King Sports International

Beverly International announced as sponsors of the KSI 2008 Athlete Training Camp!

We are proud and excited to announce that Beverly International have supported our upcoming KSI 2008 Athlete Training Camp & Challenge by sponsoring the event!

This is great news for all involved, especially those who will be joining us in this event next month!

We are honored to associated with great people, great companies, and great products - such as Sandy and Roger from Beverly International with their incredible range of protein supplements!

Beverly International
1-800-781-3475
Fax: (859) 781-7590
www.bodybuildingworld.com

In August 2008 in the US we will be running a 3 day athlete training camp and challenge. During these three days successful applicants will be given the opportunity to be trained by KSI coaches, and participate in a challenge to determine the 'KSI Champion Athlete 2008'. This will be determined on a holistic assessment, not simply a physical one.

Who should attend? If you answer YES to all the below questions you will find this experience invaluable!

1. Do you use the KSI way in your training and as result of the great results you have achieved become a strong advocate of our approach?
2. Do you train seriously with a specific training and or competitive goal in mind?
3. Do you see the value of being exposed to the top KSI coaches in the world all together in the one place?

Applications are invited from current KSI clients who train seriously in any physical sport or endeavor. You must have a strong commitment to training and achieving your goals. If you would like to be sent out an application form email us with a request to have one sent out to you via email. In this email please outline your involvement with KSI and how you have been implementing the KSI way in your training. The camp will be held between Mon 25 and Wed 27 August 2008 inclusive.

Look forward to working with some of you at this event!

Ian King

Time, money and training

by Ian King

As a young single person, with minimal financial responsibility and no mortgage, finding time to train was easy. Finding time to do anything else was the challenge!

If you are in this position and training is high on your priority list you can probably relate to this. But you might not relate to the next bit.

If you are married (young or otherwise!), have kids, financial responsibility including a (one or more) mortgage, finding time to train is not as easy. Sometimes you miss training because you either don't have the time or the energy, because of the other life commitments.

If you are in this position, you will really relate to this. Whether you are training to get buffed or for gold at the next Olympics, it's all the same. I have trained athletes at the elite level with and without families and kids, and they are no different than the person who seeks a PB in the gym or on the scales. It takes the edge off your energy, recovery and time.

So how do you manage the balance between training, money and family? I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I have found a reasonable solution, allowing me to train about 20 hrs a week (and yet still frustrate the 'boss' who I suspect feels I spend too much time in the solace of my private training facility).

Even without training, the challenge to balance family and finance is still a challenge. Even some of the greatest people in modern history struggled with this challenge. I read recently where personal development author Napoleon Hill (often described as the father of this industry) regretted the balance he had struck in his life between the two:

Q. What did he regret most about his career in life?
Answer : Being human, Dr. Hill did have regrets about his career in life, but he did not let these regrets deter him from his definite major purpose. Dr. Hill regretted that the research required for the philosophy of personal achievement kept him away from his family for long periods of time. His three sons were often without a father while he was on the road gathering information, presenting lectures, and attempting to share the philosophy with the world.

When you favor work, training and or family can suffer. When you favor training, finance and family can suffer. When you favor family, finance and family can suffer.

I'm proud to say that we not only teach this life balance in our KSI Coach Education programs (CIP, CMP etc) but our advanced coaches have developed an enviable balance in these areas - a balance that means no area suffers - they don't disadvantage their family, their finances or their health/training. I am really proud of these coaches.

One of the many benefits of joining us in August 08 at our 5th Annual International KSI Convention is that you get to interact with these coaches, and there is no better way to gain education and inspiration. If this life balance is not a challenge for you because you are young and have a low cost of living, trust me - it will be an issue one day. Either through gaining family or loosing your ability to generate the income needed to sustain your training.

Five Steps to Success Training the Young Athlete!

By Miguel Charles, KING Coach

Athletes are influenced by the environment, coaches and parents. The younger the athlete the more we can have a positive influence on them. This is especially true with the physical quality flexibility. If you begin a child stretching it is easier to maintain their original flexibility. On the other hand, if an athlete begins stretching as an adult their level of flexibility will be greatly diminished. The athlete will be playing catch up.

I find this concept also works in the mind. By talking to and observing young athletes, I have witnessed the more positive their influences and experiences are the more positive the outcome. The more negativity that surrounds them the more doubt they have. Therefore, we have to teach the athlete how to think for himself not what to think, helping them to rise above any less than optimal situation they find themselves in.

When you teach the young athlete how to make these decisions they take more responsibility for the outcome. Here’s five tips for those coaching kids:

1.Let the kids play!
Don't force children to play the sport. Let them play. If they like it they continue to play and improve.

2. Remember the Stages
Age 5 to 10 Fundamentals
Ages 10 to 14 Train to train
Ages 14 to 18 Train to compete
Ages 18 & over Train to win

Too many times you see coaches and parents focus on winning at the wrong time. For the fundamental stage the key is fun. During the train to train stage teach them how to train (flex and speed should be more of the priority generally speaking). At the train to compete stage competition is the focus; working hard and smart in preparation as well as during the game. In the final stage, train to win, winning should be the focus.

