SWEATING IT OUT, Side by Side

These days, it seems you can’t visit any park without seeing a bootcamp in session. With outdoor group fitness as popular as ever, it’s become more than just a onceweekly, one- hour calorie buster for many of us expats – it’s a social membership to a community of likeminded individuals looking to keep fit and progress together. And, this is exactly what drew VANESSA BIRCH and AMANDA CLEMENT together to start Momentum Bootcamps. Catering to everyone from pre- and post- natal clients to working professionals, fi tness fanatics and first-timers, Momentum offers a signature bootcamp plus a plethora of other outdoor class offerings including Abs, Butt & Thighs, HIIT, Box HIIT, Runclub and Runcamp. Here, we speak to the Sydney- born business partners about their passion for outdoor group fitness.

Have your careers always been in fitness?

V: I spent a decade in marketing and events, with varying roles in State Government and the non-profit sector. I dreamed of being in the fitness industry but it wasn’t until I arrived in Singapore in 2012 that I decided to take the leap of faith and qualify as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor in 2013.

A: I spent 14 years in the hearing healthcare industry. Audiology allowed me to help people live a better quality of life with the hearing abilities they had. As you can imagine, this was extremely rewarding. However, after having children I decided that I was ready to pursue my passion for fitness. Living in Singapore offered me a work and lifestyle balance with all the benefits of still being able to empower and transform people through fitness and health.

What led you two to launch Momentum Bootcamps together?

V: I really wanted to create and be a part of an all-inclusive fitness community. I loved being outdoors and staying active, and decided that if I was going to be a working mum, I wanted to build my own business and drive this passion and vision. Momentum took off much faster than I ever anticipated and, after the first month, I approached Amanda, a girlfriend who was just as passionate about fitness and wellness as I was, to become my business partner.

A: While pregnant with my second child, I made the decision to give up my career in the healthcare industry and follow my true passion in life – outdoor group exercise.

I already knew Ness well, and jumped at the opportunity to build a tight-knit fitness community together.

We felt there was a gap in the market to offer a more boutique bootcamp experience – so clients felt they were always looked after, and to also specialise in strength training. We have evolved so much over the past two-and-a-half years and we now have a solid running community, corporate training programme and our Body By Momentum 4-Week Challenge.

What sets Momentum apart from other bootcamps?

V: Momentum caps the numbers of every session to 16 clients, so that our trainers know everyone by name, and understand their strengths and weaknesses so they can challenge each client to be their very best. This is definitely our point of difference. While other bootcamps often cater to the masses, we wanted to make sure we had a personalised connection with our clients, and this has certainly been the catalyst to creating the tight-knit, loyal community we have today.

A: Our trainers are highly qualified and they always create fun and engaging workouts that get results. We provide modifications, progressions and regressions to cater to varied fitness levels, injuries or pre- and post-natal clients that need extra care. We have a genuine concern for every client and love seeing them grow in confidence and capacity, week-to-week.

What do you love most about what you do?

V: Our genuinely warm and welcoming (and super hardworking!) fitness community. We have the privilege of training great folks every single week, from all backgrounds and walks of life.

I’ve recently launched Momentum in Saigon and I’m already feeling the buzz and energy from the community there – it’s a fantastic way to make life-long friends, while improving your fitness levels and challenging yourself.