MANILA, Philippines - Working from the sidelines seems to bring out the A-game of Mon Jose, who was a three-time basketball champion at De La Salle university and briefly played for the PBA before hanging up his jersey to become a coach for different teams, including Grand Slam champion San Mig Coffee (which recently switched the team’s name back to Purefoods), where he is currently assistant coach.
“Coaching is something I really love to do,” Mon says. “Being part of the game has its fulfillment but seeing a team win or seeing someone achieve something is the best reward.”
As someone whom players look up to for motivation, coach Mon is literally fit for the job. He adheres to a strict workout regimen that includes a healthy diet and exercise that involves strengthening, toning, and cardiovascular training. He relies on a tried-and-tested set of core exercises designed to improve stability with the main focus on “functional movement” for strength, balance and flexibility. Functional movement, he explains, is the kind of exercise that targets multiple body parts rather than just specific muscles.
His cites the Precor brand of fitness equipment, which is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by The Finix Corporation, as a personal favorite when it comes to helping him get into perfect shape, especially since many Precor machines can be safely used for individual workout programs without the need for a spotter or trainer.
“My favorite Precor machine is the AMT (Adaptive Motion Trainer). With its patented Open Stride, it emulates strides from walking, cycling, elliptical motion and running. It is also low-impact since the pedals are hanging in the air. It is great for total body workout,” he continues. He uses this in tandem with the Precor cable machines that offer a range of exercise options. The resistance of cables also helps activate his minor and core muscles.
This commitment to fitness resonates among the teams he has mentored in the past as head coach, including the De La Salle Women’s Team, Centro Escolar University Men’s Basketball Team and the RP Youth Team (3 on 3 Basketball) which participated in the 1st Youth Olympic Games in 2010. As assistant coach, Mon has provided support, training and inspiration to the men’s basketball teams of recently crowned UAAP Champions National University and College of Saint Benilde as well as Hapee Toothpaste for the Philippine Basketball League and Coca-Cola Tigers at the PBA. He has been on the coaching staff of Purefoods for several years now.
On living up to the challenge of helping sustain his team’s sterling performance, coach Mon applies the same mantra that has worked for him through the years. “Get quality exercise equipment, follow a strict fitness goal and don’t skip a schedule if possible. A team’s health is its biggest asset so when it comes to training, we never settle for anything less. Team workouts are scheduled but players are welcome to do extra work on their own or with their personal trainers. In fact, the whole team is enrolled in Platinum Fitness, where they have access to premium quality machines such as Precor anytime.”
Precor is just one of the quality brands distributed locally by The Finix Corporation, an industry leader when it comes to providing the latest top-of-the-line exercise machines to a wide spectrum of the market in the last 20 years.
The Finix Corporation’s showrooms are located at 420 Francisco Legaspi St., Maybunga, Pasig City; 2nd Floor Serendra, Fort Bonifacio Global City; and 12 Adolfo C. Fick Building, Hernan Cortes St. corner S. Cabahug St., Ayala Access Rd., Mandaue City, Cebu. For more information, call 915-1698 to 99, 552-1588 and (032) 236-5473, or visit www.finixcorp.com and www.facebook.com/finixcorp.