BINTULU: Twelve gym instructors including three women from Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) attended the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and MSNS Strength and Conditioning Level 1 Course at the MSNS Gym at the Sarawak Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.
This course was aimed at educating the gym instructors on the dynamic athletic movements which will directly transfer to improved performance for all the athletes at all levels.
The two-day course also aimed to give them an additional edge in the athletes’ preparations for Sukma XIX in Perak next year.
It was conducted by certified instructors from CFK Training Centre using functional movements.
Among the topics during the course were Squat Series and Olympic Weightlifting by instructor Carter Wei, Work Outs and Practical Sessions by Clement Lai, and Methology by Maxime Jamelin while the course coordinator was Jubali Suhaili from SSC.
SSC chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee, who closed the course and presented the certificates to the participants yesterday, said the organising of the course was very timely.
“It was to upgrade our gym instructors who have not been having any course since 2015.
“It is high time for them to get a new approach in physical conditioning because most of our grass roots level we have to go under an instructor for physical fitness,” added Ong.
He felt that the gym instructors had to be upgraded every one or two years and said Level 2 Course will be organised next year.
Ong said strength and conditioning will help the athletes to improve their performance especially those in contact sports.
To another question, Ong said the preparation for Perak
Sukma for the seven state weightlifters is progressing well and they would be joined by seven more lifters from Miri after their SPM.
“Our lifters did have a drastic improvement in the recent national championship but we are looking into our target.
“We need to plan our training for them to reach their peak performance in September next year,” he said.
A strength and conditioning coach is a fitness and physical performance professional who uses exercise prescription specifically, but not limited, to improve the performance of competitive athletes.
This is achieved through the combination of strength training and aerobic conditioning, alongside a variety of further methods.
Strength and conditioning coaches also help athletes with injury prevention and proper mechanics within their sports performances.
Strength and conditioning coaches are often employed by higher education institutions and professional athletic teams.
The general description and duty of a strength and conditioning coach is to develop an exercise prescription plan that modulates aerobic, resistance, and/or flexibility training to suit the metabolic and physical demands of today’s sports.