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METRO WORKOUT

Wielding sticks for health

Photo: G. Moorthy

Sweating it out To keep fit

I’m not an early morning person (I love lying late in bed), but this morning I was bubbling with excitement. I was getting ready for a Silambam’ workout, and my trainer had promised that I would shed a few kilos in less than a week.

Silambam (physical training using sticks) would work magic on my body, and it is with this adrenalin rush that I sped away at the crack of dawn, leaving my family dumbstruck. In my enthusiasm, I landed at the venue 30 minutes early. Like any fresher, I dreamt of rotating the sticks with ease, like a filmy hero showing off in a village. Getting the feel of the sticks was important to me, but trainer M. Shahul Hameed promptly put an end to my aspirations.

“No sticks to start with. Silambam is an exercise for general health. It is basically an aerobic routine. Bring your right leg forward with the front foot pointing towards the direction of your movement while positioning the back foot in right angle to the front foot,” he declared like a serious master.

I did so with some reluctance. What I thought would be a cinch turned out to be anything but when I was asked to remain in that position for more than two minutes.

I was ready to call it quits. But trainer Hameed pacified me. “When you stand straight and upright, your entire body weight is taken by the knees and ankles. But when you stretch one leg forward and the other backward, the weight gets distributed and the burden is less.”

I moved on to the next step. And wow, how easy it was – just a bit of ramp walking with rhythmic forward movement. I didn’t mind showing off my bulges knowing that they would be gone in few days time.

The next round was similar but this time I had to jump forward and assume the stance of the first round. Next, I crisscrossed my legs only to improve my reflexes. Then, the trainer made me jump turning from right to left and vice versa followed by a 360 degree rotation to get rid of giddiness under any circumstance and retain balance.

The 45-minute drill — the first such in my life — left me profusely sweating. But then Hameed called the students to reassemble for action with the sticks.

He asked us to rotate the stick both clockwise and anti-clockwise to our right and left. Believe you me, I found it extremely tough. The others made it easy and simple, but not me; perhaps I managed five per cent of the movements.

But I must share a secret. I am feeling lighter ever since. And I am going to be a regular now, to get that fit look.

Bottom line: Silambam may look rustic and boring but it improves confidence and fitness levels. (If you are interested, contact Simashan Institute of Martial Arts, Near Sri Meenakshi Government College for Women, Madurai-625 002. Ph: 0452-2530189. Mobile: 9443321925.)

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