How to train for the body you have now

Somewhere in your 30s and 40s, you may come to the same quiet realisation: the routine that used to work no longer feels right.

Your sleep is different. Your recovery is different. The body that once forgave a hard week now files a complaint.

It can happen after a baby, during fertility treatment, through menopause, or simply as you move from one decade and the next.

When your body moves into a new chapter, your training plan may need to move with it.

“Most fitness in Singapore still trains women like smaller men. Almost no one builds around how a woman’s body actually works,” says Dr Michelle Chia, medical director and founder of Ezra Clinic. “In Singapore, I haven’t found another team that trains women this way.”

The fitness industry’s usual answer is volume: push harder, eat less, upgrade the package.

Apex Training and Performance, a women-only private health practice in Singapore, was built on the opposite idea: training should be written for the body you actually have today, not the one a template assumes. Specialists work with clients one-to-one, in their own homes, bringing customised equipment for each session.

One of the most important questions Apex asks before you begin is: what is your body going through right now?

The chapter you are in

At Apex, programmes are shaped around your current needs and circumstances.

“If you are returning to exercise after childbirth, for example, you may need a programme that helps you gradually rebuild strength and confidence at a pace that feels manageable,” says Christel Fung, fat loss and pre/postpartum exercise specialist at Apex.

If you are going through fertility treatment, your training can take that into account. If you’re managing PCOS, your needs may be different from someone going through perimenopause – and both are trained accordingly.

Even the rhythm of your menstrual cycle can be considered when planning your training, rather than treated as something separate from it.

Clients are advised to share recent blood test results with the team. However, Apex says its specialists do not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatment or interpret results clinically. Medical questions are referred to the client’s doctor.

That distinction is important. Most training treats a woman’s biology as a complication. Apex treats it as the brief.

“The specialist’s role is to use relevant information to guide the exercise programme, while leaving medical decisions to qualified healthcare professionals,” says Barry Chew, training manager at Apex.

The standard behind the session

“Before training begins, each client goes through a trial session and an assessment covering health history, current concerns and movement,” says Nicholas Peck, CEO of Apex.

“Sessions are documented, and progress is reviewed over time, giving both the client and specialist a clearer picture of what is working and where adjustments may be needed,” he adds.

The specialists themselves are held to the same standard. Apex doesn’t lend its name to freelancers with personal followings. Its specialists are selected, then trained internally in women’s health, before they set foot in a client’s home.

It’s the kind of rigour that appeals to someone accustomed to evaluating health professionally.

Dr Chia, trains with Apex herself says: “As a doctor, I notice things. How a session actually runs. Whether what’s said matches what’s done,” she says. “That’s how I treat my own patients – not one plan for everyone, because no two women are the same.”

Strength beyond health

The industry’s usual offer to women has long been reduced – be smaller, lighter, less of yourself.

Apex encourages clients to look beyond weight and appearance alone. Its programmes also focus on areas such as strength, posture, energy and recovery, with visible change seen as one possible sign of progress rather than the sole reason for showing up.

Mother-of-two Kristine How, who’s been a client since January 2026, says: “Besides the fat loss, the progress that mattered to me most was what I experienced in everyday life: carrying groceries with greater ease, carrying my baby without back pain and sleeping better,”

Dr Alexandra Lim, a PhD-qualified scientist specialising in women’s gut health and an Apex client, turned to the practice for more structure in her training. Although she already paid close attention to nutrition, she wanted a fitness programme that would help her build strength more consistently.

“Certain gut bacteria can influence inflammation, nutrient absorption, energy levels and even muscle recovery, while strength training itself can support a healthier, more diverse gut microbiome,” she explains. “It works both ways.”

Working with Apex gave her the structure to pursue that goal, while allowing her training to evolve with her progress.

“I reached a point where I didn’t just want to feel healthy. I wanted to feel strong,” she says. “I was building a body that could perform better, recover better, and actually feel strong, regulated and resilient.”

In your space, on your terms

There are things you might find easier to talk about at home than across a busy gym floor.

Perhaps your sleep has been poor. Your cycle has changed. You’re tired in a way coffee doesn’t fix, or something going on in your life is affecting how you feel that week.

Apex’s in-home, women-only format gives you the privacy to have those conversations while you train. There is no crowded gym or need to work around other people – just a specialist working with you in your own space.

Specialist Christel says: “When we meet our clients at home, this allows us to better understand the circumstances affecting their training. For a specialist, having a fuller picture of their sleep, energy, and routine can help us adjust each session more accurately.”

If your specialist knows how you have actually slept, eaten and felt that week, the session can be adjusted accordingly rather than following the same plan regardless of how you arrive.

Caryn Lim, chief operating officer of UroHealth Medical Clinic, is raising three boys while helping run more than one business. She knows all too well the challenges of fitting regular exercise into her busy calendar, but finds that working out with her Apex specialist has helped make it sustainable.

“Consistency doesn’t always look perfect,” she says. “Yet I’ve never felt judged or pressured. I’ve always felt heard, respected and supported. They meet me where I am, and help me keep moving forward.”

The programmes, she adds, are built “not on unrealistic expectations, but on what’s actually sustainable”. “Fitness isn’t about following the perfect plan. It’s about finding one that fits your life.”

None of this is loud, and that’s deliberate

At Apex, the focus is on consistency: keeping track of your progress, understanding the boundaries of each specialist’s role and shaping the programme around what you need at that point in your life.

It is an approach that may feel familiar if you are used to making thoughtful decisions about your work, your family and your well-being. Your body will keep changing. The idea is that your training can change with it, without compromising on the standard of support you receive.

Learn more about Apex Training and Performance at www.apextrainingandperformance.com and @apextrainingandperformance.