Tag Archives: HIIT

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Babel Fit KLCC – A secret review

First of all, under no circumstances was Asia Fitness Today paid to do this review. In fact, Babel Fit did not even know we did this. During the launch of Babel KLCC, one of the goodies we received was a month-long pass which we utilized for this review.

Babel seems like the perfect gym for all of us. The gym features top of the line equipment and amenities. Sounds too good to be true but with plush towels that’s softer than your moisturizing conditioner hair, one can’t complain.

Your first impression of Babel KLCC is its entrance. It looks posh, to say the least. Second, there is this pleasant aroma that wafts through you as you walk in. This aroma is all over the gym too. I don’t know what this is but it made me feel relaxed and energized at the same time whenever I go to Babel.

On my first day at Babel, I went at 8 am and did the registration. I registered for the HIIT30 class straightaway by Evon, scheduled at 10 am. I had two hours of free time until the class so I decided to do some warm ups in the training room.

Babel KLCC access card

Obviously there is a lot of the latest equipment provided there but what caught my eye was the sheer number of actual living plants there. My photos do not do them justice. They just look like plastic plants but, trust me, they are as real as you and I. The plants made me felt as though I was being given extra oxygen during my warm up. According to Babel, they have an in-house botanist that helps them maintain these plants.

Be surrounded by real plants at Babel KLCC

Then it was time for HIIT30. For the uninitiated, HIIT30 is a class where we push ourselves to reach our limit in 30 minutes. So, four different exercises for four rounds with just one minute of rest in between. It was really tough for a newbie like I am. But did I feel good? I obviously did.

After my class I decided to pamper myself at the infra-red sauna. It looks as though it is based on Japanese design but I can’t be sure. Well, it doesn’t really matter because as soon as I entered the sauna, I was able to relax and calm my mind. I might have even fallen asleep in there!

I didn’t manage to go to Babel as often as I would like to as work had me bogged down but after a week I went there as soon as I was done with work. I felt as though I needed to recoup the days I missed so I did it by deciding that it was a good idea to attend three classes in a row.

My obvious first class back to the gym is my now all-time favorite, HIIT30. There are no words that can describe how much I enjoy this class at Babel. As soon as I was done with this, I went for Slo Flo Yoga. Led by Tony, I found the class quite relaxing and personally I enjoyed the stretching after the vigorous HIIT class. It’s best said now that this was my first yoga class ever. I learned to control my breathing and didn’t drop a single sweat during the class.

Slo Flo Yoga

I had a 30 minute break from yoga to my final class. This would be the first time for me to attend an RnR class and luckily I was met with a familiar face by way of the trainer. I’m pretty sure you can guess what kind of class this is solely based on its name. So yes, we do some more stretching but it wasn’t as gentle as Slo Fo Yoga though. I ended feeling sore despite it supposedly to be a relaxing class as well. Despite the soreness I actually liked this class as I did not feel tired out from it and completely understand why it was slotted as the final class of the day.

Before I left Babel KLCC, I decided to utilize the Bad Lab products available in the men’s locker room (Good Virtue’s Co products are featured in the women’s locker room). It was not bad and made me feel pretty good for the trip home.

Words cannot express how much I love doing HIIT at Babel and my final HIIT30 class was scheduled at 6 pm. This time I had a new trainer – Jean K. It was a great experience as she’s quite energetic and she would be shouting words of encouragement at us so we would be able to keep up and moving.

However, unlike the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended, we didn’t have any simple warm up at the beginning of the class. Jean began the class with a really challenging warm up. Another difference is that there are eight of us in this class. There were two to four people in the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended. This surely proves Jean’s effectiveness and popularity. I was seriously exhausted in her class but keep moving as she constantly encourages us to not give up.

Babel KLCC

Ok, maybe I should’ve tried more classes but I got hooked on HIIT. But this is what I have to say about Babel KLCC – you have to see and experience it for yourself. At Babel KLCC, seeing is barely believing thus you would have to go for some classes to fully immerse yourself with the Babel experience. I give them 10/10 for overall experience, classes offered, amenities and location.

AFT Features, AFTNews, Fitness, Men's Health, Women's Health

PUMA House of Hustle

PUMA House of Hustle was held at Sentul Depot, Kuala Lumpur on 28 – 29 September 2019. The main events were training sessions, 3-on-3 futsal and 3-on-3 basketball tournaments.

 

The training sessions were held three times a day and each had a total duration of 3 hours and 15 minutes. We participated in Session 2 of the first day of PUMA House of Hustle.

They had Animal Flow, Rhythmic Boxing and HIIT for all of the training sessions. We found all of the exercise quite challenging. The movements were a little bit hard to follow but it was fun because we learned new things from Animal Flow and Rhythmic Boxing.

