Hybrid Movement head trainer, Darren Chai and full-time trainer Stephanie Liew will both be heading to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia to defend their respective titles in the Borneo Pangazou - a functional athletics tournament organised by the Sabah Functional Athletics Society, at the Oceanus Waterfront Mall this weekend.

Beast of the, Southeast winner Darren has expressed his desire to perform his very best and has tried relieving any anxieties by mirroring it to a normal training session.

"We will compete as if we are training every other day. We will do our best," said Darren in an interview at the Hybrid Movement Functional Training Centre in One Menglait Industrial Park yesterday.

Asked whether the two-day event, which is expected to attract 100 participants from Malaysia and Brunei would make a competitor easily overwhelmed by pressure, Darren admitted it is inevitable that pressure would usually surround any competitor.

"Even in any competition, even though if I never won a title before, there's always pressure because you're trying to achieve the title at every prospect," he continued.

The athlete explained that returning to the venue as a reigning champion will provide an added pressure as his rivals would be looking to conquer the title.

"Being able to sustain our title there is pressure because everyone who joins the competition knows that you win last year.

"There is pressure hut if we already tried our best and we didn't get the title still it's fine because there is always a next time to improve and learn."

However, Darren is used in coping with pressure on the competitive scene, an important element which pushed him to the title last year.

"For me, I have always been pressured every time even if I'd were to maintain the title or to go compete. We're trying to maintain that and not get too pressured because it will affect our competition."

Queriedwhetherthe challenges will be tougher this year, the tournament will incorporate similar movements though the way the workout is being planned will be different.

"The mixture of movements are put together differently in different events," said the Hybrid Movement trainer.

As with last year, the tournament will feature four to five different events as obstacles for the participating athletes.

Darren clarified that there is specific amount of training necessary to ensure competitors reach their optimal condition in preparing for a huge competition such as the Borneo Pangazou.

"It is never fixed of how much training you need but it is always how you feel. If you feel good to push a little bit more, then just go for it as in the training programme.

"The training is where you try to take your technique right and how you pace yourself throughout the competition, how you are going to do it in the actual day and just imagine yourself on the actual day," he said.

Alternatively, the competition can lead to different situations where the outcome is not motivated by posting the best time.

"This competition hasn't actually set a certain time to do as many rounds as you can. So as an example would be like doing a 100m where I give you five minutes as many 100m sprints as you can and you end up doing how many.

"Or it can be a 100m sprint and sprint as fast as you can for time," he continued.

"We know three workouts so far and the fourth one we know the movements meaning like we know the exercises what we have to do."

Darren added that there are a lot of variations in movements which ranges from swimming to rowing.

Basically, the variations represent movements commonly performed in the gym which does not require the assistance from machines or equipment.

"It can be climbing a rope, carrying a log and it goes anything with your body carrying stuff and lifting weights as well as carrying your own body weight."

Darren concluded that while he feels slightly nervous and overcame by excitement, the tournament presents an avenue to meet people and collaborate with the athletes.

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by BruDirect.com

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