Singapore — A video of Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam doing weight training in the gym has gone viral.
The video, first posted on his own Facebook page on Saturday (Aug 14) showed him starting out with lifting 80 kilograms.
The heaviest Mr Shanmugam lifted was 105 kilograms, which is 150 per cent of his body weight, as he is 70 kilograms heavy.
He wrote: “For slightly more than a year now, I have added weight training, to my exercise routine”.
He added: “Here is a video, it starts with my attempt at 80kg, and then increased weights, going up to 105kg – my body weight is 70kg, so 105 kg is 150 % of my body weight. [This was when gym training, with masks off, was allowed for a period, last year]”.
Mr Shanmugam noted that his goal was to try to lift 120 kilograms in the next few months.
“Reality check: the lady you see in the gym, in background in the video weighs less than 50 kg and lifts 120 kg!”, he added in his post.
In response to TISG’s queries, Frans Ko a Licensed Physiotherapist and Senior Personal Trainer at 24XFITNESS in Paya Lebar said: “Weight training for senior people is essential to a healthy lifestyle because it will help them to stay fit, maintain independence, and reduce symptoms related to chronic diseases such as heart problem, diabetis, obesity and arthrithis”.
Noting that Mr Shanmugam was doing what is known as a conventional deadlift, he added: “Deadlifts work more muscles than any other exercise, it engages all of the major muscle group. It strengthens your core muscle, improves posture, stregthens your grip and burns more calories”.
“Your body weight is not a factor to determine if the weight you are lifting is heavy, it is only a guide. As a rule of thumb, for power lifting, if you can lift twice your body weight you are considered strong”.
When asked if he thought lifting such a heavy weight was safe, Mr Ko replied: “For as long as he is guided and supervises it is fine. As a personal trainer though I don’t usually recommend my senior clients aged 50 and older to lift heavy weights unless they are trained for it or if they are power lifters”. /TISG