Ex-Manhunt S'pore winner shining on social media and regionally
Ever since winning Manhunt Singapore 2012, Mr Jason Chee has been beefing up his portfolio.
The 29-year-old freelance personal trainer is setting his sights beyond our shores, eyeing regional competitions like the professional bodybuilding event Arnold Classic Asia in Hong Kong in August.
Through preparation for the competition and casual workouts, Mr Chee developed a more disciplined gym routine.
He told The New Paper: "When I was younger, I just piled on weights as heavy as possible, now I also try to focus on posture, technique and form."
It is not just his physique he has been building.
Mr Chee, who has been in the fitness industry for seven years, said the online presence he has cultivated is still growing.
His Instagram account currently boasts 41,000 followers, and his Facebook fan page has over 300,000 followers.
His efforts have paid off - he won the Trendsetter Award - Social Media Influencer of the Year at last week's inaugural Fitness Best Asia Awards.
The first of its kind in the region, the awards ceremony sought to recognise those contributing to the fitness field.
Mr Chee was one of the three representing Singapore out of 12 nominees.
The other two were motoring journalist Cheryl Tay and yoga practitioner Sandra Riley Tang, a member of local music group The Sam Willows.
Mr Chee, who is 1.81m tall and weighs 92kg, said: "I thought Jordan Yeoh from Malaysia was a strong competitor. I have watched some of his fitness videos, and he has so many more followers on Instagram than me, so this was really unexpected."
Mr Chee wants to continue keeping it real on social media.
"I have an image to uphold, but I do not fake it, say things I do not mean, promote things I would not use or take videos of exercises I do not do," he said.
Fans are appreciative of his down-to-earth approach.
In 2015, Mr Chee inspired a fan from Malaysia to travel to Singapore to train with him for about 10 sessions.
Mr Chee is planning on starting a YouTube channel in August. He said: "I want to use these platforms to advocate fitness and the right way of eating and working out, and to inspire younger guys to do the same."
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