The trio behind Central’s private gym talk us through their workouts
Jon Lee, Josh Li and Benny Liu are not your ordinary group of personal trainers. The trio, each a former competitive bodybuilder, co-founded ONE Personal Training with the shared goal of helping each of their clients reach their fitness goals—no matter how big or small. After opening last year in the heart of Central, ONE has established itself as one of the go-to body transformation gyms in the city.
In the spirit of the new year—where many find themselves setting ambitious fitness goals in January and forfeiting by February—we asked them about their favourite exercises, how they stay motivated and what their perfect cheat day looks like:
See also: 3 Expert Tips On Goal-Setting For 2018
When did you first start working out?
Jon: At the age of 12 I was already doing push-ups and sit-ups in my bedroom and when I turned 16, I was able to join a gym and would go every day after school. Getting bigger was always the goal.
Josh: I started training when I was 17 but I’ve always been involved in sports specifically rugby, and with rugby being a very physical sport I had to train to be more effective on the pitch.
Benny: I picked up my first set of weights in high school when I played Australian rules football—being the smallest kid on the field I found myself training in the school gym through my lunch breaks.
Describe a typical week of workouts for you.
Jon: There are so many variations that have been used over the years from four to seven day splits. Now I would prefer a 4-day split of Lower A / Upper A / Lower B / Upper B for example.
Josh: My workouts vary depending on what my goal is at the time, most of the year I’m focused on doing weights to improve my muscle mass but for the other quarter of the year I will incorporate more cardio to help shed some unwanted fat.
Benny: These days my workouts are more frequent but tend to be shorter sessions, I tend to focus on full body workouts that consist of one to two exercises across two to three different muscle groups.
See also: The Best Exercises For Strong Shoulders
What is your favourite workout class or exercise?
Jon: I don’t have a favourite but what I do like is when you have a workout partner that is able to push you to go beyond your limit, there’s nothing worse than daydreaming between sets.
Josh: I wouldn't say I have a favourite exercise, workout or class. I do on the other hand feel there are more effective exercises that I favour like compound lifts such as the barbell back squat and deadlift you will get the most bang for your buck, so I always include these big movements into my training. I also like the challenge of trying to get stronger in these big lifts and test myself each week.
Benny: A good leg session by far would be my favourite workout. Deadlifts would be my choice of exercise as it recruits almost every muscle in the body while executing the movement.