The National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer is the epitome of ‘what you see is what you get’: the wide grin, buoyant energy and cheeky humour is a disarming personality that’s constant, on- or off-screen. Besides an upbeat attitude, Alvin’s generosity extends on Instagram, through regularly shared fitness tips, realistic and informed meal preps, and motivating posts, besides snippets of his training routine. His clients also appear regularly on his feed, clocking up personal bests under the careful routine of Alvin’s fat loss and muscle building programmes.

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One fine day, we nipped into his Kajang studio to talk about his fitness journey, his record-breaking moments, and why he believes we are all achievers.

How did your fitness journey begin?

I discovered my passion in fitness during college years. If you gave me a business journal and a fitness journal, I would always choose to read the fitness journal!

Why is your fitness mission so important and relevant to Malaysians?

Malaysia is the fattest country in Asia and that’s something we should not be proud of. My message is this: be an achiever that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Let's talk about the hurdles and overcoming them, in your road to both Malaysia Book of Records awards.

The most important thing is your mindset. When you’re doing long hours of backwards run and burpees, your body is going to get tired, your muscle will fatigue, but your mind must remain strong, keep pushing forward. When you hit the wall and you feel like giving up, you have to remember your why and your who. Why are you doing this in the first place and who are you doing it for.

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When will your next record-breaking challenge be?

Testing my limits and helping others will be my lifelong journey and I will be attempting more records in the future.

How have your achievements shaped you as a trainer?

No matter how difficult the situation is or how challenging your goals are, it has taught me to believe in yourself, keep pushing forward and have the achiever mindset. That you can achieve it if you set yourself up to it.

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