Becoming a champion, a matter of state of mind

2022-01-10T17:51:28.049Z

Launched by former Muay Thai world champion Abdoulaye Fadiga, the “Champions Spirit” concept is a “premium” version of traditional sports halls, where everything is a matter of objective and… motivation.

A famous advertisement claimed that “

without mastery, power is nothing.

"In a way, Abdoulaye Fadiga could assert that"

without a goal, sport is nothing

»… Other than exercise. A healthy way to talk to each other, but it fluctuates according to their motivation, their desire for the moment, and their fatigue as well. Whereas with a well-established plan, anything becomes possible, achievable. He himself has also demonstrated the time when he was a high level athlete: three times world champion of muay-thai (Thai boxing) nine times champion of France, 63 victories in 69 fights… A magnificent career for a little boy who suffered from asthma. And on the strength of his diplomas in optimizing athlete performance and in biomechanics, the Parisian was not satisfied with a fine sporting record, but he also succeeded in the often delicate turn of retraining ...

I had a lot of luck because in fact, I did not really have a retraining per se

," he says. “

It's just a parallel activity that I carried out during my career and which gradually took over. So I have not known these doubts and this fear of telling myself: what am I going to do after my career?

"Thus, in 2008, he founded his concept of"

Champions Spirit

», A sports hall as much as an academy, before devoting himself to it the following year and the end of his professional career.

Initially, the idea is simple: take people who are already athletic - such as firefighters, soldiers, gendarmes - and allow them to further improve their skills in three areas: physical, combat and cardio aspect. vascular.

But very quickly, Fadiga decided to broaden its target audience to so-called amateur or leisure sportspeople.

Be careful, however, not just any, rather those who have specific objectives.

From Obelix to the king of magicians

Thus, within the academy "

Champions Spirit

", it is possible to meet an actor like Gilles Lellouche - forced to gain 30 kilos in three months to be able to don the costume of Obelix in the next Asterix directed by Guillaume Canet -, a magician like David Blaine - accustomed to improbable challenges - or even someone eager to climb Everest. Some high-level athletes also come to benefit from the quality of the infrastructures located at 14 boulevard Raspail, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. "

The result that we obtain is always more convincing on amateur and leisure sportsmen than on professional sportsmen, who already have important structures to supervise them

", specifies however Fadiga. "

We can accommodate different types of audience.
There is the one, which I will describe as traditional, who comes to the gym and who benefits from our ecosystem on his side, at his own pace.
Then there is another direction, on which I insist a lot, which consists of an individualized approach, with a goal in mind.
It is important to always know why you are training, and to achieve what results.
Training without a plan is futile and it is not worth it in my opinion.
I prefer that we agree on an objective, a period of time and the means implemented to achieve it, taking into account his work, his weight, his past in terms of physical activity, his recovery ...

For example, if you ever want to take part in an Iron man - this triathlon that includes more than or less 7 kilometers of swimming, 200 kilometers by bike and a marathon to finish - “

Champions Spirit

” can do it for you .

help after a few months or… years, depending on your athletic DNA or not. "

There are people - like David Blaine - who have a little crazy requests but we are here to try to answer them, to find solutions

", affirms the former world champion of muay-thai. "

In general, this is possible because the human body has unsuspected resources.
Often, the problem is mainly related to the time available to achieve it and the motivation of the person.
On average, our protocols are based on three months: one month of refresher training and re-athletic training, then two months of more intensive work.
But if necessary, it can go up to two years.

It is not possible to improvise champion like that, overnight.

The main advantage of this crisis was to make people aware of the value of being in good health, of not being overweight, of having a good diet and of being careful about sleep.

Abdoulaye Fadiga

Now, one of the most common goals, beyond trying to have nice Cristiano Ronaldo style chocolate bars for your sit-ups, is wanting to lose weight. Or earn some. “

Normally it shouldn't be harder to lose weight than it is to gain it

,” says Fadiga. “

But because of our lifestyles, yes it is. All the more so with all that has happened over the past two years in terms of sedentary lifestyle with confinements, closed sports halls ... Studies have shown that on average, in two years, people would have taken four kilos, which is not nothing.

"A health crisis which had at least opposite effects on his gym:"

There was both a positive impact, with a real boom when the theaters were open, but also a negative one, because in all, we still had to close a little over a year.
Let's say that this crisis had the main advantage of making people aware of the importance of being in good health, of not being overweight, of having a good diet and of paying attention to one's sleep.
And we, to respond to them, have developed our solutions at home.

While continuing to pamper its 500 customers who come to sweat in the room in optimum conditions of supervision. A “

premium

” vision

of the practice. "

We have everything on site, including a biologist who can intervene if it is necessary to take a blood

test," recalls the Parisian. “

We have a nutritionist in order to set up a food and sports protocol adapted to the person's condition, taking into account any food intolerances or possible imbalances in vitamins or minerals. We also have a specific restaurant, with adapted menus.

Above all, do not even try to uncap a Coke in this temple of the organic, the reprisals could turn out to be terrible. More seriously, with his positioning aimed first at a motivated public, Abdoulaye Fadiga has found another way to live (from) his passion: “

It's fascinating. This is the reason why today I try to reach young people as much as possible. We always question ourselves as a coach, wondering if I learned the right things, if I took into consideration his qualities and his weaknesses. There is also an educational dimension because some young people need a framework, a device which makes them grow as an athlete and also as a man. And then it

is less ungrateful than when I practiced myself , ”he concludes with a smile.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2022-01-10