By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
This weekend, global sports apparel brand Nike starts its Nike Training Club (NTC) classes, offering a program which gives more emphasis on “training” than “exercising,” showcasing globally designed workouts to reach one’s individual fitness goals, and catering to all fitness levels from beginner to advance.
The twice-a-week fitness session will be held at Kerry Sports Manila at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
“We have seen a boom in the fitness industry over the past few years, not only in the Philippines but globally. And we have seen so many programs that claim they are the best when it comes to burning calories and losing weight. But there is a difference between exercising and training and that is what we are saying in our campaign ‘Stop Exercising. Start Training,’” said Patrick Reyes, Nike Philippines country marketing manager, when asked for the inspiration for the setting-up of the NTC classes in Manila.
“What is the difference between the two? Well exercising is just doing the same things over and over again. It’s about burning calories. It’s about the mirror muscles, the ones that look good but may not be the ones that help you perform better. Training is something that is very purposeful. It’s very goal-driven. And the Nike Training Club classes are our answer to that,” he added.
The NTC classes are divided into three areas of focus, namely Strength, Mobility, and Endurance, and are handled by trainers Lian Melegrito, a member of the University of the Philippines Pep Squad, Tanya Aguila, an internationally certified yoga teacher, and Trish Ayson, an endurance expert, who are all trained by Nike’s Global Master Trainers.
NTC Strength aims for athletes to move more than their body weight alone, while NTC Mobility emphasizes moving well to perform your best. NTC Endurance is designed to keep the heart rate up in order to improve the ability to work out at a higher intensity for a longer period.
“For the classes here, we really put much thought on programs that have specific purposes and identified the right people to lead them so as to achieve the goals we have set for the fitness campaign,” said Mr. Reyes, who also said that they hope that through the classes they also get to build the Nike brand to include training, apart from basketball and running. The NTC classes start on March 4 and will be held every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. and every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
The classes are free of charge but participants have to register for a slot at www.nike.com/manila. Officials said each session will be limited to 25 people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Those who attend NTC classes this month will be issued an NTC Passport which will enable them to accumulate stamps to unlock exclusive Nike rewards.
