Great Eastern and BLKJ set a record with Singapore’s first ever all-women IPPT
Close to 600 women turned up at the Singapore Sports Hub on 24 August to take part in Singapore’s first ever nationwide all-women Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), created by Great Eastern in partnership with BLKJ.
Together, they set the record for the ‘First-ever Women’s Mass IPPT’, entering the Singapore Book of Records for the feat.
Comprising of the same three stations as the men’s IPPT – sit ups, push ups and 2.4km run, the Great Eastern Women’s IPPT was designed to help women understand their fitness levels and take proactive steps to plan ahead for their long-term physical health.
“With this new initiative, we have once again upped the ante to provide ladies an additional opportunity to better understand their body in their fitness journey. It is also very exciting for us to continuously witness how this community of women from all walks of life and fitness levels grow stronger – running, training and living better, ”said Keith Chia, Head, Group Brand and Marketing, Great Eastern.
Since 2005, Great Eastern has been empowering women to live great through running with the Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR). This year, BLKJ helped conceptualise the 1st Singapore All Women’s IPPT to raise the bar in the lead up to GEWR.
“There’s an expectation placed on Singaporean men to stay fit because of National Service. Every year, men spend months exercising and training to pass their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT). But when we thought about it, we realised there’s nothing similar that allows women to gauge their fitness level and motivates them to keep fit. It’s why we feel the Great Eastern Women’s IPPT is so important,” said Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO and Co-Founder, BLKJ.
Vanessa Tan, 24, the second runner-up of 2015 Miss Singapore beauty pageant and participant of the GE Women’s IPPT commented, “It is amazing to be part of the first women-only IPPT today. I was overweight and in the TAF club during my school days, so I used to hate the physical fitness tests in school. They tend to be the beginning of the bullying for those don’t do well as we get laughed at. The GE Women’s IPPT is different as all the ladies were cheering each other on and we were just motivated to do it together.”
Cheering on the participants at the IPPT were three of Singapore’s leading fitness trainers, Rockstar Fit founder Natalie Dau, Nike Master Trainer Wany Misban and Shape Fit Girl Roxanne Gan. They have also been commissioned to curate a series of exercises aimed at strengthening the female body and helping women train for both the test and the GEWR. Dau focuses on full-body weighted exercises, Misban highlights the importance and benefits of a strong core, and Gan touches on the importance of mobility exercises.