In a series entitled “Get to know your Coach”, we present to you the various members of the Quad Squad. You might have seen them on our different social media video clips, heard them speak on our podcast; now you learn a little bit more about what makes them tick.
The next coach to come out from behind the curtain is Coach Jobi. She started out as a trainee, then a Quad Mum, and finally made the switch to Coach. Hugely popular among the trainees at the Velachery Centre, you will find her coaching at our Nungambakkam centre too.
Introduce yourself in a few lines, Jobi.
I joined Quad as a student in the year 2016 without any knowledge of strength training. Nor had I heard of or even seen kettlebells before. It was a gamechanger! Strength training made me better as an individual both physically and mentally. I have a doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University and I was working as an Assistant Professor at Loyola ICAM college of Engineering and Technology. I love teaching students but I was not able to relate what I teach students to real time.
What made you get into fitness, in general and coaching in particular?
Being a student at the Quad, I experienced how strength training made me a better person. I was inspired by my passionate coaches making changes in the lives of many people. I wanted to be one of them, helping people to fall in love with fitness and giving back the same positivity that I experienced as a student.
What is your favourite part of being a coach at The Quad?
Meeting my students everyday, being able to make them better and stronger than yesterday!
Who are your favourite fitness gurus? Who do you follow?
My Coaches at the Quad are always my first fitness gurus. Apart from them I follow, Coach Dan John and love and follow the articles from Strong First
What is your coaching style?
While my coaching style is still evolving, I would describe my M.O as:
1. Explaining the students why we do what we do, giving them context.
2. Relate what we do with real time examples rather than just coaching.
(No wonder she’s such a hit amongst our newbies, especially!)
Tell us more about your role at The Quad, beyond coaching.
I manage our Velachery centre at Tiki Taka. I am aslo a “Success Manager”, which means I interact with our trainees after their sessions to find out how the Quad can better help them, if they need any extra help with their mobility or other issues.
I am also a certified Prenatal and Post natal Coach, so I work with expecting and new mums. Apart from that, I am the Presiding Officer for POSH Internal Committee at the Quad and a part of Team Enthooze :)
For anyone interested in becoming a fitness coach themselves, what advice would you give?
If you are passionate about working with people and changing their lives, then this is the right profession to be in. Learn from every opportunities you get to make your student life better.
What do you do in your downtime?
I try to find a quiet place and think. This helps to clear my thoughts. I also love to go for walks, listening to music and podcasts.
I also love to travel and try to do that during our quarterly Quad breaks.
