This is my formal (professional) profile
Introduction
Hello, my name is Herman Chauw and i have been a personal trainer since 2003. But i prefer to call myself, and my main function primarily to my clients is as a movement coach, then strength & conditioning coach (or for the laymen, fitness coach or something to that extent). A minor role i play is that of rehab therapist.
I graduated with a Diploma in Physiotherapy from Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore. I have extensive background in highly technical sports and activities like artistic gymnastics, martial arts and kettlebell lifting.
I am not content with being average, i am always researching and experimenting with the most effective and efficient ways of physical training, drawing from systems created by the best fitness coaches in the world.
What am i selling
I am not selling a program, i am selling a system. A system is an approach to a subject. A system puts everything in a subject together and every part works together to create a final picture.
Anybody can create programs. Anybody can create many programs in an unsystematic manner. But a system ensures that all programs created with the system is coherent.
What system am i selling
I am selling a system of "movement". I say "movement" loosely because in actuality, "movement" is an integration of breath, structure (also called alignment, or as laymen like so say: posture) and movement.
More specifically i am selling a system of hacking the nervous system, ie how to learn and master motor skills faster and more efficiently than conventional systems.
You can learn a skill in one year or two years or five years or ten years. Our goal is to shorten the learning curve so that you can be better faster.
There are this kind of hacks available for various subjects, e.g. how to be fluent in a new language in three months etc.
There are this kind of hacks available for various subjects, e.g. how to be fluent in a new language in three months etc.
What is movement
Before we even talk about "fitness", we must address movement first. As every fitness activity consist of movements. An "exercise" is just movement done for specific number of repetitions or load.
Different systems define movement differently, however at the heart of every good system, there are variations of the following movement patterns:
Lunge
Squat
Pushing
Pulling
Swing
Throw
Climb
Lift
etc.
Some examples of exercises and how they relate to daily life:
A barbell deadlift is simply lifting a furniture from the floor. A barbell squat is simple getting up from a squatting or sitting position.
And every movement is a skill. Every movement can be performed well or poorly. The better your skill is the better you move.
Lunge
Squat
Pushing
Pulling
Swing
Throw
Climb
Lift
etc.
Some examples of exercises and how they relate to daily life:
A barbell deadlift is simply lifting a furniture from the floor. A barbell squat is simple getting up from a squatting or sitting position.
And every movement is a skill. Every movement can be performed well or poorly. The better your skill is the better you move.
What is YOUR fitness
Again, different systems define "fitness" differently. But one definition i like is
"Fitness is the ability to negotiate obstacles with ease and imagination" - Scott Sonnon (not exact quote)
The question must be asked: what are you fit for? In other words, what are the "obstacles" that you want to be better able negotiate through your training?
It doesn't have to apply just to physical endeavours. Ever heard of comments like "you are not fit to be a xxx (insert any non-physical activity, eg teacher, cook, mother, father etc.)"?
Let's define the obstacles as physical obstacles in your daily life.
You may not want to be the next champion xxx athlete (insert weightlifter, basketball player, mma fighter etc.) but don't you want to be able to move better, more freely without pain and without injuring yourself, like a child, resilient and mobile?
You may be pain-free now and don't see a need to "train" to be stronger, faster or something to that extend. But surely there is a need for maintenance. As maintenance is needed for human-engineered machines like cars, so does your body need maintenance to ensure it performs optimally during it's lifespan.
The fitness goal for a xxx (insert a debilitating injury, eg stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple fractures, head injury) patient is different from the fitness goal of an elite athlete. But both are training to get better. As a renowned coach put it aptly:
"training = rehab, rehab = training" - Charlie Weingroff
None of us think anything of lifting both arms straight up, but for a stroke patient, it could be a big effort and the movement itself could be lofty goal.
Your fitness goal does not have to be a lofty one, like deadlift 3x bodyweight. It could be as simple as "i want to be able to squat pain free" or "i want to be able to climb up a flight of stairs without struggling" or "i want to be able to keep up with my kids when they play".
I am not trying to convert you into training for the next Olympic champion, i just want to empower you with an approach that could potentially get you there, ie. to make elite fitness accessible to the genetically ungifted. What and how big your goals are, and whether you will achieve them are dependent on you. I am not trying to make you anything other than yourself, i just want to share with you one way you can use to make a better you. What you may think is impossible becomes more possible with the right approach.
Your path may be paved with many obstacles, but that is what "training" is, isn't it? It may take you one year or two years or five or ten but if you keep at it, the goal becomes more achievable every training session. Much like it can take many years to achieve a PhD in any discipline. Your mileage may vary, but you can reach there.
And i am not talking about being full time training. As i mentioned above, we are hacking the nervous system. With a minimal time investment, you can access elite fitness in a very short time. Minimal time doesn't mean minimal effort, however. You still will put in much sweat into your training, just that it can take you to your goals faster than the conventional approach.
If you are not training to get better, you are getting worse. There is no stagnant. Due to the effects of the fall, our body is in a constant state of degeneration. If you don't work to restore its function, it is only going to degenerate.
Why train for better movement
You'd want to train for better movement. Training to be a better mover better prepares you for your chosen activity (eg. sports), but training to be a better athlete does not make your movement better. Usually the best and most gifted athletes have horrendous movement. They are good in spite of their training, not because of their training.
I am blessed to start my physical culture in gymnastics, a sport which places a premium on technique, also known as form. The movement itself is the goal. Then in martial arts which to a certain extend also places high importance in technique.
If you can't squat pain free, every movement that involves the squatting pattern is going to be affected.
It is not that "squats are bad for your knees" (common saying amongst laymen),
but "the way you squat is bad for your knees".
You need to train to be better in the squatting pattern to be pain-free in your squatting movement.
What is an exercise
An exercise can be defined as a movement that is repeated deliberately enough to create a desired outcome.
Most of us can walk easily from point A to point B. And we don't walk to improve our walking pattern. We simply walk. It is not training for us. But for a spinal cord injury patient walking just 5 metres can be a hard exercise in itself. For some, just getting out of bed is already an exercise.
Exercises can be designed from movement patterns that we seldom or never perform in normal life. Or or it can be designed from movement patterns that we perform daily.
What we are interested in is the latter. We are training you to be better movers in normal life.
When you want to get beyond this, by all means do so and train to perform better than the average human being in various physical endeavours.
"We are first human beings, then movers, then xxx" (insert your chosen physical activity eg. yogi, gymnast, bodybuilder etc.) - Ido Portal (not exact quote)
Outroduction
Okay, nuff said about movement and fitness. Ready to hack into your nervous system and be a better mover?
Contact me:
Name: Herman Chauw
Location: Singapore
Mobile: +65 96406544
Email: hermanchauw@gmail.com
Certifications
Diploma in Physiotherapy, Nanyang Polytechnic (2003-2007)
TACFIT Field Instructor (Level 1) (25 Feb 2011 - 24 Feb 2013)
www.tacfit.tv
Circular Strength Training Coach (Level 2) (14 April 2011 - 13 April 2013)
http://www.rmaxinternational.com
http://www.dragondoor.com
Introduction to Olympic Lifting, Singapore Weightlifting Federation
Corrective Exercise and Rehab Specialist, Optimum Performance Training System (2007)
Workshops / Seminars / Courses Attended
Introduction to Olympic Lifting, Singapore Weightlifting Federation
Corrective Exercise and Rehab Specialist, Optimum Performance Training System (2007)
Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Optimum Performance Training System (Mar 2008)
