from Klang Valley.  We drove to Kuala Besut Jetty, which was 500 km++ away from Klang Valley. It took us 6.5 hours to drive to Kuala Besut Jetty; so make sure there are at least 2 drivers. We stopped at Masjid Kampung Gemuruh, Kuala Trengganu at 5am for suhoor and after subuh prayers, we continued driving to Kuala Besut Jetty. We took the 8:15 am boat ride to Pulau Perhentian Kecil. As soon as we arrived, we checked into Senja Bay Resort and quickly walked about 150 meters to Anti-Gravity Divers.

Anti Gravity Divers

Anti Gravity Divers

This sharing is based on my experience and does not represent how the course should be like or how others would have experienced.

DAY 1

PADI Open Water Diver Course is a 4 full-days course. We popped by the diving center at 10 am and  were greeted by sweet Ili, one of the instructors at the center. There were 2 instructors assigned to five of us – Ili and Skunk. The course consisted of 5 sections of knowledge development i,e theory, 5 Confined Water Dives (where you learn important skills) and 4 Open Water Dives where you practice diving skills further. We went through 3 sections on the first day, followed by one confined water dive at Romantic Bay. We had to watch 3 videos and went though review questions and quizzes upon completion of every section. There was also a book we could refer to throughout the course. All content, material and exams were in English, so a good command and understanding in English was pretty important for this course.

padi open water course

Other than video, we got to refer to this book

DAY 2

Put Together Diving Equipment

Putting Together Diving Equipment

Our session started at 8:15 am and after briefing, gearing up and buddy check, we went to Sharila Bay for our second dive, followed by our third dive at 12 noon at Batu Nisan, along Pasir Panjang. We were taught how to fix diving equipment and apply important skills in the water which includes clearing masks whilst in the water, entering and exiting the water and sharing regulator,  After the third dive we watched video 4 and 5.

Ready for a Back Roll

Ready to Enter via Back Roll

DAY 3

We continued Open Water 2 at Batu Nisan, Perhentian Kecil,  followed by Open Water 3 at 3 Ruang, Perhentian Besar. We had to perform more skills in the water like putting on the equipment in the water, dropping weights, how to perform emergency ascend and many more. We also had to swim 200 meters and float for 10 minutes.

Hand Language is Important

12 meter Depth only for Junior Open Water Divers

In the afternoon, the instructors went through sections 3, 4 , 5 & the RDP (Recreational Dive)  table with us. Indeed there were loads of learning at this course. We got to learn about equipment, science, safety, communication and how to care for each other. How did my children ages 11-16 cope with the amount of info they had to digest? Pretty ok, as we had very good and patient instructors who made diving enjoyable.

Wear Suitable Attire

Wear Suitable Attire as You can get Too Cold or Hot

DAY 4

The last day was not as strenuous as days before since we only did one dive; Open Water 4, followed by final theory exams. At the Open Water 4, we got to learn how to use navigation compass on the surface and under water. After a late check-out, we took a boat ride to Kuala Besut at 4 pm, after which we drove back home.

Open Water Dive 4

Out for Open Water Dive 4 with Instructors Skunk & Ili

FASTING & DIVING

Fasting didn’t have any impact on me, but my youngest and second were dehydrated and exhausted on the third day, so they broke fast. As for my husband who could get sea-sick easily – having food early during suhoor eliminated sea-sickness throughout the course. The heat in the afternoon did make us feel sleepy and lethargic, especially when we had to watch long videos and read books.

ONE PERSON BUDGET for 4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS

Food on the island was reasonably priced and there were many places you could dine in. We broke fast at Senja Bay every night as it was close to comfort, sunset was marvelous and there was a good selection of food to choose from. Here’s a good budget for a person. You can save or spend more based on transport and accommodation preference.

Sunset Breakfast

Sunset at Senja Bay Resort

  • Accommodation : RM290. We got an air-conditioned family room with 6 beds at Senja Bay . Breakfast (suhoor) provided. Do bring insect repellent as you get a lot of mosquitoes at night. You can save more by choosing cheaper chalets, but many come without air-conditioning, fans only.
  • Return Boat Transfer : RM60
  • Food : RM120. You can get a decent meal for RM15-20.
  • Road Transport (Toll & Petrol & Secure Car Park) : RM38. As long as you can get at least 2 drivers, it is much cheaper to drive. If you take the plane, you would need to take a cab from Kota Bahru to Kuala Besut Jetty.
  • Diving Course : RM990 by Anti-Gravity Divers

TOTAL : RM1,498 / USD360

Diving Log

Divers Log – Hope to log more soon!

