A weekend like no other

You know you've had an eventful weekend when Sunday evening arrives and your heart is still racing!! That was how last weekend was like for me....

The weekend started a week ago, where I was busy dieting and leaning down for my photo shoot with iFitness on Saturday at Anytime Fitness @ Marine Parade.

I usually try to have all my meals homecooked at least 1 week before any shoot; just to make sure that I'm super clear with what I'm putting into my body.

Arriving at Anytime Fitness @ Marine Parade at around 10.30am. I was 1/2 hr early so caught a glimpse of the model before me shooting. And that person is none other than my brother from another mother, Jovin Koh!

This is the first time I'm doing a fitness photoshoot and to be honest, it is way tougher than I expected. To have all the muscles nicely contracted & still put on a nice smile.. that's no easy task!! Throughout the entire duration of the shoot, there were still gym users around and all eyes were on us. It was a little uneasy at first but got used to it after awhile. There was an aunty standing by the side watching me pose and gave me a thumbs up when I was done for that segment. What a sweetheart!!

Back shot taken by Leonard from iFitness

 It was truly a really great experience and I thank God for the opportunity!

A shot with a female PT of Anytime Fitness

After the shoot, it was my turn to play the supporting role when I arrived at Funan DigitaLife Mall as my wife was there for the STUFF Magazine Covergirl Search 2014.

I'm her No. 1 Fan

Her job was tougher than mine over the weekend because there were 2 stage segments each day and all the contestants will need to be able to clearly present & share their experience with a tech gadget that was loaned to them. Limaran got to play around with the new Canon EOS 1200D and she did a great job sharing all the interesting functions and Unique selling points of that DSLR.

Limaran on stage

I was also really happy to see that her best friend, Jasmine Danker, was also a finalist in this competition and these 2 girls were having an awesome time!

Vote for Limaran & Jasmine!!

My mum came down to support Limaran too!! For both days

The ever supportive couple, Nicholas & Ashley

Alex & Jasmine.. Fitness couple!!

Jasmine on stage

Group shot with DJ JK from Power 98 FM

Asian style photographer Level 99

It was also Jason's (my youngest buddy) last weekend in Singapore before leaving for Thailand for his army exercise so this weekend gave us a great opportunity for some quality BROMANCE!!

My first & last time eating at this place!  Terrible tasting food

A shot with the super cute Jacqui from Power 98 FM.. She looked more excited than us.. Such a sweetheart

So here you go.. this was what happened last weekend.. a truly eventful time with people who really matter the most!

How fitness has changed my life!

It's been almost a week since my last post and it's time to take you guys on a short trip down memory lane. In this post, I'll be sharing with you some really retro photos of myself (as well as some of my friends who were in the photos..sorry guys!! Good old days ya).

The intention of this post is to show you how my physique was like before I started my fitness journey. Everyone's physique is different and we should all embrace our genetic make up. It is really important to know your body type before prescribing the type of fitness regime and food intake so quick crash course before we start......

I bet this is the most widely used image for body type and it's already getting boring!! But I can't find anything better or clearer than this so here we go again.

From Left to Right:

Ectomorph

An ectomorph is a typical skinny guy. Ecto’s have a light build with small joints and lean muscle. Usually ectomorph’s have long thin limbs with stringy muscles. Shoulders tend to be thin with little width.

Characteristics of an ectomorph

• Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
• Classic “hardgainer”
• Flat chest
• Small shoulders

Mesomorph

The mesomorph body type responds the best to weight training. Gains are usually seen very quickly, especially for beginners. The downside to mesomorphs is they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs.

Characteristics of an mesomorph

• Athletic
• Generally hard body
• Well defined muscles
• Rectangular shaped body

Lastly, we have the Endomorph

The endomorph body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat very easily. Endo’s are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs.

Characteristics of an endomorph

• Soft and round body
• Gains muscle and fat very easily
• Is generally short
• "Stocky" build

Here's a quick test to find out your body type:

As you can see in the photo, wrap your fingers around your wrist reaching for your middle finger with your thumb. 

There will 3 possible scenarios:

1) Your thumb and middle finger are not able to touch one another(Endomorph)

2) Your thumb and middle finger are just touching one another (Mesomorph)

3) Your thumb is able to overlap your middle finger (Ectomorph)

From the photo, you can clearly see that I am an ectomorph. 

But here comes the tricky part... 

