By Aran Dharmeratnam

The new year is here and many of you will look to sharpen up, lean up and step up.

Before you head to the gym or park, I’d like to share some training insights, based on over 35 years training in the martial arts and combative systems, along with my work in the private security field.

My focus is on functional training, designed to develop a range of physical and mental attributes. Protective fitness should be conducive to longevity and have real-world applications.

Rather than training for a specific sport, event or single goal, my focus is on a fitness regimen that enhances daily life and provides a vital edge in my professional work.

A Versatile Approach

Today, people lead busy lives and are often time-restricted. However, you can still train in such a way that you reach your fitness goals and gain capabilities that help you in day-to-day living or unexpected survival situations. The key is to make your training holistic and versatile.

In the UK, the threat environment has changed. Aggression can be unleashed suddenly. My training system, Tri-Tier, places a key focus on personal safety, but this goes hand in hand with fitness. By building a strong physical foundation, you gain agility and endurance that can be useful when you need to avoid, navigate or exit high-risk situations.

When you’re in tune with your body, you will have better awareness to detect trouble in advance. When you have good movement skills, you will have the physical and mental agility to evade hostile individuals. When energy levels are high, you will be more alert.

When you’ve built decent levels of stamina through aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, along with speed, you will be more effective at escaping from a threat.

In contrast, someone who looks lethargic, distracted and less confident may prove to be a more inviting target to certain criminals. In Tri-Tier, we begin with three levels: stillness, resilience and tactics.

Stillness training focuses on mind-body practices, but there are also movements to help people relax and let go of tension. A relaxed body is often less likely to get injured and can move in more subtle ways. A relaxed body can move with agility and grace. It’s harder to break.

The resilience tier contains specific exercises to handle fear, impact or unexpected situations, but physical fitness still plays a useful role as part of the tempering process.

Our physical training is aimed at building real-time resilience. Strong ligaments and tendons, joint mobility and efficient body mechanics help a........

© LBC