 

Clown Fish

Clown Fishes

TIPS FOR A BETTER DIVING EXPERIENCE @PERHENTIAN : 

  • Bring your own water containers. Reduce plastic use and refill your container for drinking water
  • If you like to make your own hot drinks in your room, find out if your room has water boiler. You can bring one if they don’t provide any
  • Beware of insects! Bring along insect repellent.
  • If you wear contact lenses, make sure you bring extras or remove them when required. You’d need to swim under water without mask on and eyes opened for a few meters.
  • Beware of sharp objects and dead corals that might hurt your feet. Bring and wear aqua shoes and get a pair of flippers that would fit your feet with aqua shoes on.
  • Ask preferred Diving Center to make recommendations for accommodation close to the center and assist boat transfer.
Camouflage Scorpion Fish

Beware of Poisonous Life : Camouflage Scorpion Fish

Now that we are a family of scuba divers – we could enjoy our beach vacation more – beyond snorkeling and canoeing. There are so much to explore, see and learn from the marine life!

Other adventure family activities :

Ganjaran Kekal Cergas di Bulan Ramadan

Pada bulan Ramadan ini saya bernekad untuk meneruskan latihan larian dan yoga seperti hari-hari biasa. Ini adalah kerana saya ingin mengekalkan stamina, menurunkan tahap lemak badan dan tonkan badan. Apatah lagi, saya masih ingat seramai 3,000 para atlit yang beragama Islam berlatih dan bertanding seperti biasa semasa Sukan Olimpik 2012 yang berlangsung di London pada bulan Ramadan.

Kajian juga menunjukkan terdapat penurunan berat badan tanpa perubahan pada prestasi fizikal para atlit perempuan ketika berlatih di bulan puasa. Inilah masanya untuk terus berpikiran positif dan bina keyakinan diri kerana kadang-kadang akal banyak memberi alasan.

Kekal Cergas

Pada hari pertama Ramadan, selepas memasak untuk berbuka, pada jam 6 petang, saya bergegas keluar untuk berlari 5km. Alhamdulillah, walaupun tahap larian perlahan, saya dapat menghabiskan latihan selama 45 minit. Pada Ramadan kedua pula, saya berlari sejauh 3.3km sahaja kerana kesuntukan masa selepas menyediakan juadah berbuka. Oleh kerana berlari semasa berpuasa adalah baru bagi saya, adalah penting saya peka dengan reaksi atau perubahan badan ketika dan selepas larian. Alhamdulillah, selepas berbuka, saya dapat meneruskan ibadah tarawih di masjid bersama keluarga seperti biasa.

Yoga Ramadhan

Ramadan Pertama : Sambil Berlari, Berhenti Sejenak Untuk Crow Pose Yoga

HotFM Cergas Ramadan bersama AIA Vitality

Ramadan Kedua : Larian 3.3 km sahaja

Ganjaran

Teruja sungguh saya apabila mengetahui HotFM Cergas Ramadan bersama AIA Vitality menggalakkan gaya hidup aktif dan cergas pada bulan Ramadan. Terdapat pertandingan yang amat senang untuk disertai untuk mereka yang meneruskan gaya hidup yang aktif pada bulan Ramadan. Sambil bersenam, ambillah peluang untuk mendapatkan ganjaran berbentuk barangan sukan bernilai RM300. Cuma upload gambar atau video anda melakukan aktiviti senaman di Instagram atau Facebook. Berikan kepsyen kreatif kenapa anda pilih untuk kekal cergas di bulan Ramadan. Nak upload gambar senam bersama rakan pun boleh! Jangan lupa #SayaPilihCergasRamadan dan #AIAVitalityMY serta tag @hotfm976. Apa yang menarik lagi – AIA Public Takaful akan menderma RM10 ke badan amal untuk setiap penyertaan. Jangan lupa untuk menyertainya dan info lanjut boleh didapati di http://www.hotfm.com.my/hot-fm-cergas-ramadan-bersama-aia-vitality/

Teruskan gaya hidup yang aktif dan cergas di bulan Ramadan. Pastikan anda mengambil makanan yang seimbang dan berkhasiat, minum air sekurang-kurangnya 8 gelas sehari, dan mendapat cukup rehat dan tidur sebaik-baiknya 7 jam sehari supaya badan sihat tanpa sebarang tekanan.

Energy & Protein Bar

Mudah Disedia di Rumah :  Bar Tenaga & Protein Diperbuat dari Pisang, Oat, Kacang, & Kranberi untuk memberi khasiat semasa Ramadan