The Singapore Strength Summit 2019 was a smashing success on all counts! Joan and Augustine packed a full house of high energy, totally engaged participants. We shared sports nutrition research and stories of practical application, ending with a high level Q&A session. A truly professional top notch event!
Mr. Augustine Lee is a self-professed late bloomer who only started his professional bodybuilding career in his 30s, Augustine Lee has more than made up for lost time. Now in his 60s, this legendary International champion remains at the top of his game with over 20 titles under his belt. At 58 years young, he won Gold at the 2012 LA Championship Men’s Masters in the US, beating competitors at least a decade younger. An unstoppable force, Augustine went on to compete in the Arnold Amateur Men’s Masters in the US, coming in 3rd place in 2013 and 6th in 2014.
Highly regarded in the fitness industry in Singapore and abroad, Augustine has established himself as a successful entrepreneur, a certified Asian Bodybuilding Federation coach and Special Populations personal trainer (American Fitness Professionals & Associates), as well as a speaker and competition judge.
In January 2017, Joan Liew – his long-time business and training partner – became the first Singaporean to be awarded the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro card. This prestigious honor reflects Augustine’s deepest desire – and his unique gift and legacy – to channel his invaluable wisdom and experience as a champion to creating and nurturing other champions, not just for the gym or competitive stage, but for life.
Ricco is a New Zealand trained Dietitian through the University of Otago, and completed his Sport Dietitian course with Sport Dietitians Australia. Ricco worked for the New Zealand Rugby Union as their National High Performance Nutritionist between 2007-2014, fuelling players wearing the All Black Jersey. Eight years ago Ricco stepped sideways to explore physiology and the fascinating world of sleep among elite athletes, completing his doctorate titled “Sleep for recovery and performance in collision sport athletes” with the Auckland University of Technology in 2015. Ricco’s work has been published in the European Journal of Sports Science and the journal Sports. Ricco is currently the Team Lead of Sport Nutrition at the Singapore Sport Institute, and is enjoying applying both his nutrition and sleep knowledge to our elite sporting environment here in Singapore.
Dr Suriya Prakaash graduated in 2010 from the National University of Singapore School of Medicine and obtained postgraduate qualifications in Family Medicine (Master of Medicine in Family Medicine) in 2016. He joined SSMC@CGH in 2019 and is currently a Registrar.
Dr Suriya has provided medical support at events such as National Day Parade and was the Deputy Medical Director at the Army Half Marathon 2018.
Dr Suriya is an avid football fan who plays the game recreationally. He is also a distance runner who has represented Singapore Schools at the ASEAN Track and Field Championships and was a former 3000m ‘B’ division record holder at the National School Games. He continues to run 60-70km a week while juggling work and family, and is a firm believer in incorporating regular S&C sessions to minimize injuries as well as to aid running performance.
Serene Lee is a PhD candidate at Murdoch University, studying the effects of hormonal fluctuations on exercise performance in female endurance athletes (OC users and normal menstruating females).
She is a competitive road cyclist, dabbling in gravel riding & aspiring to be a fastest known cyclo-tourist. Once upon a time national road race champion in Singapore, still representing Singapore internationally but mainly competes in the Australian National Road Series.
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, CSPS, FNSCA, is a full professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, where he serves as the graduate director of the Human Performance and Fitness program.
Dr. Schoenfeld has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers on various exercise- and sports nutrition-related topics, and authored the seminal textbook, “Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy.” His research has been cited in over 10,000 peer-reviewed papers and he is currently ranked as the world’s top researcher on the topic of resistance training by ExpertScape, an independent site that grades researchers based on their scholarly activity. He was the recipient of the 2016 Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award, presented by the United States Sports Academy for outstanding achievement in fitness and contributions to the growth and development of sport fitness through outstanding leadership activity, as well as earning the 2018 National Strength and Conditioning Association Young Investigator of the Year Award. In addition to his academic efforts, he previously served as the Sports Nutritionist for the New Jersey Devils hockey organization.
Cheryl has been working with national athletes from a wide spectrum of sports, including water polo, silat and canoe, since 2012.
