Pasir Ris Sports Complex

I have been waiting eagerly for the Pasir Ris Sports Complex to open since I moved to Pasir Ris last year. Then I don't have to go all the way to Tampines to work out in the gym or swim. And it finally opened in July this year but I have not step foot in it yet.

But after 2 and a half month of feeling sorry for myself and moping around at home, finally picked my butt up and went for a workout at the gym. 

The Pasir Ris Sports Complex is one of those new generation multi purpose all in one place with something for everyone.  

This is the artist impression of the whole complex. Pasir Ris people will not only be able to get a healthy dose of exercises for the body but also plenty of opportunity to work the stomach. Spotted doing renovation now are MacDonald, Pastamania and Once Upon a Milkshake! Isn't it wonderful? So convenient to recoup all the lost calories from the workout in the complex.

Abductor Machine

Most time I go to the gym, there are 2 specific equipment that are visibly underused. One is the adductor machine and the other is the abductor machine. Most gym rats don’t see the point of this machine. However, if it is occupied, it is usually by the ladies. And when they use it, for some strange reasons, they will sit there and use it for the longest time.

Now I don’t really know what is so great about these 2 equipment that the ladies love it so much. There was one time I was there and I think this lady was on it for at least half an hour. Every time I walked past, there she was opening closing her legs. Can somebody tell me what so great about these machine that we guys don’t know about?

Search for a Gym

Been searching for a gym since I moved out from the old place. While the gym was small, It was adequate for my need. There was 3 treadmill, 2 bicycle, 1 rower, 1 x-trainer, 1 multi-gym and some dumb bells. Now that I moved out and no longer has access to the gym, I really appreciate the convenience of having one right downstair. So my hunt for a gym begins.

Being the kiamseap guy, I will not pay the exorbitant membership fee and monthly fee for one of those atas gym like First, True or California. Since I reckon I will only goes once a week at most, it is not worth it. And what if the gym closes down?

Then I discovered that there was a small gym at the CC near my new place. The gym charges a cheapo $2 admission fee very very affordable  and it just 1km away. So I jogged there one evening as a warm up and got my first shock of the evening. At the counter, the girl told me to wait. The gym was full! And so I sat there while my warm up went to waste. Finally after almost 20 minutes I got to go in. And the 2^nd shock of the evening. The place was crowded with those beefcakes  - those muscled guys with the 1 size too small cut off tees and who only uses the dumb and bar bells and preened into the mirror every other seconds. They were everywhere and sitting on very available bench or chair nevermind that they were not using them It seems like there was a large group of them who trains together. Worst thing is, those guys look like they could eat me for breakfast/supper so I made a quick exit after 30 minutes on the bike.

Then a colleague told me there was a gym beneath her block of flat in Tampines and it was empty most of the time. So first opportunity I had, I checked it out. Imagine my joy when I saw it was totally empty and at 7.30 pm in the evening! 4 treadmills, 2 bikes, 2 steppers, 1 x-trainer, 1 multi-gym and some weights including 1 bar bell. Great! But the joy was short-lived. Half the equipment were not working. The dumb bells were all rusty and there was no bench for the bar bell. No wonder the gym was empty! Sighed. So the hunt continues.

The HDB Void Deck gym

The HDB void deck gym

The lady at this gym told me there was a big gym on top of the swimming pool. So another day I dutifully made my way there. It turns out to be the Club Fitt gym managed by the SSC. Rows and rows of gleaming equipment. You name it they have it. It was almost enough to make a beefcake weep. And it was only $2.50 per entry. No lumpsum fee, no monthly fees. Have I found gym utopia? Not quite. There is a time limit of 25 minutes on the cardio machine and some of the equipments looked very dated. And there were more beefcakes hogging the free weight sections. Guess I can’t have my cake and eat it too? Can I? 

The Club Fitt Gym

The Club Fitt gym

2 Person in the Gym

2 person at the gym yesterday caught my attention.

The first one was a boy probably about 14 - 15 yrs old. He was with his father and the father was trying to get him to do a workout. He first started on a bike and barely 10 mins later step off and then went to the treadmill where he walked another 10 mins. After the father finished his own run, he got the boy to do some stretches but all I could see was the boy making futile attempts to copy his old man. You see, the boy was obese. Not just fat but obese with wobbly chin, arms and legs.

Later, a lady came in. She started stretching impressively, went on the Flabelos and ended up on the treadmill where she stopped more than she walked. Not obese but just fat.

The things is I know 1 month later, 6 months or even 1 year later when I see them again, they will still be in the same shape. Why? From time to time I bummed into people who enthusiastically took up some sort of exercises to lose weight but I dare say most of them I know fail. Because after they finish their exercises, they are so hungry that they eat like nobody business and put back everything plus more. And I can wager my last dollar these 2 person are in this group.

