Fitness
Fitness Training
Beyond Motivation: How Champion Athletes Stay Consistent When It Counts
Singapore’s elite athletes share their secrets to staying at the top of their game
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According to world-class athletes like record-breaking hurdler Kerstin Ong, national triathlete Luke Chua, and surfing champion and head coach at TRIFECTA Gilbert Yeh, a winning performance begins with consistency.
Community as the Ultimate Consistency Hack
Kyra Poh
© Michael Clark / Red Bull Content Pool
Being consistent involves more than just willpower. It’s community spirit that fuels motivation, keeping you showing up and helping you thrive. Whether it’s a cycling group, your local swim team, or a running crew, community makes working out feel less like a chore.
Indoor skydiving champion and Red Bull athlete Kyra Poh attests to this. "The people and community in this sport are amazing—the passion we all share keeps you going beyond just motivation. The community here just has this energy where everyone genuinely wants to see each other win," said the skydiving star.
The community here just has this energy where everyone genuinely wants to see each other win.
Jain Kim
© Jon Ho / Red Bull Content Pool
Another Red Bull athlete and climbing world champion Jain Kim adds that, “In Korea, there's a saying that 'a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.' The key is to not see exercise as something grand or overwhelming—approach it as an enjoyable part of your daily life. When you take that mindset, it becomes much easier to stay consistent and make it a long-term habit, even when motivation runs low," adds the climbing world champion.”
The key is to not see exercise as something grand or overwhelming—approach it as an enjoyable part of your daily life.
Red Bull brings Singapore’s fitness community together with the Jumpstart Your Routine challenge. More than helping people adopt healthier habits, the challenge highlights how important a community is to achieving greatness.
To help you jumpstart your own winning routine, check out how Singapore’s premiere athletes work to maintain their peak condition:
Kerstin Ong’s Precision Primer
For a hurdler like Kerstin Ong, speed may be the end goal, but consistency is the fuel. She knows that a winning performance is not about waiting for the “perfect” day; it’s about showing up and moving consistently. To do that, it’s important that she starts her day right.. “Step one is always my caffeine boost,” says Kerstin. “I grab a Red Bull from my fridge and drink it on the way to training.”
Once she gets to the stadium, she’s all fired up and ready to go. Kerstin starts with a core workout, then she proceeds to work on her mobility and activation followed by some drills. Afterwards, she starts getting into her actual runs.
Even on days when her motivation is running low, Kerstin makes sure to still move by doing her warm-ups. “Once I’m moving, the momentum usually follows,” claims the hurdling athlete. To Kerstin, consistency is more important than perfection.
Some days, it’s their energy that lifts you up. Other days, you’re the one motivating them.
She also finds community to play a crucial role in her training. “When you’re surrounded by people who are also working hard towards their own goals, it pushes you to show up even on days you feel tired or unmotivated,” shares Kerstin. “Some days, it’s their energy that lifts you up. Other days, you’re the one motivating them. That support system makes the journey feel less lonely and a lot more sustainable.”.
Luke Chua’s Endurance Builder
Luke Chua
© Jovan Choo
As a triathlete, Luke Chua understands a winning performance is not built overnight. For Luke, developing longevity and stamina requires the patience of showing up. “Sometimes resilience isn’t built by going hard,” he explains. “It’s built from showing up and doing the work, even when it feels ordinary.”
Even when time is tight, Luke finds a way to fit in a quick session. “If I only had 30 minutes, I’d choose either a swim or a run. Both are simple, effective, and accessible ways to build aerobic capacity quickly.” While others may find a 30-minute run to be basic, Luke argues, “Consistency at an easy pace develops a strong aerobic engine and mental resilience.” Besides the physical benefits, Luke also claims, “It teaches you to stay patient, stay relaxed, and stay disciplined, which is what endurance sport is all about.”
Sometimes resilience isn’t built by going hard...
Like most people, Luke also has days when his body seems to resist working out. On such days, Luke finds it helpful to acknowledge that it’s okay to be unmotivated. “First, I remind myself that it’s normal,” says Luke. But no matter how slow of a day it is, the triathlete continues to move. “My goals are bigger than my mood in the moment. On tough days, I focus less on how I feel and more on the process.” He emphasizes, “Discipline carries you on the days motivation doesn’t.”
Equally important to his training are Luke’s rest days. “Without proper recovery, you can’t absorb the work you’ve done, and without absorption, there’s no improvement,” he points out. Luke credits sleep as the most effective way to recover. “It’s when your body repairs, adapts, and gets stronger.“
Gilbert Yeh’s Urban Flow State
Gilbert Yeh
© Edison Tan
Asia-ranked rapid surfer and head coach at TRIFECTA Gilbert Yeh knows better than anyone that surfing while living in a city like Singapore is an exercise in imagination and relentless consistency. While a citywave machine is the closest thing in Singapore to natural surfing, Gilbert claims this shouldn’t hinder one’s development in surfing. “Rapid and ocean surfing are two different sports, but they are somehow linked. So, whenever you’re standing on a surfboard, I would say you are definitely learning something.”
According to Gilbert, consistency is crucial in getting better. Being the head coach at TRIFECTA, Gilbert claims he gets the privilege of getting into water more often, switching stances for the duration of a lesson or demonstrating a technique for students. Doing this regularly helped him develop his balance and basic technique. “For coaching beginners, I focus on basic technique. Only when they have that down will the other techniques follow.”
No matter how tired I am, I always tell myself that I have to be better than yesterday.
Gilbert’s suggestion for budding surfers is to work on their balance, flexibility, and power. Surfing athlete Aniq Kailani echoes this, sharing his own routine which involves, “Basically any explosive exercise such as burpees and shuttle run or even HIIT.” Since surfing requires a lot of explosive movements, Aniq says that this routine helps prepare his body before he hits the water.
When his energy is low, Gilbert says that mindset pushes him forward. “No matter how tired I am, I always tell myself that I have to be better than yesterday. The will and thirst for improvement will fuel itself.“ Aniq shares the same sentiment, saying “If I want to be the best version of myself, I need to stay hungry and fight for the top spot.”
For Gilbert, helping to grow Singapore’s community of rapid wave surfers keeps him motivated. “I could be training and competing overseas, but the pleasure and satisfaction of watching the local surfers grow is priceless. For some, this may even kickstart a healthy lifestyle.” He adds, “I am working towards unleashing potential from everyone. Whether they decide to go competitive or not, I will still carry on.”
Aniq adds that having support from the community at TRIFECTA, including coaches like Gilbert, pushes him to get better. “It makes me want to improve on myself and work on new tricks or learn how to do tricks in a different way.”
Jumpstart Your Routine Today
Ready to show up and be part of a collective movement? Join Red Bull’s Jumpstart Your Routine Challenge. Log 15 days of qualified movement, each lasting at least 15 minutes, on Strava for a chance to experience one of three Red Bull active-lifestyle prize experiences in Europe: HYROX Stockholm, Red Bull Wings for Life World Run in Vienna, or the Red Bull BORA-hansgrohe meet and greet in France.
The challenge runs from February 11 to March 10, 2026.
Participants who complete the challenge have until March 22 to redeem their rewards. Visit the challenge page on Strava and complete all steps, including a video showing how you jumpstart your routine.
Interested in being part of our active community? Join Red Bull Singapore's Strava Club.
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