She graduated with a Bachelors of Nutrition and Dietetics from Flinders University in South Australia, and a Masters in Science (Research) from the National Institute of Education, Singapore. She has published in the Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise and the Journal of High Performance Sport on weight loss methods in Singapore silat exponents and Japanese wrestlers.
Fuelled by her love for food and cooking, Cheryl has a special interest in the behavioural aspects of nutrition in athletes and is an advocate for mindfulness and intuitive eating.
Dr. Kalman is a Co-founder of The International Society of Sports Nutrition, a Co-editor of the JISSN, a researcher and educator. He is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching Sports Nutrition and Sports Supplements in the Exercise Sciences Department at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. He has been involved in many clinical trials and projects within the pharmaceutical, medical and exercise – nutrition related fields. He has published over 75 abstracts and more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Dr. Kalman has worked with Olympic Athlete’s for Winter and Summer sports. He has also worked with professional athletes in MLB, NFL and NBA. Dr. Kalman trains athletes in combat and collegiate sports and teams. He is also training Nike’s Elite Distance Racing Team, Nike Oregon Project.
Dr. Kalman has edited four academic textbooks, contributed to more than five academic textbooks as well as two “popular press” books. He has been interviewed on various media outlets such as NBC, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, CNN, Discovery Channel plus others along with a host of radio shows.
Asia’s Fastest Man, Canagasabai Kunalan, is widely regarded as one of Singapore’s greatest athletes. He still holds the National record for the 100m dash after 33 years. Along with his achievements, he also represented Singapore at the 1968 Olympic Games and was named Sportsman of the Year in 1968 and 1969.
He has since received many awards such as the “Sport and Promotion of Olympism” Award in 2007. In August 2015, Kunalan received another National Day Award: The Meritorious Service Medal.
As much as Kunalan was a great athlete, he brought the same excellence in his teaching career. In NIE/NTU he was twice named Teacher of the Year and in 2007 he received 2 NTU Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Excellence in Service. He retired from NIE/NTU in June 2010 after being an educator for more than 20 years.
Ricco is a New Zealand trained Dietitian through the University of Otago, and completed his Sport Dietitian course with Sport Dietitians Australia. Ricco worked for the New Zealand Rugby Union as their National High Performance Nutritionist between 2007-2014, fuelling players wearing the All Black Jersey. Eight years ago Ricco stepped sideways to explore physiology and the fascinating world of sleep among elite athletes, completing his doctorate titled “Sleep for recovery and performance in collision sport athletes” with the Auckland University of Technology in 2015. Ricco’s work has been published in the European Journal of Sports Science and the journal Sports. Ricco is currently the Team Lead of Sport Nutrition at the Singapore Sport Institute, and is enjoying applying both his nutrition and sleep knowledge to our elite sporting environment here in Singapore.
Danny is the Team Lead for Strength and Conditioning at the Singapore Sports Institute and has been working with our national athletes since 2014. Teams that he has worked with over the pass 6 years include athletics, bowling, cycling, diving, grappling sports, kayaking, softball, swimming, table tennis and water skiing. Apart from conducting strength and conditioning training for the athletes, Danny is also involved in conducting research studies related to strength and conditioning. He has currently published more than 10 articles in international peer reviewed sports science journals and presented in multiple international sports science conferences. During his course of work, he realised the benefits of performing maximal isometric strength training for improving the athletes’ muscular strength. This made him decided to acquire in depth knowledge on this mode of strength training. He is now completing his PhD studies at Nanyang Technological University, researching on the effects of isometric strength training on sports performance.
Gobi brings more than 30 years of experience in organizations spanning the education, military, sports and corporate sector and his appointments over the years include Head, Conditioning Research Branch and Human Performance Branch at the Singapore Armed Forces; Officer Commanding, School of Physical Training, Singapore Armed Forces; Assistant Director, Sports Science Academy, Singapore Sports School. In addition, he is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Singapore Management University and the National Institute of Education, NTU.
In the area of coaching, he was a qualified hockey coach and had coach for 20 years and is in the panel of lecturers for the national coaching courses in Singapore.
Presently, he serves as the Director-General, South East Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization, as well as, a consultant to a private company, Health Fitness Consultants LLP through which various courses are conducted including the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) course.
