24
fitness
The HEALTH | OCTOBER, 2018
Running the extra mile
with Jeff Lau
Conquering one
ultra-marathon after
another
R
UNNING has always been
associated as the go to
form of cardio for every-
one who wants to get fit.
It’s a form of an exercise
that has since been turned into
marathons which has garnered the
attention of many around the world.
Now a usual marathon will require the
normal runner to exercise for months
and eat well before participating in
one. What about ultra-marathons?
Ultra-runner Jeff Lau explains what
it takes to run in the most challeng-
ing of terrains and the preparations
that go into it. Having set the pace
by running every Sunday morning
for a distance of eight kilometres to
lose weight gradually saw him joining
ultra-marathons.
Jeff’s first ultra-marathon being the
Marathon des Sables in 2014, was a six-
day ultra-marathon spanning 257km
across the Moroccan Sahara Desert.
Since then, Jeff has participated in a
couple of other ultra-marathons of
various distances, even with one being
over 560km.
Preparation before the run
Jeff encourages those who are
Jeff Lau participating in the
230 kilometre Amazon rainforest
ultra-marathon in Peru.
interested in joining ultra-marathons
to atleast cover a distance of 70km,
twice a week. Seeing that Malaysia
does not experience similar weather
challenges to the premises of these
ultra-marathons, he chose to go to
the gym as well in order to build his
stamina.
“It was not easy but I learnt my
lesson after the first ultra-marathon,”
he said.
In terms of food intake, he only
starts a month before the run by adding
more protein into his daily diet. Do take
note that the diet recommendation
may differ one person to another and
Jeff merely follows what his body is
suited to.
He also recommends a visit to the
nutritionist as not all diets would be
suitable before the run as some food
intake might be rejected by the body.
Strength building
with calisthenics
P
LANNING to workout but
unable to commit to a gym? Cal-
isthenics is the solution to look
for. Consisting of exercises of variety
gross motor movements such as run-
ning, standing, grasping and pushing,
this form of workout can be done with
minimal equipment thus focusing
more on bodyweight exercises.
Calisthenics are intended to
increase body strength, body fitness
and flexibility through movements
such as pulling or pushing oneself up.
Common callisthenic exercises are
push-ups, squats, planks, back lever
and chin-ups. Certified trainer, Kevin
Khaandor who constantly trains using
calisthenics exercises explained how
both beginners and advanced practi-
tioners can add calisthenics into their
daily routine.
How to get started
A great way to start calisthenics would
be to master the foundational moves
that over time can slowly progress into
more complex movements. Pushups,
pull-ups, reverse rows, hollow hold,
dips, frog stands and squats are some
examples. After you are able to do a
decent amount of pushups with good
form, you can progress into back clap
pushups or single hand pushups.
The internet is your best friend
when it comes to learning calisthenics.
There are videos out there that takes
you step by step and websites where
you can find tons of information on
how to improve. Kevin confessed that
he uses a lot of Youtube tutorials and
Instagram fitness videos as well when
he attempts to learn new moves.
Following are the beginner level and
Intermediate level move sets Kevin rec-
ommends for anyone who is interested
in taking up calisthenics.
• Beginner level
• Push ups – 25
• Pull ups – 15
• Reverse Rows - 25
• Hollow hold – 1 minute
• Frogstand – 1 minute
• Squats – 50
• Intermediate Level Moves
• Triple Clap Push ups - 5
• Back Levers – 30 seconds
• Muscle ups – 10
vHandstand – 1 minute
• Dragon Flags – 30 seconds
• Tucked Planches – 30 seconds
Benefits of calisthenics workout
The best part of calisthenics is that
you can do it anywhere and anytime
because all you need is your body.
Kevin Khaandor enthused that
calisthenics has helped him build his
strength and a lot can be accomplished
by lifting your own bodyweight.
According to him, calisthenics
Kevin Khaandor doing demonstrating a
proper form of a squat.
practitioners will also be able to main-
tain a better form by incorporating
external resistance into the training
which helps improve strength.
Malaysian
teams
participate in
dragon boat
festival
MALAYSIAN dragon boat teams;
Pacific West Dragon Boat and Pink Chal-
lengers recently participated in Asia’s
World City to represent the country
in this year’s Hong Kong dragon boat
carnival race.
Pacific West Dragon Boat is no
stranger to the international competition,
having won an impressive first place
when participating for the very first time
in 2006.
“Hong Kong has played host to our
team for many years, and we are hon-
oured to have the chance to return and
compete in this amazing city. Although
it has been some time since our last win,
this will be a great experience for our
newest team members; and we hope to be
able to fly the Malaysian flag once again,”
said Pacific West Dragon Boat captain
Lawrence Koh.
“Although we have been to Hong Kong
many times, we have always been cap-
tivated by its beautiful evening skyline.
The local cuisine is superb and always
keeps us coming back for more,” Koh
added.
Pink Challengers which also partici-
pated in the race belongs to Breast Cancer
Welfare Association Malaysia and was
formed in early 2005. It is Malaysia’s first
Breast Cancer Survivors Dragon Boat
team.
Turning workouts to be fun
There might not be an abundance of
calisthenics parks in the city, however
some of you might have noticed that
equipment like pull up bars, monkey
bars, parallel bar and wall bars can be
found at some of the parks. A frequent
practitione