By IANS,
New Delhi : India’s first certified Olympics trainer L. Subramanium feels that athletes who want to make it to the Olympic Games require a scientifically-based, balanced and systematic training programme to achieve optimal fitness.
“An athlete has to undergo years of dedicated training to perfect the technique so that it becomes an automatic and intensive response whenever the person competes at the highest level. Many spend their life training for the Olympics,” Subramanium told IANS in an email interview.
Subramanium was chosen as a certified trainer from among 5,000 aspirants on the basis of a questionnaire posted on a fitness website. He left for Beijing Tuesday to train under the Olympic chief of mission of the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial fitness products – Technogym.
At the end of the Olympics, he will be awarded a certificate proclaiming him as India’s first official Technogym Olympic trainer.
Technogym has been in charge of training athletes for Olympic Games since 2000. It groomed athletes for the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Athens Olympics in 2004, Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 and Beijing in 2008.
Subramanium is experienced in all aspects of training and fitness management, with several showbiz personalities and industrialists on his list of clients.
“I have trained in various aspects of fitness (strength, cardio-vascular control and flexibility). Primarily, I am a strength and conditioning trainer, specialising in wellness and lifestyle,” he said.
The trainer feels that since aspiring Olympians already have a moderate to advance level of physical fitness, the thrust should be on keeping them motivated and focussed on their goals.
“We are talking about optimising performance. Training methods have improved vastly and science now offers cutting-edge fitness solutions to maintain the level of performance,” Subramanium said.
He feels Indian gymnasiums lack awareness about wellness lifestyle. An ideal gym, according to him, should consist of qualified trainers, cardio-vascular machines, strength machines, free weights, fitness accessories, health bar and hygiene.
“The cost of establishing a gym depends on the number of equipments and brands that it plans to buy,” he said.
“People in India think that fitness happens. They don’t realise the hard work that goes in to it. Everyone wants to know the secret of exercise and a balanced diet. The only secret in my opinion is consistency of workouts. Setting goals can help. But make sure the goals are realistic and achievable,” Subramanium said.