By Lydia Adam
Threading a few thousand years earlier at around 10, 000 BC, “Run for your life” was constantly playing at the back of man’s head. Physical development followed a natural path resulted due the orderly demands of life in a wild landscape as well as the imperative needs to escape peril and seize opportunity for survival.
In order for man to survive in a harsh environment where it seemed that the world was bent on to end your life in one way or another, early man not only had to master running, they also had to skillfully walk, balance, jump, crawl, climb, lift, carry, throw and catch things, and fight.
Fast-forwarding to 431 BC, the Spartans seemed to have been semi – gods sent down to earth to teach us mere mortals a thing or two about fitness. The word “spartan” means self-restrained, simple, frugal and austere. The word laconic, which means pithy and concise, is derived from the Spartans, who prized brevity of speech. The Spartans’ prerequisite to stay alive was a built body and sharp mind.
The durability and maneuverability of early man was not developed through meticulously structured programs, methods, or schedules, but rather was ingrained by the day to day, instinctive, necessity-driven practice of highly practical and resilient movement skills. Today, the scattering of hunter-gatherer tribes that have survived urbanization around the world would have no idea what “primal fitness” or a “caveman workout” is, as this kind of “exercise” remains deeply rooted in their everyday lives.
Focusing back to the 21st century, nothing much has changed. Physical fitness is still as important as it was before to the cavemen and the Spartans. The only difference now is that instead the pure reasoning for working out to survive; people work out to stay healthy. That’s what Fitology aims to do.
Fitology’s founders, Daniel Yap and Vince Choo crossed paths at KDT Academy, where Vince was the owner. They realised that the majority of Malaysians did not exercise, in part because they found exercise too difficult, daunting, or were put off by chain gyms. They wanted exercise and getting fit to be more accessible to the majority of Malaysians – thus Fitology.
Starting their pace in Bangsar, back in 2013 Fitology introduced their signature Fitology Express programme as an easy but effective way to get fit. Fitology Express is a one-hour programme that is divided into three parts: personal training, Far Infrared (FIR) Sauna, and lastly is rewarded with an all natural smoothie.
Towards the end of 2015, they opened up a second gym in the Intermark Mall to cater to the city centre folk and the Ampang market. Fitology Intermark, is a slightly bigger gym, with more offerings including, a bigger group class space, daily Fitness Rx sessions, an open gym area and a members’ section for clients to “chill out”.
According to the founders, the one key point they wish for all members to realize is the immediate intimacy of the gym and a profound personal setup. “We want all our members who come through our doors to feel like they are “coming home”, and encourage our staff to go the “extra mile” for our clients.” says the founders of Fitology. A simple example being, the Fitology staffs know all the gym members by name, and are ready to greet them as they come through the front doors.
The founders also say that Fitology members are typically slightly older, and tired of, or daunted by, the chain gym experience. This means that they also have slightly different fitness goals – many want to get into shape or stay in shape, and want to focus functional fitness (as opposed to just building muscles to look good). Thus, they focus on finding personal trainers who are passionate about making clients’ lives better through fitness.
“Being able to see our client’s quality of life improved through improved fitness, flexibility and strength” is what the founders say drives Fitology to be the best.
“The positive vibes that our clients exude after a good workout makes it worth the while.”
When asked on the future outlook of the fitness industry in Malaysia, Chui insists that it is still in its infancy. “It is estimated that only a fraction (less than 10 per cent) of Malaysia exercise on a regular and structured basis – so there is a lot of room to grow. “ adds Chui. The science of fitness is also constantly improving and evolving.
We are constantly learning new things about how our bodies work, and how movement (read: exercise) and nutrition can positively impact our health. Things never really stay the same in this industry “The fitness industry is a fulfilling job as you can make an impact on your clients’ lives.” Yap and Choo finalize.
