This Friday our fit friend is Chan Boon Sheng. A Spartan Race veteran who has been taking part in OCR since 2017 Chan Boon has recently decided to dial in his training and commit to a plan. As a regular name on the leaderboard for our weekly and monthly challenges we’re pleased to have Chan Boon use our programs to nail his workouts. We can’t wait to see him collect more podiums when the race season starts up again soon!

Name: Chan Boon Sheng

Age: 32

IG Handle: @chanboonsheng

What is your day job?
Tuition centre operator

What is your fitness background?
I don’t have any particular fitness backgrounds. After knowing that I was diagnosed with fatty liver when I was 21 years old , I started doing bodybuilding and HIIT. This is because I ate too much fast food and was weighted 92 kg.

First OCR Race?
9/7/2017 Putrajaya Malaysia Spartan Super

How did you first get in to OCR?
I saw FB advertisement about Spartan Race and decided to try on as I thought Spartan Race would be more interesting than normal road running race . I asked two of my friends to join me and we didn’t have any ideas on what an obstacle race was . I ended up doing 180 burpees and my super race lasted for 4 hours.

What keeps you coming back?
In 2018, the motivation keeping me come back was to finish races without doing any burpees . Therefore I made effort to run more and improved my grip power. I finally made it in 2019 Singapore Stadion race.

In 2019, I decided to do a full SEA AG series to see how far can I achieve. I did it half-heartedly in the first race but as the series progressed I pushed myself harder knowing that I stood a chance to get top 3 in my age group. I was ranked number 4 and I qualified for the Tahoe world championship as the guy who was placed number 3 decided not to go for the WC. I went to Tahoe and it was an unforgettable experience to be running in cold climate . These challenges fuelled my motivation and make me wanting to do more Spartan races.

Spartan race also makes me an all-rounded athlete . Running obstacles races involve strength, agility, endurance, mental and technique. Last but not least, I love the camaraderie between racers.
I befriend with a lot for racers since I started my obstacle race journey.

What's your favourite cheat day snack?
Practically I don’t have cheat days. Most of the times , I snack on soy drink, oat drink, fruits and wheat biscuits.

What change have you made during COVID that you're going to keep?
The change that I’m going to keep is to follow a training plan. My training is disorganized before COVID. Following a good training helps me to be more disciplined and I am less likely to overtrain.

Have you set yourself any personal goals or challenges to replace racing currently?
Yes, I have. I join TeamGrit and Obstacle Lab challenges during Covid. My personal goal is to maintain my fitness even gyms remain closed.

How are you staying focused on training with all current events postponed?
I stay focused by participating some virtual challenges. Virtual workout with my friend. Use Kinomap when running on treadmill. Most importantly, I follow the training plan by Teamgrit.

What is your top tip for sticking to a schedule?
My top tip for sticking to a training schedule is to do your training in the morning . There are two benefits . Firstly , your will power is at its fullest in the morning so you are more likely to do your workout . Secondly , after finishing your training in the morning , you won’t be worried whether you are able to find time to do your workout during the rest of the day

Favourite item of kit and why?
I just bought a Naked Running Band . It’s a nice product as it is bounce resistant and is non-chafing .

Favourite nutrition product and why?
Beet It Sport and Celsius drink . I feel my body produces more power and my endurance increases after taking them

Favourite fitness book / app and why?
Slow Jogging book by Hiroaki Tanaka as it introduces me the right running postures and the concept of run slow to run fast . My favourite app is Strava. It likes Facebook in running world .

Do you have any words / advice for people struggling to stay motivated?
Find some motivators. For example, joining sporting events, surrounding yourself with active friends for support or varying your exercise methods.

Any sponsors, brands or people you'd like to shout out to?
I’m shouting to my coach Raj and all the Spartan racers that I raced together before. Beside I’m shouting out to my family and friends who support me along the way.