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Animal flow is a training that focused largely around ground-based work and it develops mobility as well as power. Animal Flow is inspired by animal movements and focusses on improving our core stability, overall strength and body awareness without any fitness equipment. Dany found it to be quite difficult as he has not been active the past few months.

Next up was Rhythmic Boxing – a 45 minutes workout slated to be the next generation of boxing where each punch and slide is driven by music beats. This, again, exhausted Dany as the intensity was very high and the movement also quite difficult for him. He didn’t manage to finish the session but was quite impressed with some of the participants that managed to finished the second segment and also the fact that they stayed to continue with the last segment.

The last segment of PUMA’s House of Hustle was HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training. By this time the boys were quite exhausted but they soldiered on to prove to themselves that they can do it, except for Dany. He tried but faltered quite a few times. Maybe they were inspired to continue with the session as the other participants had not quit.

There was an emcee that was present during the breaks in between exercises. He was great and kept interacting with the participants.

Delicious and healthy Jello

The event was also surrounded by many booths like food, beverage, sports accessories. We got a chance to try a refreshing coconut jelly called ‘Jello’ after we were done with the training sessions. There are many toppings that you can choose like cendol, brown sugar, mango and many more.

Then, we went to the warehouse next door to watch the futsal and basketball tournaments, and other games.  The place was filled with the crowd cheering and supporting each other.

They also had a ninja warrior-like obstacle course, basketball shooting, golf simulator and punching bag.

Overall we had a great and pleasant time in participating in the event. They also enjoyed the vibe around the venue that gave out a cool and chill vibe.

 

From left: Shauqi, Ahmad and Dany

Shauqi loves to play sports such as volleyball and badminton. A coffee lover, he invites readers to have coffee with him.

Ahmad is trying to become a professional e-sports player, specifically Mobile Legends. Follow and like his idn: Schen.

Dany is a 20-year-old who looks 15. Follow this normal lad from KL on Instagram: @danyhaiqal

 

 

 

AFTNews, Fitness, Men's Health, Wellness, Women's Health

Hit up your squad as PUMA presents the House of Hustle

Introducing a unique fitness event, global sports brand PUMA is offering two full days of intense fitness session comprising of 3-on-3 Futsal, 3-on-3 Basketball and a challenging training segment. Themed “House of Hustle”, this performance event is different in that it aims to appeal to everyone from football, basketball lovers to fitness freaks.

In order to test participants’ willpower and limit, three classes have been arranged under the training category – Animal Flow by Babel Fit, challenges participants to put their muscular endurance and strength to the test on different levels; Rhythmic Boxing by TRIBE Boxing, aims to combine boxing, body conditioning, and cardio all in one; High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) by Ministry of Burn, strengthens participants’ determination through a series of muscle building and body strengthening routines. 

Programmed specifically for basketball and futsal enthusiasts, participants can compete in the 3-on-3 basketball or futsal tournament. Both tournaments will consist of a group stage and knockout stages where participating teams will be split into groups of four before the top two placed teams enter into the knockout rounds to fight for the top spot. 

To further add some excitement to these high-spirited matches, winners stand a chance to take home elusive cash vouchers totalling up to RM19K. For the championship title, participants will walk away with RM 5,000 of PUMA cash voucher to be used in any of the PUMA stores nationwide. For first and second runner up, participants will receive RM 3,000 and RM 1,500 PUMA cash vouchers respectively.  

The event hall will be separated into categories consisting of training, basketball, and futsal. Besides these three main categories, there are other activities lined up such as an obstacle challenger course, golf simulator, punching bags, and basketball shooting. Participants can challenge themselves and put their skills sets to the test, thus keeping them entertained throughout the day. 

With a combination of three different curated training categories all under one roof, fitness enthusiasts, celebrities and social media influencers will be joining this event at Sentul Depot, Kuala Lumpur. Upon registration, participants will also be able to receive goodie bags including a PUMA t-shirt and a drawstring bag.

With a plethora of food vendors, participants can indulge in some healthy food and drinks after their workout sessions. Apart from that, there will be a health check booth by Guardian where participants can get their basic health check with a minimum fee. This is to take preventive measures and manage potential health problems should it be necessary.   

“PUMA had a vision to redefine the performance philosophy, and as this event promises participants a fun-filled, high-energy, and challenging experience, it is indeed exciting and truly inspiring to see participants getting pumped up for this event,” stated Tim Tham, PUMA’s Southeast Asia Marketing Manager.

Stay accountable to your fitness goals by signing up in this highly exhilarating sports event. Whether you are seasoned trainer, football player or a basketball fan, this event is made for you. 

Head on to www.puma-hoh.com/my.php now to register for early bird rates as low as RM35 per pax and get ready to hustle!