Where to work out like a VIP

MANILA, Philippines - What differentiates the workouts of Hollywood’s best bodies from those of Olympic athletes? Apparently, not much. Working hard to stay fit –– and employing a team composed of a personal trainer, nutritionist and physical therapist –– doesn't just belong to the realm of professional athletes anymore, but actors and models as well. For her role as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman in The Dark Night Rises, skinny-awkward actress Anne Hathaway had to perform fight moves with the grace and agility of a superhero, and just running in stilettos on cam (if not executing kicks in a spandex catsuit) demands athlete-level physical prowess if you ask me. Meanwhile, the nearly perfect Christian Bale reportedly embarked on a diet and exercise regimen more akin to an Olympic athlete than an actor, getting him in the best shape of his life.

The body of a superhero — it’s strong, not skinny; it’s a fat burning machine. And to look the part, you gotta work out like one. Victoria’s Secret models go into fight mode before a runway show, training like marathon runners (but even harder, because Adriana doesn’t eat). I must confess that as a child I was fascinated by Wonder Woman, and in my older years longed for the millions and the toned thighs of Maria Sharapova, with her various endorsements. So when I heard about a new facility offering us regular people the chance to workout “like a pro,” I had to see it. 

“I wanted this apartment to be a garden — but it had to be a garden in hell.” Mrs Vreeland’s famous red living room became the headquarters for New York arts and society. Portrait by HORST P. HORST, 1979

That was how I found myself at Focus Athletics on Pasong Tamo, doing drills in the same space populated by the uber-fit: Azkals Aly Borromeo and Armand Del Rosario, basketball players Chris Tiu, Sean Anthony, and Harvey Carey. The red-and-black spartan space looked serious and intimidating at first, but once inside I relaxed when I spotted a pair of normal-looking college girls, dressed in loose T-shirt and shorts.

According to managing director Paolo Cabalfin, the goal of Focus Athletics is “to make the methodology of pro athlete training available to everyone.” Cabalfin and head coach Julio Veloso studied at the Athlete’s Performance Institute in Arizona (trusted by big teams like the NBA, Major League Basketball, the NFL, and top level triathletes), an elite center that trains clients ethically, “the right way” –– that is, with an emphasis on progression and staying injury-free.

They don’t believe in doing hundreds of crunches here (you’ll just hurt your back), but focus on functional movements and starting out with proper form. For athletes, this sports science-based approach means no injuries in training, injury reduction in games and practices and daily movements, and performance enhancement.

“Women love the speed of the progression, because they’ve never been trained like that before,” says Cabalfin. “When trained the right way, 99 percent of clients’ bodies react the right way.” If trained three times a week for a month, he tells me, my movements will be stronger, quicker and faster. “Your core will be stronger. And of course aesthetically you’ll look a lot better.” A strong core leads to better posture and stability; a weak one makes you more vulnerable to injury, say spraining your ankle from tripping on your Pierre Hardys. The ideal result of all this strengthening is a long, lean body, and I needed a peg, so we came up with: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Gosling, Jessica Alba. All toned, no bulk.

Each client at Focus Athletics gets a one-on-one session with a coach, incorporating a seamlessly integrated routine that combines the best of different disciplines –– circuit training, functional movements (like squats and jumps), suspension training, plyometrics, strength and conditioning, load (weights), and their most prized possession, the Keiser machines. I spent 70 minutes doing crazy squats, was told to imagine a nemesis (or a cockroach, eww!) while banging medicine balls to break the wall, push-ups on the stability ball, pull-ups on the suspension training system, lunges and box jumps. The final touch was the Airdyne bike, five minutes of hell. And here’s what I never expected to say after my first session: it was fun. I’ll be back tomorrow.

“You never get bored, you never get the same training day twice,” says Cabalfin. “Some days you don’t lift a single weight, it’s all movement.” Their expertise lies in equipment coaching, and the movements have safety and health in mind at all times. Cabalfin is a former college basketball player who is no stranger to sports injury. The idea to put up Focus Athletics in fact stemmed from his own experience with a basketball injury three years ago, after receiving excellent rehabilitation care at the Moro Lorenzo gym at Ateneo.

Get downward: Yoga is recommended here for an integrated athletic workout.

All coaches are associated with professional sports teams or schools, and have teaching experience in classrooms and on the gym floor. According to Coach Kale Alvarez, coach of Kaya football club and one of the head coaches here, each movement in the work out uses as many muscles as possible all together. These will make you stronger, more explosive, and more toned. Yoga stretches for flexibility are also incorporated in the warm-ups, as are agility drills, with hops and skips for coordination.

The gym floor is spacious but manages to create a private feel for your own corner. You can choose to help yourself to a Gatorade or a GNC whey protein drink post-workout. It’s certainly a no-frills zone, no complimentary towels or a juice bar; just you, your coach and adrenalin-pumping rock music (or Bob Marley, if you like).

Because of its commitment to integrated training they have a yoga room where Ashtanga classes are currently offered thrice weekly. “Yoga is a great supplementation training wise, especially for men because a lot of athletes’ explosive movements come from your hips, your butt and your core,” says Cabalfin. Soon they will have a boxing ring for mixed martial arts and a basketball court.

Focus Athletics has gotten sign-ups from budding grade school kids aged 10 or 11, varsity players who live as far as Cavite, the whole Kaya football club, and several PBA players. There are special arrangements to make it more accessible to aspiring young athletes. But the majority of those who work out here are people like you and me, professionals who come before or after work, weekend warriors who just want to be fitter, look better and live healthier.

Cabalfin says anyone, at any age, can embark on this program and become fitter, stronger than you ever were (I believe him, just look at Marc Jacobs). “Athletes today have longer careers because of the training systems. Before, at 27 or 28, they were on their way down. Now they can peak at 32 or 33, they last until their late thirties,” he says. Some of the US Olympic team's most powerful swimmers are past the first flush of youth.

Other services offered on-site are physical therapy, a sports nutritionist and dry needling which is similar to acupuncture. Everything can be adjusted to your preferred time, without having to join a crowd or wait for equipment. The access to a set of professionals who treat your body reverently is what makes one feel like a VIP. Ironically, this is one gym that doesn’t want to get full. As Cabalfin explains, “Professional athletes train like that.” 

At the end of my session, I’m made to pedal on the Airdyne bike at high intensity intervals, for five minutes till I’m out of breath. “Everyone hates the bike,” coach Kale assures me, when I mutter endless expletives. Later that day, Armand Del Rosario tweets that the bike killed him. Hey, I thought, me too. Working out at Focus Athletics does this to you –– you feel part of a privileged lot, lucky that even if you’re not an elite athlete, you can be treated like one.

* * *

Monthly packages are P6,000, P8,000 and P10,000. Focus Athletics is located at 2259 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati. For inquiries, contact Paolo Cabalfin at 0920-9257893 or email paolocabalfin@yahoo.com. Look for Focus Athletics on Facebook and on Twitter @focusathletics8.