Gerald

What made you sign up or what was the deciding factor/ qualities about me that made you join

I found out about Pang through a good friend of mine when I hit a wall during my training while running cookie cutter programs. I didn’t know how to manage my recovery and I kept pushing without holding back. I burnt out and my lifts regressed. I decided that I had enough and didn’t want to continue wasting my time stalling. The only way was to get a coach to guide me along. When I contacted Pang, he was more than willing to help me. He only had one request: it didn’t matter who you are, or what background you are from, as long as you put in the necessary effort as expected of you as his athlete, he will be more than willing to help you improve with whatever knowledge he has. Even though I was new to the sport and had no experience with coaches, I looked up to him and know I will be following him for a long time.

How has your coach helped you develop thus far (both lifting wise and character wise) and what are the personal changes you have felt/experienced?

I think we established a coach-athlete relationship of firm but equal status from the very start, which helped me greatly and improved my productivity in my lifting journey thus far. Our first few cycles worked on tweaking and optimising my form. I questioned him whenever he introduced something new to the program, asked him about the rationale and purpose of each movement. He welcomed them and answered promptly, while I picked up his intentions and tried to execute each exercise to the best of my ability to fulfill desired outcomes. We both agreed that there should be ample communication between the athlete and coach in order to maximise the productivity of our training, which is why I believe that we work quite well together. We met many bumps along the way, which is expected as we were figuring out my body’s threshold levels and its responses to the types of training. I constantly gave my feedback be it minute or huge, and he responded with tweaks when needed or advised me to be patient. From such experiences, I have taken a more patient and mature approach towards my training, and thus developed a stronger mindset. Now, I am able to execute my lifts with more consistency and precision, while being a role model (I hope) to help others with whatever knowledge I have learnt from him. He usually prescribes, then lets me take hold of my training as he believes in my ability to pick up the mistakes or things for improvements throughout the sets, encouraging me to be more independent. The only thing that usually stands in the way of us is fatigue management, which starts to eat into technique efficiency but that’s what happens when life throws curveballs at you.

When such things happen, Pang has always been there to guide me along as well. Though he is not much older than me, he has experienced much more in life, giving him the experience needed to constantly remind me to be better everyday. He emphasises priorities and is always encouraging of us whenever lifting had to take a backseat. As such, we have also developed a truly genuine and precious friendship that I treasure since the start of our journey together.

Where do you see Rōnin grow in future?

Rōnin is more than just powerlifting. It includes strength and conditioning for sports or anything that helps you achieve your goals and athletic performance. To me, Rōnin is really a bigger platform than that. It is a platform where equality is encouraged, and hierarchy is discouraged. Where like-minded people come together to share their experiences not only in sports, but also in challenges they face in life. Where members support each other despite their differences. Where one does not feel alone, but feel empowered to pursue what they believe in. Where there is no “he”, “she” or “they”, but only “we”. I see the members of Rōnin coming together to support one another, and to promote a culture not limited to just powerlifting or strength and conditioning.

A culture that is the Rōnin way of life.