Author: Jonathan Wong, Singapore Personal Trainer And Fitness Expert

Getting Ready for National Service in Singapore

This is the time of year when boys leave their homes to start training in the Singapore Armed Forces. Some of them approached me to help them with preparation. So we began.

Out of 9 guys, 3 have postural issues. One has very poor hip and ankle mobility, one has very winging scapula and about zero ability to maintain his shoulder blades in place, and one has a improper curvature in his upper back.

These guys had to do a bunch of corrective work before real training could start.

The program was basis. First a quick functional test to check for weaknesses, then teaching the correct movements and then its just about consistent hard work.

There is amazing stuff that lifting + eating + puberty can do for a guy. There was an average muscle gain of 4kg. And an average fat loss of 1kg. All of these guys made awesome progress in their maximum strength, strength relative to their body weight, as well as posture and core stability.

They only trained a total of 1.5 hours per week for 4 weeks. Yes it was short in terms of time but it was a mentally demanding program that forces weekly improvements.

After 4 weeks I think both the trainees and I were VERY proud of their accomplishments. 

Some of their results are shown below:

Marcus: Started off with below average posture and a bit to much softness on the belly. Ended up front squatting 70kg, weighted chinup with 20kg, and deadlifting 100kg. All this while weighing 66kg and getting harder.

Joshua: Front squatted 80kg, did a weighted chinup with 32kg, and deadlifted 125kg. All this while weighing 66kg. He also gained 4kg of muscle during these 4 weeks.

Wen Loong: Front Squat 90kg, chinup with 28kg, and 120kg deadlift. Also gained 4-5kg of muscle while getting an even lower bodyfat reading.

Martin: started with super tight hips and ankles and had never been able to squat without discomfort his entire life. Ended Up with a 60kg front squat, 20kg chinup, 90kg deadlift and much better mobiltiy all around.

Written For www.CoachJon.com Singapore Personal Trainer & Fitness Expert

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