3. Create the athlete, then the player.
Early in the athlete/child's life expose them to play, run, & jump – before getting sport and / or position specific.

The best sports for them to get an exposure to so they develop athleticism include soccer, martial arts, gymnastics and track and field. This will help with their athletic ability.

If you expose them to a sport or position too early then that is all they can play. That athlete may not be suited for that sport or position as they mature. Example teaching a 6 foot 12 year old how to play only the center position in basketball. If at 18 years old he grows to be 6 foot 5 inches he is not tall enough to play center in college. Some colleges have guards 6
feet 5 inches. I'm sure you can think of other positions and sports as well.

4. Always and only positive, positive, positive!
Encourage all the children with positive feedback. Especially when they are not as developed as they can be in any given area - this is when they will need more positive reinforcement. There is always an opportunity to turn a negative to a positive.

When more athletes are exposed to the right stages at the right times as well as optimal flexibility training we will see an improvement in athletic performance. So where do we start? Start with every athlete you have influence over. And remember, the younger we start with flexibility the more injuries we prevent, which means less athletes out of games. The more games they play the better they will get at the sport. Less visits to the doctor or physical therapy.

5. Give the impression of increase!
For those without children you can still influence the children you come into contact with by the following:
1. Spread the knowledge to your circle of influence to anyone you care about that have children or are competing.
2.If you are still competing, whether its weekend warrior, office team, college team or high school. A little more stretching and recovery plan could be what will take your game to the next level.
3. And for all you coaches don't just do what your coach did to you many years ago. There is a smarter way. For all our kids' sake.

Recovery in Perspective - How well you pull up or how well you perform?

by Mitchell Kochonda

The concept of recovery is widely known to athletes in all sports. As Ian wrote in Get buffed 1 (1999) “training plus recovery equals the training effect”.

Recovery methods come in many forms including, but not limited to, rest days and weeks, time, massage, stretching, heat, cold, water, salt water, electronic modalities, food, supplementation, escapism, the natural environment, recreation, etc to expedite the various systems in our bodies, including, but not limited to, nervous, metabolic, immune, hormonal, etc and all are of great value to the athlete.

But let’s put this in perspective, as there is no point recovering exceptionally well to an average or poor starting point! Let me explain…

Last week during a tele-conference seminar the question was asked in relation to supplements enhancing recovery. I replied the said supplements would have a very positive effect on recovery from training. But I asked the group the question “what’s more important, supplements after training to replace what’s been used or nutritional supplements consistently everyday to have the body in a permanently higher starting point – from a nervous, metabolic, immune and hormonal perspective - at all times?”

To put it another way, if you eat six times a day (one of these meals being a post training/competition meal) is there more value for your performance in an optimal recovery meal (16.6% of daily eating) okay nutrition the remainder of the day, or optimal daily nutrition for five meals a day (83.3% of daily eating)? I don’t care what you’re consuming post training/competition (high GI, low GI, protein, no protein, whatever) until we address the bigger picture! The Pareto principle at work again!

You can ask yourself the same question in all area’s of training. Let’s look at flexibility. “Is it better to train and compete with optimal tissue length everyday, or only train and compete with less than optimal tissue length - thus missing the injury prevention and performance enhancement benefits! - but spending time after training/competition to get back to an average state after the event?”

The trend of enhanced focus on post training/competition recovery (both physical, manual and nutritional) over the past decade is definitely a trend to support, but the value in heightening the bodies starting point in many areas is poorly exploited and misunderstood, and therefore is a huge opportunity for the committed athlete to take their training and performance to another level with the right guidance!

Mitchell Kochonda
KING Coach

What qualities comprise an athlete?

by Mike Pimentel

Another season comes to a close and you already begin to look forward to next season. Applying the lessons learned from the previous season, you vow next year that you will be even better. Its time to hit the weight room to begin your quest for next year’s championship.

Each year I’m introduced to young athletes with steeled determination to better themselves. They are enthusiastic, goal oriented and willing to do what it takes to achieve. In their minds they see images of themselves pushing their bodies to the limits in exhaustive workouts. The weights are banging, music blaring, sweat dripping, muscles burning, legs and arms shaking. Yeah, the kind of drama movies are made of.

I offer a perspective that enables the athlete to harness their emotion, its power, and focus it through the lens of common sense, intuition and logic. First by stepping back, looking at the larger picture of athletic development, and asking the question, “ What qualities comprise an athlete?”

We can divide the qualities in to four areas; technical, tactical, psychological and physical. Technical is their particular skill set in their given sport and position. In basketball an example would be dribbling, in hockey it may be skating. Tactical is their ability to make decisions in game play in addition to knowing specific preset “plays”. Psychological, as an example, may be their mental toughness. Their ability to maintain focus and discipline throughout the competition and season. Finally there is the physical quality which can be subdivided in to four sub-qualities - flexibility, strength, speed and endurance.

