Playground: Katong Swimming Complex

Location: along Wilkinson Rd.
Nearest MRT station: Mountbatten MRT

This was the  swimming complex where I relearned how to swim. During my first session here back in 2009, I was not able to finish a 50m. Over the past years, with some friends, I started to build a bit more endurance and confidence. During my injury years, the swimming complex’ teaching pool was a source of comfort and therapy.

The complex offers a wading pool, 50m teaching pool, 50m lap pool, and a kiddie pool. Friendly staff. Clean changing rooms and shower.

Trifactor 2013 – 3K Swim

A month ago, I finished a sprint distance triathlon. Yeah, great! A month after that, just last Sunday, I finished my first 3km open water swim. A tick off the bucketlist but not one that was easily breezed through. Swimming is relatively easy for me if it were only in the pool but dealing with current, salt water, and other swimmers is a totally different ball game. Never mind that I sort of have experienced the same during past triathlons but this 3km swim was more than just sprinting towards the finish.

 

Playground: Fort Canning

Location: Fitness corner at Fort Canning Park at the River Valley entrance. I think the future Fort Canning MRT station will be quite close to this side of the park.

This playground was introduced to me by a friend fitness trainer and we have been using the place for a while now. Instead of the matted flooring, you get to play on sand. A nice hill and some stairs for a bit of cardio. Step ups, 2 height pull up bars, flat bench, inclined bench, 3 weight logs, and several chairs for dips.

Playground: Geylang Park Connector

Location: Along Geylang river between Dakota MRT and Mountbatten MRT stations.

One of my playgrounds for the past 3 months. Monkey bars, 3 heights pull up bars, parallel bars, flat bench, inclined bench, and several chairs for dips.

A little bit of body weight exercises and running for much needed improvement to my fitness level. 🙂

Metasprint Series 2013

Well, the past 4 months of training and tweaking have paid off. I didn’t drown. I didn’t fall off my bike. I didn’t collapse despite the heat during the run.

Yup! After the Aquathlon last February and the Duathlon last March, I have done the Triathlon yesterday. It wasn’t easy, for sure, but it was great fun! I was not the strongest nor was I the fastest. But damn right I did my hardest.

It’s true what they say. Getting into the sport requires a lot of commitment, especially when you need to get up at 430 in the morning to pedal or run. More than motivation from friends, it requires you to give a constant reminder to yourself on why you’re doing this.

 

To my training buddies, to our coach-by-force, to friends, and most especially to the one person who continued to support and cheer for me despite the distance, a huge huge thank you! I finished the race with a smile on my face.

I move on happy at what was done and looking forward to the next challenge… 😀

 

Filipino Dragons (Singapore) 2012

One Mind
One Focus
One Goal

One Soul
One Stroke
One Passion

One Heart
One Beat
One Love

One Team.

Behind the Story from Jeffrey Tan on Vimeo.

Meet my dragon boat -> The Filipino Dragons (Singapore)

Swimming: Refining your kick

Among many things I have observed when trying to help some of my friends with their swimming is how difficult it is for them to correct their flutter kicks. Often times, the kick becomes more of a drag than a boost to their speed. More than just as a basic in swimming, it is skill that has to be continuously improved over time.

Browsing along to find advice, I found an article written for triatheltes in improving their swimming leg but can help normal folks like us improve on our swimming form. Took notes on some for myself as well. This is, by no means, written by me and all credit is due to the athlete who shared his insights for us to use.

Hope this helps.

Six pack Science

Discover the best ways to melt your middle and chisel a rock-hard core
By Adam Campbell

The fitness industry is a crazy business, especially when it comes to abs. For example, if you want to reveal your six-pack, you generally have two product choices.

1. The too-easy-to-work method.
You know this better as “5-minute abs!” or some such hype. But if this approach were really effective, even Chris Christie would have a washboard.

2. The so-hard-it-has-to-work method.
Think 60 to 90 minutes of exercise, 6 days a week. Now if you have the time and energy for this kind of regimen, we commend you. But plenty of people are missing one or the other. And that’s just reality, not a cop-out.

So we wondered: Could there be an ab-sculpting program that actually works and is doable for most people? For the answer, we turned to Mike Wunsch, C.S.C.S., and Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., creators of Men’s Health’s newest fat-loss plan, 24-Hour Abs! The answer: “Absolutely,” says Wunsch, who teams up with Rasmussen to design the workout programs at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. “That’s exactly how we make our living.”

One important fact about Results Fitness: Even in a recession, this Southern California gym has expanded. Twice. Why? Because its trainers have developed a fat-loss formula tailored specifically for busy people. (Read: mostly everyone.) The requirements are simple: 30 to 40 minutes a day, 3 days a week. So how do these trainers do it when so many others have failed? They threw out the old guidelines. The new ones they’ve created are based on 21st-century science and the methods that work best with their clients. Now you can benefit, too.

Lose fat faster, build bigger muscle, and last longer in bed!

Pico de Loro – Conquered

Gone up Pico de Loro today with Kian, Martin, Mo and Gregg. Kian was the only person I know when the day started and I’m glad got the chance to meet the other 3. They are good natured people and very friendly. People with beliefs and stand by them. I rarely meet people like that nowadays.

Anyway, here is a run through of the things I realized during this experience:

Beginner’s Guide to Swimming

Paddle your way to a six-pack with this fat-scorching swim plan
By: Matt Bean

We’re giving it to you straight: You’re never going to swim like Michael Phelps. For starters, you’re probably not 6’4”–and in the water, length means speed. Then there’s your–by comparison –penguinlike wing span. Phelps’s span is 79 inches, and it propels him through the water like a nitro-fueled speedboat. And the 45 miles of practice he puts in a week? Great for him, but you have commitments.

Now, the good news: All of this had less to do with Phelps’s six gold medals and three world records at the 2004 Olympics than one basic in-pool principle that anybody can learn: “The longer and more streamlined you can make your body, the faster you’ll go,” he says.

“It’s that simple.”