Shaping up with the stars

With gold medals no longer the main focus, China's sports governing body is focusing on improving public health by upgrading a national fitness guide with star power.

From Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long's hitting routine to world champion swimmer Fu Yuanhui's poolside stretches and speed skater Wu Dajing's pre-race warm-up, fitness enthusiasts can now have a sneak peek into the everyday routines of China's top athletes after a full set of video clips recording their entry-level exercises was released on Tuesday as part of the new national fitness guide.

The guide - an upgrade on the one issued last August - includes 127 fitness training routines for different sports, customized for ordinary exercisers with moderate intensity and difficulty.

Affiliated video footage showcases the routines of 10 champion athletes.

Compiled by the General Administration of Sport of China and Beijing Sport University, the guide also explains the health benefits of different exercises and provides age-specific self-evaluating criteria - considering strength, agility and endurance - to help exercisers gauge their fitness level before hitting the gym to work out.

The China Institute of Sport Science provided scientific support for the guide, based on its research on mass fitness over the past 15 years.

For each of the recommended routines, the guide offers respective training regimes with frequency, duration and intensity varying to fit the physical and mental conditions of different age groups.

"The video demonstrations by the star athletes is really the highlight of the upgraded guide" said Guo Xiaoyong, chief editor of the BSU press, at Tuesday's launch ceremony.

"Referencing the fundamental drills done every day by these elite stars will help motivate amateur exercisers and promote fitness as a lifestyle among the public."

Fu Yuanhui, a popular female swimmer who won the 50-meter backstroke at the 2015 FINA World Championships, urges amateur exercisers to focus more on the basics rather than pushing hard in their workouts.

"For ordinary exercisers, it's even more important to make sure they stretch their muscles before making hard strokes in the water," said the 22-year-old.

"Neglecting warm-ups will make them vulnerable to injuries."

Release of the guide is part of the celebration of the upcoming 10th National Fitness Day, which falls on Aug 8 every year since its inception in 2009 to mark the opening day of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

All public sports facilities and State-run training venues will be open for free or charge low fees on that day.

Since winning 51 golds to top the medal tally at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China is shifting its sporting focus from just winning world titles to boosting the domestic sports industry and improving mass fitness.

The sharp increase in the number of marathons held in China - from about 50 in 2014 to 1,100 last year - underlines the surging public demand for accessible fitness activities.

But the lack of proper guidance is taking a toll on the effort.

"The lack of awareness that this is a science, not just a habit, is causing some serious harm now and then," said Tian Ye, a sports physiology professor at Beijing Sport University and head of the group that compiled the guide.

According to the latest national exercise survey - based on data from 81,828 people age 20 or older and released by the CISS at the end of 2015 - about 47 percent of respondents exercised without any guidance, while 32 percent were guided by nonprofessional friends and colleagues.

"Self-evaluation is extremely important. You can only exercise in a proper and safe way that matches your needs if you understand where you are and where you want to go," said Yuan Hong, deputy director of the sport science institute.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn