We started off this month with our final workout with Richmon, as he flew off to Ireland on the 5th of September, we had wished we could send him off but the pandemic allowed otherwise. He led a full body workout. We discovered full body workouts as another way to train our endurance, other than running. Furthermore, we build strength at the same time which is a good bonus. We were a little over 2 weeks into our virtual trainings at this time, so we were starting to get used to it but we still had a lot of work to do nonetheless. It is also worth mentioning that we start off and end every session with the same dynamic stretching warm-ups and cool down stretch routines that the Physical Training Instructors have taught us at the Performance Optimisation Centre, Bolkiah Garrison during our Freshman Induction Programme.
Later on, that week we performed an upper body workout, led by Alya. For the girls particularly, the upper body sessions are highly important as it is the part we lack in the most. This is speaking from experience, as our previous fitness tests showed weaker results for the strength aspects which are; pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups. So, for the first few weeks we incorporated more of exactly those into the workouts to get used to the movements. We introduced ourselves to a variety of different exercises too, such as the windmill and bird-dog. As the weeks progress, we recognize these names like the backs of our hands.
To finish off, we ended the week with a refreshing session of Zumba, instructed by Syasya. This was so exciting and enjoyable; we got to release and shake off all our tension and dive into the weekend with a clear and happy mind. Syasya did a wonderful job at compiling the dance moves and leading them with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Hanan and Raziq were unable to join as they were still on their 1-week post-vaccine rest.
On the second week, Hanan and Raziq were back from their 'Workout of the Day (WOD) vacation'. We started off with a leg day led by Hanan. It was also the first time we were introduced to wall sits. This workout was very much suitable as we have not been running as we would usually do back when we were training during the Freshman Induction Programme. The workout mainly focused on building our quadriceps and hamstrings, which are the largest muscle groups of the leg, responsible for majority of our strength and power. Additionally, Haziq Zharfan, our Senior MinDef Scholar, joined our daily morning WODs.
The next few days, we concentrated more on core exercises such as crunches and planks. This was aimed to improve our balance and stability. Before we jumped onto the weekend, Haziq led his first WOD which was a yoga session. It was a very calming and soothing session especially after the strenuous workout we did throughout the week.
This week we were informed by Miss Susie that our Senior MinDef Scholar, Liessa Daliz, will be joining us. Upon meeting her, she was very kind and friendly. We went along really well and it was nice of her to share her studying experiences with us. We started Monday with core and quadricep training followed by full body workout led by Raziq. The next day, Haziq dedicated the workout specifically for lower body. The workout was all-consuming. However, we knew that we would later be grateful that we did it. Later throughout the week, Alya led a "crunchy" workout which consists of mostly crunches added up with sit ups and planks. Lastly, Hanan guided us through a pilate session which everyone found very relieving yet we could still feel the exercise operating. Hanan did exceptionally well, especially in correcting our formation.
Another week came by, we began with strengthening the upper body. This exercise really helped hone our development in doing push ups and pull ups. Consequently, we also did abdominal exercises in hopes to improve our sit up regarding formations and counts per minute. At which, it really did show splendid results. Soon it was Liessa's turn to design the WOD. She opted for a leg day! Even though leg day was our least favourite, at the end of the day, we would still feel gratified. To conclude the week, Haziq familiarized us with boxercise. He led us with full passion and devotion. It made the workout more entertaining and amusing.
The final week was quite intense, Raziq had brought back the one workout we all liked the least; froggers. He slid these between a series of full-body workouts, including push-ups and wall sits. Of course, we persisted and had a great laugh in the end. The upper body session this week consisted of different plank variations; spider planks, elbow planks, and plank jacks as well as floor tricep dips, which we continued to use in the later weeks of training. Alya took us through a great hour of core training which was definitely challenging.
Unfortunately, this week's Thursday morning, Syasya was unable to join us despite already having designed the workout, as her aunt had passed away. Due to this, Hanan took over the workout on her behalf. She initiated that everyone starts off the session with a recital of Surah Al-Fatihah dedicated to Syasya's aunt, led by Haziq. We proceeded with the workout and we all enjoyed it. At the end, we each sent our condolences to Syasya and her family. It was really important that we support each other at times like these.
Overall, this month has been interesting. The daily trainings, although virtual, has been a great way to maintain our fitness. Not only because it disciplines us to get up every morning, but it also keeps us motivated and enthusiastic in the long run, especially with the Friday sessions where every week is a different 'surprise' activity. In some ways, the workouts keep us united through the pandemic. In fact, September marks the second month of the national partial lockdown. It would have been really easy to start slacking but the Scholarship Section has been excellent in keeping us productive and social. For instance, Miss Susie reminds us every morning to stay active.
In terms of the workouts themselves, we can all agree that they have been beneficial, in every way possible. We have experienced first-hand improvements, both in our strength and endurance, despite being restricted to only our living rooms. Organizing the workouts has unconsciously taught us a lot about fitness too, such as discovering workouts that work best for us, adjusting intervals and learning progressions. We have each gotten a lot more flexible too only from the cool down stretches. However, the biggest improvement would be how we coached ourselves to proper formations. Miss Susie and her team monitors and observes us every session and calls out any faults in our forms and movements. Not only that, the best part of our virtual sessions is that they are recorded. Hence, after every session we get to look back and see where exactly we went wrong.
By:
Dk Fathiyah Amanina @ Dk Hanan Syafiqah binti Pg Roslan &
Syasya Athirah binti Baharulnizam
SCRBAF 2021 Scholarship Recipients
Arranged and Formatted by:
Aiman Abdullah Tee
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