MMA fighter. SEA Games Karate medallist. Actor. Under Armour athlete. These are just some of the many hats that 29 year old Theebaan Govindasamy wears – and switches between – on a day to day basis.
We caught up with the man ahead of the recent Under Armour Rush launch to find out how you can be a better man today. Steal his tips below:
01 Learn to prioritise…and take breaks
“I have an extensive schedule on my phone that covers what I do from minute to minute. But if I have a free hour in my day, I might nap for 30 minutes, then get up and continue with whatever I’m meant to do. Of course, I have lazy days too, where I rest and recharge. Everybody needs to find that balance. You can’t keep going all out 365 days a year and push your way through – you’ll crash if you’re not careful!”
02 Tap into your 1% power reserve
“I got a lot of questions about the new Under Armour Rush collection. I have to tell you this from the get-go – it’s not a miracle worker. If you want to tap into your final 1% that’ll determine whether your fail or succeed, you have to first do your homework.
It means making sure that your training programme, recovery, nutrition and everything else is on point. That 1% power reserve will kick in at the very end when you’re truly tested and feel like you can’t push yourself anymore.
“I’d recently tried out the new Under Armour Rush collection and ended up working out 4 days in a row. I didn’t notice much difference on the first and second day, but I was really tired on day 4 when I went to workout after a long week of shoots and work. I got to the gym and thought I’d wrap up my workout in 45 minutes. But instead, I ended up training for an hour and a half!
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘Why am I not tired yet?’ It occurred to me then that it was the new Under Armour Rush gear which was helping me recover a bit faster and continue training. That’s what the 1% is really all about. If you do your groundwork, this gear will help you when you need it the most.”
03 Train your mind
“For me, the mind is not a muscle, but the most powerful tool I have. Sometimes, when I feel like quitting, I just ask myself, ‘What the hell are you doing? Just keep going – it’s just a little bit more.’ You always have to remind yourself it’s just a bit more to go – that’s a trick which always helps me.”
04 Stick to an achievable plan
“If you want to get into shape or be fitter, my first advice is to take it easy and to take it slow. Take your time, experiment with new things and hire a coach if you need one. But don’t rely 100% on your coach. You wanna learn as much as you can from him, but at the end of the day, you know your body better than everyone else. Don’t set crazy goals for yourself and try to achieve them in just one month – think about where you want to be in six months instead. Remember, fitness is really a lifestyle and you want it to be a lifelong one.”