Although our knowledge in fitness and health has advanced, Malaysians still have misconceptions about strength training. That is one of the many observations of Eddie Shahrizad, who has cultivated a passion for fitness since his university days.
A real estate negotiator by trade, Eddie is also a certified Master Functional Trainer from the Functional Training Institute in Australia and a Certified Strength an Conditioning Specialist from The National Strength and Conditioning Association in the US.
“Most people work out to lose weight, but that is the wrong idea. You work out to build strength, you control your nutrition to lose weight. But the two work hand-in-hand for a healthy lifestyle,” explained Eddie.
He gave an example of sumo wrestlers and bodybuilders.
“A sumo wrestler can be big and yet strong and healthy. While a bodybuilder can be just as strong and healthy, but lean.
“Building strength comes from working out. What you put in your body and how much you burn off determines your weight and size,” said Eddie, who was once active in the strongman competition circuit.
He gave the analogy of an automobile. A car with a strong structure but a weak engine is just as bad and dangerous as a car with a powerful engine but has a weak structure. There needs to be a balance.
Eddie also conducts strength training classes. Fitness was his profession until 2018 when he realised that depending on that alone was not feasible. Going to the gym and training is still seen as a luxury, and 2020 showed that the fitness business was also affected by the pandemic.
Health and sports are one of the most heavily affected activities during the pandemic. It was one of the first sectors ordered to close and one of the last to be allowed to reopen.
Nevertheless, Eddie and other trainers still hold classes online.
“Strength training is especially beneficial for women. Most women think that training would bulk them up, but that is not true. It builds stronger muscles and bones, which alleviates common women health issues such as osteoporosis,” added Eddie.
It does not need to be expensive either. One of the classes that he teaches forgoes the need for equipment and weights. Instead, he uses duffle bags and rice. The amount of rice determines the weight and intensity of the training, and Eddie jested that they can cook the rice after they are done.
“The key is to know what you are doing. That is where the role of a trainer comes in.”
Despite fitness having to take a back seat to business, Eddie never gave up on it. In 2019, he stepped into the world of pro wrestling as Eddie Powers.
He had an advantage. While studying, he took up Silat and Taekwondo. His experience in training for and participating in strongman competitions gave him the strength to take on any competition. But Eddie admitted it was not as easy as he thought.
The physical aspect needed to become a pro wrestler still proved a challenge for Eddie. However, more than that, it was the mental and performance part of the sport that challenged him the most.
“I was a fan of pro wrestlers like The British Bulldog (Davey Boy Smith) and The Ultimate Warrior (James Brian Hellwig). They were big and muscular but they were fast and had a wide move set, unlike most. Today, perhaps the only pro wrestler that has that same speed and power combination is Brock Lesnar.”
In the local scene, Eddie credits Ayez Shaukat Fonseka Farid for giving him a chance, and training him in pro wrestling. He is also grateful to Goutham, who is also a wrestler, for his friendship and advice.
Late last year, Eddie became one of the talents featured in the first season of APAC Wrestling, a new regional pro wrestling promotion. Currently, he is taking a season break to train and improve his pro wrestling performance. He will also appear as one of the bad guys in the upcoming movie, Gila Gusti (Wrestle Crazy).
“I’ve always liked to play and trained as the heel (the bad guy) in pro wrestling. But when I debuted, I was a good guy and that was a challenge I needed to work on,” said Eddie.
