Studio 23 Fitness sans equipment
COMPETITIVE: Law and team posing for a photo during a regional competition in Manila in 2011. The team won seven medals with five competitors.
Studio 23 is a dance and fitness studio operated by the husband-and-wife team of Albert Lim, performance training coach and Serina William Ghani, dance instructor and choreographer.
First opened on New Year’s Day 2009, the studio occupies three storeys of a shophouse lot at Bormill Estate.
It offers alternative exercises for those who are looking to get fi t and healthy with its range of programmes instructed by Lim and Serina respectively.
Lim is in charge of Fizfit Core Strength (Core Strength) , Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and the Crazy Monkey Defense Programme (CMD), while Serina oversees the Jazz/Modern Dance, Belly Dance, Line Dance and Flamenco classes.
“I was initially a copywriter based in Kuala Lumpur, but I have always had a passion for fitness training and martial arts while Serina was an English teacher who learned dancing from the age of 10,” said Lim.
According to Serina, she started out with Ballet lessons and moved on to Ballroom dancing and slowly picked up a plethora of different dances.
Now that she is a dance instructor, she regularly attends courses and workshops around the world to enhance her knowledge of dance to pass on to her students.
Unlike the fitness establishments that Kuchingites are used to, Studio 23 offers solely group fitness classes, as such, does not view gyms as competition.
“What Studio 23 offers is unique.
We try to help students achieve fitness without the use of machines or the usual gym equipment,” Lim said.
‘It lies in the form’
Lim explained that the Fizfit Core Strength focuses on the abdomen, thighs and lower back areas where people most often find problematic.
Fizfit Core Strength is a bodyweight conditioning programme designed to boost health and fitness, thereby improving the learner’s strength, stamina, energy, confidence and self image.
“People are prone to postural misalignments because they do not understand how to use the muscles properly.
So what we do here is that we teach them the techniques on how to place the weights,” said Lim, highlighting that this form of exercise was suitable for those who do not have much time.
Lim’s wife, Serina, added that she was also a student in the classes and found that the programme really helped improve her stamina and posture, “Now that I am seven months pregnant, I have not gained as much weight as the usual pregnant women and I am still able to teach some of my dance lessons.” On the other hand, the Crazy Monkey Defense Programme is a type of modern martial art based programme focused on teaching students the skills, techniques and the drills for self-defense purposes.
Studio 23 believes in fostering a co-creative environment which enables students to choose the way they learn as such the CMD programme is designed around the student’s needs and goals.
“I believe the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a good self-improvement vehicle, being a grappling-based martial art and combat sport.
For Core Strength and CMD, I believe we are the only ones around here that are actively competing in tournaments and competitions,” said Lim.
He noted that the team at Studio 23 were very active in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu regional competitions, adding that while participation in competitions was not compulsory, it was highly recommended.
“We believe very strongly that it is one of the best ways, if not the best to learn more about yourself and gain many important attributes and life skills such as stress management, perseverance, humility and respect.”
Facing challenges
The business was not without its challenges as Lim and Serina found obstacles in the form of the folks’ lack of acceptance for the exercises offered.
“For my dance classes, there has always been a misconstrued belief that dances such as belly dance or flamenco are very sensual and sexualised.
That is not the case as dance is actually a tool to help women build their self esteem and become more confident, in addition to getting fit,” Serina explained.
She noted that her students are from all walks of life, from students to mothers.
She has about 200 members to date.
Both Lim and Serina expressed that they have faced challenges getting people to try out the classes, especially for the Fizfit Core Strength programme.
Lim revealed that there was a common misconception that people have to be fit in order to pick up the classes and most were also intimidated by the work out.
“Sometimes, they join for a while and feel that the exercises make their muscles sore and they get deterred from continuing.
But everyone has a hump to go through, it is just the body adjusting to the stress it is under,” Lim said, stressing that people can benefit from learning the correct form and techniques, thereby being safe while getting fit.
The pair at Studio 23 are confident to be able to teach that to the students, as both are very experienced in their respective fields.
Lim has obtained certification for the Fizfit Core Strength programme after attending a course in Kuala Lumpur and travels time and again to train with the famous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu active competitor, Adam Kayoom.
He also explained that the CMD founder travels to Malaysia on a yearly basis for a trainer’s retreat which Lim also takes part in.
Serina, on the other hand, who competes in competitions actively, frequently goes for courses and workshops and travels around the world with Lim in order to offer a bigger repertoire for their students.
The fitness scene
When asked if they had seen an increase in awareness on fitness and health in the city, Lim was enthusiastic about it but believed that there was a preoccupation about weight and looks when it came to the topic.
He stressed that those were not the reasons he set up the studio.
“I believe it is more important to be healthy than to merely look healthy.
The aim is not for you to slim down but to get stronger and more focused on life.
Fitness is not a selfish pursuit but you are keeping yourself healthy for your family.” The pair believed that students should commit for at least three months to the programme and not get intimidated at the beginning of the training.
However, Studio 23 did not sense competition from other establishments as Serina opined that the Kuching market was big enough for everyone to have a piece of their own pie, noting that most of the classes at Studio 23 were full.
“We welcome the increase in the number of such establishments as we can all work together to offer a bigger range of fitness and dance options to the Kuching masses,” Serina said.
On future plans, the couple believed that their current range of classes were sufficient, adding that they believed in growing slowly, instead of adding on classes quickly.
Studio 23 has been growing mostly by word of mouth instead of advertisements.