We’ve heard and seen a lot of The Movement over the past few months and almost everyone we know seem to have gone there at least once. Give us a bit of background on The Movement.
Well we've all been really interested in working out since we left high school, and sports weren't really an option in university. We were quite unsuccessful at working out and never really made any substantial 'gains' for years because we didn't have the basics of eating and lifting down. Once we figured that out we made much more consistent progress, and wanted to pass that on. We always wanted to do something in this space and we started talking about it seriously last year. Thankfully it has worked out great so far!
Have you guys always had a penchant for working in the Fitness Industry? What inspired you to get into training?
Well I wouldn’t say we have. One of us is a barrister; the other is an engineer and one a mathematician, by degree at least. I don't think we seriously considered working in the fitness space until well after graduating from university, mainly because we didn't have the credibility that comes from training for 10 years and all the trial and error that goes with it. What inspired us was just that. How difficult it is to get this right: in terms of making body progress. We've all been there- too skinny, working out every day and not seeing any results. Once we realized it was a lifestyle that included eating right, sleeping well and lifting with correct form - our bodies changed. That inspired us to help other people shorten this learning curve; one that most people give up on before they see results. We also wanted to help people achieve bodies they felt comfortable with in Sri Lanka WITHOUT unhealthy crash dieting, which we see a lot of, and is terrible for your body and health. The key to this is communication. Telling people the why? of something as opposed to just to the what? and the how? We feel like we're in a good place to express this to people.
What would you say is the mission of The Movement?
Results! Not just in appearance but strength and endurance too; in a group setting that is fun, motivating and sustainable. Like I said you may see results from crash dieting to a 1000 calories a day but that is not sustainable. You will falter eventually and feel bad about yourself. We want you to see slow results, but consistently. We want you to feel good while your body is changing, and not constantly feel depleted. Fitness and aesthetics is a lifelong process, it isn't just for 3 months. You are always improving and changing, so thinking about it in a narrow sense and burning out fast seems futile to us. We want to make this a part of your lifestyle.
You guys follow an alternating mix of cardio and weights training at The Movement, would you say that this is the most effective for a modern day busybody lifestyle?
For sure! We do tweak it for different body types and goals though. For example if someone is trying to gain weight they won't do as much cardio. But in general a combination of both is best for appearance and fitness levels. People sometime don't realise that lifting weights at a high intensity is more cardio than actual cardio like running. Weight training has so many minor and ignored benefits like keeping our skin tight, or improving circulation. Also working out in short intense bursts is obviously the most time effective way to train, and because our work outs always change, hopefully that stops boredom from setting in. I can’t stress this enough - you have to enjoy your work outs to see tangible result! Same with your diet.
What else would you say apart from exercise and working out regularly that contributes to getting fit?
Your diet of course! I'm sure you've read that it's more about diet than what you do in the gym. That is 100% true. We have the different struggle to most. We find it hard to gain weight, so we have to keep eating food even when we don't feel like it sometimes or are pressed for time. There is always that pressure to have your fifth meal, you know. In the same way if you are looking to lose weight and tone up you really have to strike the right macro nutrient balance between consuming enough protein to help your body repair, healthy fats; and carbs, and being in a healthy caloric deficit at the same time. To be honest, it’s much easier to eat healthy now in Colombo, great healthier restaurants coming up.
After a late night or a long day at work, it takes a lot of willpower to get myself to the gym, how do you stay motivated?
First have a coffee. Second, think about how much worse you'll feel knowing you didn’t work out. There is a crazy feeling of satisfaction knowing you made it to the gym even though you didn’t feel like it and killed your workout. We've all had that endorphin rush post work out, and you’ll end up having a really productive day. We all have a body goal. Keep that in mind and work towards it constantly. What would –your insert body goal name– do? They'd go work out!
Do you thing age is a limiting factor when it comes to getting in an intense and effective workout? Is The Movement geared towards a specific age group?
Age can be a limiting factor if you have injuries or certain conditions. But if you are a healthy older person there is no reason why you can’t do our work outs or any work outs. Obviously we will try and tailor our circuits a little better when there are older people in the class. There are certain exercises (mainly our more intense cardio) that may be unsuitable for older people, but you will be surprised how ridiculously fast some of them progress. One of our oldest clients couldn't do a squat when she first joined but now that she is much stronger and slimmer; she squats deeper, and breezes through the workout that 21 year olds can't complete. It's just a question of sticking with it and being safe and measured in your approach. Obviously don't go straight into doing 60 seconds of burpees on your first day, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try a couple. Once the pounds melt off you'll see how much better your knees and achy joints feel!
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’s not happy with their body shape or size?
Make a change. Don't plan it. Don't procrastinate on it. Just do it today!! In this day and age of the internet every bit of motivation and information is at your finger tips. You have no excuse.
