What specialized equipment do you use?
Four specific pieces of equipment here help improve an athlete's performance. Namely, the [50kph max speed] Super
Treadmill, and then there are three pieces of strength equipment designed for improvement or enhancement of the hip
girdle. The hip girdle's strength and flexibility is responsible for nearly all sports. That is, by the way, a particular aspect
of the Filipino body that's almost overlooked if not completely neglected. So, the equipment is pretty much exclusive to
the programs. The only time we can use other equipment is in the areas of strength and maybe abs and core body
development.
What's a typical day for you?
A typical day is basically coming over here and training my trainers. We've just concluded training them, which was
pretty much a pre-operations phase of our operations and that ended just this month. That took a lot of my time,
making sure my trainers are up to par as far as the manner in which we train athletes. Then I do the selling, basically
bring customers into the gym, conduct the demo myself, then the day-to-day administrative stuff, so it's a little bit
tiring. Then there's continually learning, getting certified from abroad as to the new protocols we're bringing in like the
golf protocol and a host of others. I must say it's a frenetic pace of life for me.
So how do you relax?
One of the ways I relax is doing the workouts myself. Physical conditioning is one of the best ways of relieving stress.
I'm also an avid musician and I play the saxophone. Every so often, at least 10 to 15 minutes I play the sax and get my
mind out of the daily doldrums
Tell us about the coaches.
We currently have five, all of whom you would call non-traditional coaches. They were never typical run-of-the-mill
trainers. But what's common about them is that they all have a very strong interest in sports and sports training.
Two of our female trainers are members of national teams. Bing Alto is part of the national cycling team, and Friday
Camaclang is a member of the national soccer team. Jody Jacinto is also our operations manager and has been with
us the longest. He's a recreational basketball player, a windsurfer, and engages in other sports activities. And then we
have Matthew Macalintal, a former PBA/MBA player. He played for San Miguel and the Batangas Blades. Last, but not
least, is Stevie Barredo who's a recreational basketball player and once a client! He loved the program and wanted to
join us. As a group, we know the demands of formal training - of intense training - and so we would like to assure
clients that we are passionate enough to improve their conditioning specific to their needs.
What do you tell clients to expect when they sign up?
First and foremost is we ask them what their sport is to make sure that the expectations are met, not just on our
end but also on theirs. Once that is communicated effectively and they decide to come in, it makes it easier insofar
as managing their expectations. They will come to expect that it is intense but progressive. It starts easy, picks up,
becomes more intensive, and so on.
How do you motivate them?
It's based on what they tell us they want to achieve. Some do it for speed, improvement in power, jumping ability,
some want to do it for general fitness, others really have a specific improvement like being able to run at a certain
speed....
Is the job fulfilling?
Absolutely! I had a hunch [before PlyoSports began] that I would like this nature of business. Now that I've tried it out
myself, it's really been fantastic being able to make a difference in the lives of many aspiring or current athletes.
