Fitness with The Quad Squad
Strength, speed, endurance and mobility are the four physical abilities that determine the movement quality of every individual. The Quad believes in redefining the very definition of fitness as “the ability to meet the demands of one’s environment as efficiently as possible.”
The Quad
Early on a Friday morning, coach AP leads a group of 10 men and women through a 60-minute session of stretches, strength training and a series of other exercises. Despite the soaring mercury and sweaty brows the group power through the session with the occasional smile and a whole lot of determination on their faces.
Sudeesh M, the head coach at the OMR centre tells us that the class is intended to provide not just a rigorous workout but also help the clientele improve the quality of their day-to-day movement, which in turn would help them lead a smoother, pain-free life. “Movement is as much a fundamental aspect of life as breathing. At The Quad we believe that fitness is about knowing your body and working with it in the most efficient way,” Sudeesh says.
Though clients often enrol with The Quad to get rid of those not so flattering love handles, Sudeesh tells us that this boot camp does not focus on just weight loss. “Movement and strength are the key pillars of Quad,” he says. “The key to a better life is better movement,” Sudeesh explains, “To this movement, you add strength and then you add speed. This makes for the perfect training plan and in the end you not only achieve your end goal of weight loss, but also manage to incorporate strength training into your whole regime.”
While The Quad boot camp may just be another opportunity at getting some quality exercise, another member of The Quad squad, Arun Pandiyan tells us that being a trainer with the group has been life changing. “I initially began training to be a better athlete and soon this became something that was more than just a hobby. Once I received my degree in Sports and Exercise Science, becoming a trainer was just a natural thing to do,” he says. AP, as he is better known, has been playing Ultimate Frisbee for the last 6 years and is all set to represent the country in London at the World Ultimate and Guts Championship.
The class which is open to all from the age of 15 to 60 includes exercises like the battle ropes, kettle bell swings, slam balls and the crawl. “These exercises help you add strength to your movements,” Sudeesh says.
The OMR branch of The Quad which is located in the IT hub of the city is predominantly frequented by these professionals. Sudeesh says that though The Quad does not have celebrity clientele, businessmen and professionals atop the corporate ladder are regular patrons. “We have a retention rate of about 80-90%. We only lose our clients when they move cities,” he smiles.
Debunking a couple of fitness myths, coach Sudeesh says that a healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved through exercise alone, “Sleep is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Most of the time people gain weight because they stress-eat. Stress can alter the way your body functions; you tend to lose sleep, which makes you tired, which in turn causes you to binge-eat,” he explains.
Towards the end of the Friday morning session, coach AP tells the class that their scores are tied. Judging the puzzled look on our faces, Sudeesh tells us that Fridays and Saturdays are ‘fun’ workout days. These fun sessions entail the class being divided into two and a showdown between the groups to see who can push the hardest. However, this Friday looks like no one is willing to back down and the scores remain tied.
While others in the class cool off after their 60 minute workout session, coaches Sudeesh, AP and Mathiyalagan demonstrate ‘the crawl’ and believe us, it is certainly not child’s play. “This helps strengthen your shoulder muscles and activates your core,” Mathiyalagan tells us.
Kettle bell swings are also crazy cardio exercises, we are told. A little research into this exercise shows that kettle bell movements burn about 20 calories per minute. A great way to burn that fat, not to mention build a great bod!
Currently The Quad runs out of three locations: OMR, RA Puram and TTK Road. The membership fee for every quarter is ₹15,000 plus taxes and has three sessions in the morning, beginning from 5 am till 8 am.