Can we be a mixture of 2 different body type? There are many debates over this issue and I personally like to think that it is possible. I think that I have a bit of mesomorph in me as well because with good training and nutrition, I can put on good lean muscles as well.

Now back to history, I used to be really skinny and lengthy (Ht 180 Wt 60kg) when I was in Secondary school and there were loads of interesting nicknames given to me back then. One that I remembered very clearly was CHICKEN WING!! Not really sure why.. but maybe because I was just skin and bones.. just like chicken wings. I often wondered how I managed to get some pretty girlfriends during my Sec sch days!!

Thumbs up for the baggy jeans and colour combi!! =)

I tried to eat as much as possible but I can't seem to gain any weight at all. I was constantly getting remarks that I should be eating more because my younger brother is taller and bigger than me. 

I was introduced to the weight room by my best friend, Nicholas, back when we were in Secondary school but it never really appealed to me. But when I turned 18, I started becoming really annoyed with the way I look and decided to start researching on gym workouts. Back then, the internet was still quite a new thing and information wasn't as readily available. I relied purely on books and magazines from the library to help me get something started.

Photo taken on my 18th bday.. with some push up regime. Pretty genetically gifted I must say!

Poly yr 3 project. I should be weighing around 70kg then

I managed to gain about 15kg during my poly days and my enlistment came. So I pretty much stopped training and only resumed when I entered SIM. 

Played loads of tennis when I booked out from camp

Emo kid trying to look cool.. Yr 1 of SIM

Organiser for SIM-RMIT Sports day 2007

I left army weighing around 70kg and was looking really slim once again. So I decided to kick start everything from scratch and make sure I did it right this time round. There was plenty of information on the internet and also more people around me were working out. So that made things much easier than before! 

Post workout selfie with Jovin. Before selfie became a hit!

And that was when I realised that this is something that I'm really passionate for and decided to get my PT cert.

I became a Personal trainer in 2008 and really enjoyed it! Still giving training till today because it's something that I am really passionate for and believe that it will be able to change someone's life as well.

Got featured on CLEO Magazine in 2010

Thanks for reading and for those of you who felt that I'm genetically gifted and have it all easy.. here you go!

It's really quite a journey for me and I believe that everyone's fitness journey is unique in its own way. But one thing is for sure, it is never going to be easy. And no one should opt for easy! So train hard and enjoy your very own fitness journey!

Take care & God bless!

Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 3)

Almost 2 weeks after my first Manhunt photoshoot, I was invited to Samuel Seow's birthday party together with the other manhunt contestants. I was really looking forward to the birthday party as I didn't get a chance to interact must with the fellow contestants the first time I met them cos I had to rush off immediately after the shoot.

So the location of the party was at Hood Bar & Cafe located at Bugis+. I came down from an evening programme for HPB's Lose to Win Season 7.

Warriors of LTW Season 7 (North Zone)

Was feeling famished when I arrived at Hood bar and was the last one to arrive.. So no chance to eat!! Went through a quick brief by our manager, Kelvin Lee, and found out that there was a segment where we had to be topless! *TOPLESS AGAIN??* No one informed me that I had to be topless.. so zero preparation was done prior to the even!! I concluded that whenever there's an event for Manhunt.. be prepared to be topless!! *lucky never eat*

The time was here and we were told to get in position to do a mini cat walk down the red carpet and up the stage for a short self introduction. We had a really cheeky emcee that night, Jaymee Ong, and she made it really fun for the 6 of us on stage.

The night ended with a heavenly cake, but sadly, I didn't get to try it! And that was how the night ended.. a group shot outside Hoods bar!

Group shot to end the night! What a fun bunch!

Was called back to Beam Artistes on 2nd April for an interview. A whole long list of interesting questions were answered during the interview session and I hope that it'll be shared somewhere soon!

Lemme take a selfie!

At the end of the interview segment, I was told to record a short video clip to introduce myself as well as to thank my family & friends. First time speaking in front of the camera! It was really fun but loads to improve!

You guys have been officially been brought up to speed for my journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014. The next time I'll be meeting with the the Manhunt gang should be in early May!

I've been really enjoying myself with training and dieting throughout these 3 months and have really seen my physique evolve. There's so much more to be achieve and I'll continue to work harder each day! If you guys are looking for fitness tips, do ask and I'll try my best to address them =)

Thanks so much for reading! Till the next blog post.....

Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 2)

08 March 2014 (Manhunt Singapore 2014 1st Photoshoot)
For some reason, this day was one of the busiest Saturday for me. As my company, Team Axis Pte Ltd,  is one of the appointed service provider for Health Promotion Board's Lose To Win Programme, I had to be at HPB bright & early for a motivators' briefing prior to the shoot.

Thumbs up for LTW Season 7

It was the first time meeting the contestants when I arrived at Beam and I have to say that everyone looked really amazing!! But what's most important was that they were really warm and friendly. That was when I knew that this journey is going to be a super fun one! Looking forward to seeing them again soon...

Listening attentively to the boss!

First time posing in front of the camera without my wife, it felt really different. Loads of cues were given by the photographer in order for me to get into the proper poses... tiring but great experience!

Support contestant number 6 please!!!

I guess that's it for part 2.. part 3 will be coming up real soon =) Take care, train hard & God bless!

Meanwhile, hope to get your support for my beautiful wife, Limaran, who's a finalist for Stuff Magazine Covergirl Search 2014.

Please vote & share.. Greatly appreciate it!

    Click here to go to the voting page!

Thanks so much in advance and your vote will help in the total count =)

Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 1)

This once in a lifetime experience is something worth documenting. So allow me to start off by sharing why I decided to join Manhunt Singapore 2014...

The 1st pageant I've ever attended was Mr Singapore 2008 and I'm still really proud to say that my buddy, Jovin Koh, stole the show that year. Watching Jovin lifting the trophy, I asked myself  "What does it really feel like winning a male pageant?" Guess what, this guy won Manhunt in 2010 as well!!

I often asked friends around me who have joined Manhunt Singapore to share with me how their experiences were like and they'll share about the interesting events that they've attended and the different opportunities that came their way. 

Early this year,  Edward approached me on facebook asking if I'm keen to take part. I rejected the thought immediately because I don't think that I'll have any chance of winning this competition. 

But after much persuasion, I finally decided to take the leap of faith for 3 big reasons:  

1. I'm 29 this year! This is the last year I'll be able to participate in Manhunt Singapore. I do not want to live the rest of my life regretting.

2. After hearing my friends' experiences in the different pageants, it's about time for me to experience it myself. I believe that everyone's journey is different and I'm loving every part of it so far.
3. I had full support from my wife to give this competition a shot! (can't get a wife any better than that!)

So without further ado, let me bring you through my Manhunt journey so far.

Earlier in January, I dropped by Beam Artistes to fill up my application for Manhunt Singapore 2014. I didn't know that there were already photographers on standby from the very beginning of your journey! But come to think of it, it wasn't a bad idea (more photos to show).

After filling up the form, I was led to the office of Mr Samuel Seow (Founder of Beam Artistes). He was really well dressed...but even more well spoken (People celebrity lawyer okay.. don't play play!) We had a great chat and it was also nice to know that he's a fellow Catholic, and what's even more coincidental was that he's childhood friends with my assistant parish priest, Fr Derrick (No wonder they talk the same!).

And of course, throughout the entire conversation, photos were taken too.

Oh did I mention that my buddy, Jovin, was nice enough to tag along since he's pretty close to Samuel too! I was really fat during this period as Taiwan treated me with too much LOVE!!!

Then came the really stressful part, time to pose for the camera!! As you can see from the photos, I was totally unprepared for this interview. I just came from a 1 week Taiwan trip and the food in Taiwan, please don't even get me started!

Badly needed a haircut too!

After the photos were taken, I was told to await their confirmation if I'll be selected as a contestant for this year's pageant....And so, the awaiting began..

As I was waiting for the Beam Artistes to get back to me, I knew that I had alot to do in order to get my body back in shape! Started working really hard both in and out of the gym and I was really happy to see my body transforming by the day. 

2 weeks later.. I received a phone call from Samuel informing me that I was selected for Manhunt Singapore 2014. I was so happy and thanked God for the opportunity! I also knew that the competition will be really strong and I will need to continue to be even more discipline as the first photo shoot was coming up in 3 weeks' time.

In that 3 weeks of preparation, I decided to try out some interesting workouts that help me to burn fats while I still held on to a good amount of muscles. I also tried limiting myself with lesser water intake a day before the shoot just to look even more shredded.

This shot was taken the night before the shoot.

ZERO CARDIO yaww!

That's all for part 1 of my journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014. Will be back real soon for part 2 so please stay tuned!