Which reminds me of 1 person I know who is currently doing the same thing........ me! Ha ha ha, the scale on the weight machine has been creeping up. My food intake dates back to my pre-marathon days but now that I am only doing an average of 20km a week, it's still the same. At this rate, I will hit 80 in 1 month and maybe 90 by year end.

Oops will I have to change my nick then?

Gym Rat 2

Saw this guy in the gym running on the treadmill. Nothing very usual except he was wearing a long sleeze sweat shirt and had the hood up as well. Does he imagine he is in some western country? Or is he trying to loose weight? Or is the gym air con going at full blast?

This is just one of the many interesting sights in the gym.

Then there is the preener. You know, the type who do 1 set and then preen at himself in the mirror to see how much of his muscle had grow. Very interesting. Rep, pose, look, rep, pose, look. I sure if the mirror can talk, he will go "mirror mirror on the wall... who is the beefiest of them al?"

The preener I find amusing. What I can't stand is the grunter. This guy grunt with every lift and movement. In a big gym, the noise from the music will probably drown out his grunts but in a small gym it is so bladdy irritating that sometime I feel like shoving the weight into his mouth!

And then we have the hoarder. The type who will take all the weights and place it around himself nevermind that he only has 2 hands and can't possibly use 6 sets of weights at one go. And this jerk usually don't return the weights after use.

And of course there is the banger. This are usually the newbies and they seem to delight in letting the machine weights slam down. It is like the louder the more better. Sigh what I would love to see is the weight banging down on their hands.

Gym Rat 1

You know I got nothing to write about when I start to write crap but here goes:

My observations of the different foreigners in the gym downstair.

First the

The oversea Indians. I am amazed at the way they do their stretches. Most of them do a form of yoga and stretches at superfast speed. And the way they run on the treadmill - high speed and literally holding on to the handle bar to avoid falling off! Just watching them makes me dizzy. Interesting thing is, the Indian ladies are almost inevitably obese and just content to walk on the treadmill. I am not a racist and generally I avoid going near them when they are doing their workout. Not that I am scare of being hit by their rapid movement but those who go to the gym often will know what I am referring to:)

The angmoh. Can't tell whether they from down under, or the Big Apple or Europe so all get dumped under angmoh. Down to a t, they will go for the heaviest weight available. And most of them are not the body builder type some more! I can't imagine doing bicep curl with 17.5kg weights. These guys are super strong or what? And yah, they grunt and groan with every lift and every curl.

The mainland Chinese. Very easily recognisable. Oversize basketball tee and shorts and sometime basketball shoes too. Mostly young, they will go on the treadmill - run at 13 to 15kph for all of 5 minutes and then disappear.

The Indonesian Chinese. I can smell them the minute they walk in. Usually clad in a branded t-shirt and short and covered with an extra thick layer of perfume. The amazing thing is that no matter what exercise they do or how much they exert themselves, not a single strand of hair will be out of place and they still end up looking a million buck!

So far that the main group of foreigners that patronize the gym. Very few Korean and Japanese so no comments about them. What about the locals?

That's another story for anothr day when I run out of things to write again.

Oto Flabelos

I have always see those so called health equipment by Osim, Oto, Ogawa 'no up' believing them to be more hype and sound. Then the MC decided to install an Oto Flabelos in the gym. The machine is suppose to tone and strengthened the whole body and by standing on the platform in various position, it is supposed to be able to target different part of the body.

Of course, being the kaypoh that I am, die die must try and I hooked! Once the darn thing start going and you feel all the loose fat start shaking like a wobbly piece of ter-kar, the sensation - it so hard to describe. Only one word - shiok. Feel like standng on some sort of like a vertical massage chair.

As to whether it actually helps people to loose weight, the verdict is still out although I doubt it will.

One night at the gym

Tried to swim last night but it rained so went to the gym instead.

Didn't felt like doing weights since had done so the previous 2 night. Did 30 minutes on the E-trainer instead. After that, while waiting for M...

She called seductively to me. Stared at her longingly. She continues to reckon.. 'Come, come on top of me, ride me, run with me..' Finally like Adam lusting after the apple and heart pumping furiously, I gave in and climbed on top. Just a quickie, try try a bit. It was over before I knew it. I climbed down, drenched in sweat of esctatic joy and flushed with satisfaction. The watch shows 10 minutes. Over in such a short time but it was worth it. 1.62km of pain free running. 6.15 pace. And so ended my first run in 3 and a half months.

Just last week Darek had reminded me: 'No running' he said. 'Run - your knee will get pain - than become weaker - than more pain - than weaker......' Must wait till can do 10 single leg squats without the knee shaking. Been practising hard but the knee simply refused to co-operate. I think if I wait, I will have to wait forever cos so far I have yet to come across anybody who can do 10 perfect single leg squat. It is textbook ideal but not practical so I will start running bit by bit until I am totally confident.

Time to think of running targets for next year?