The reality is that these four athletic qualities exist with an interdependence on one another. In other words – each of qualities is affected by the growth or lack of growth in another quality. Some directly some indirectly but all are affected.

Now lets discuss how this concept may relate to the emotionally driven athlete. Lets do some simple math. For sake of argument, let’s say each of the four athletic qualities contributes equally to the athlete – 25% technical, 25% tactical, 25% psychological and 25% physical. There are many athletes who dedicate their entire off-season to the development of their physical qualities. But what about the other qualities?

Here is another question…. What if the physical quality is the area in least need of enhancement? What may be the actual contribution of a physical sub-quality? If each of the athletic qualities contributes equally (25% each) and the physical quality is comprised of four sub-qualities (flex, strength, speed, endurance) – the math shows us that the contribution of each physical sub-quality is only .0625%! (i.e. 25% / 4)

When you, the athlete, understand the above concept and the interaction between the qualities, it will enable you to give a new dimension and focus to your training that will have a massive effect on your result.

So how do you determine where to take your training? Start by having an honest discussion and evaluation of your athletic qualities. Reflect on each of the athletic qualities as they relate to you. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very challenged and 10 being at your fullest potential). Your intuition will kick in as you arrive at a number. Recall specific instances in competition and/or practices to support your rating.

After completing all four qualities – interpret the data you have just created. This level of objectivity is an often overlooked component to training. What you find will help you determine where the area of greatest effect is for your training.

Whilst the drama of your physical training may be what you have expected for your off season perhaps the above concepts will take you in to areas you have not yet explored. Apply the tenacity, discipline and emotion you have as an athlete along with the objectivity and logic of these concepts to achieve the enhancements in your play for the next season.

Mike Pimentel
KING Coach, KSI Director of Education

The Training Triangle - a big picture for optimal results

by Miguel Charles

While some athletes focus soley or predominantly on training, great results actually require a careful balance of eating, sleeping and training. In order to achieve this, one must first assess, set goals, and allow for modification along the way. Any additional activity outside of this triangle; eating, sleeping and training- could potentially take away from your results.

Eating

As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. When considering how to maximize your eating, it is important to first understand what your options are. The basic building blocks of food include macro and micro-nutrients. Macro nutrients include; protein, carbohydrates and fat. While micro-nutrients are less thought of such as vitamins. Macro-nutrients are usually recommended to be consumed per unit of body weight or as a percentage of total calorie intake. By carefully monitoring the effect the portions have on your body you will be able to chose the best option for you. Lastly, vitamins are just as important, but are regularly forgotten. They are essential for injury prevention and the basic functions of the body.

Sleeping

Eating and sleeping work together to build our bodies back beyond its deprivation levels. Combined in the right ways you should feel stronger and more effective once you re-enter your workout this is referred to as providing your body with super-compensation because you are now able to outperform your previous self. When examining your sleeping you should look at the optimum amount to help you meet and exceed tour goals. Sleep is made up of both the quantity and quality of your sleep. The quantity of sleep required when in full training is 9-10 hours. The quality of sleep examines your sleep environment inclusive of noise, temperature, light, sleeping surface, pillows and even your bed partners. Ask yourself- did you go to sleep easily? did you sleep well? how did you feel when you woke up?

Inadequate sleeping and eating can fail to bring our bodies up beyond prior levels commencing a down-ward spiral characterized by feeling weaker, smaller and becoming more likely to incur illness and injuries.
Other recovery methods and some of my favorite include stretching, massaging, and meditating.

Training

The basic principles of training include active and conscientious participation in the training process. Most athletes are not involved in the decision making process let alone are allowed to help set their workouts. However, if you are not actively participating with your coach valuable insights could be lost. Each workout is specific to you and you only. By communicating with your coach you are allowing for the coach to develop a better understanding of your progress and needs as well as learning for yourself along the way.

The triangle is always a careful balance that requires constant monitoring. By recognizing that training is not the only activity that affects your performance you will be better prepared to enter the gym to achieve you best.

Miguel Charles
KING Coach

Of course it works - science says so....

During a recent World Cup in a certain sport I listened as the commentator, a recently retired player, was asked by another commentator if hyperbaric chambers work. This topic came up in a spare moment, and as the former player had battled a chronic injury it was expected or known he had used the hyperbaric chamber in his quest to overcome hin injury.

I listend to his response with great interest. Hyperbaric chambers are true boast material as they are large, expensive an high-tech rehab tools.

The athlete hesistated, and said words to the effect:

"I don't know - I guess you are willing to try anything."

This was a polite way of saying perhaps 'I am not convinced.'

Reflecting on his words, a moment later the former athlete added:

"There are a lot of studies showing its benefts, so I guess, yeah, it does work."

That politically correct addendum didn't salvage his position, unless of course the listener was one of the many who, like the athlete, felt the need to bow down to 'science'.

Well, of course it works - science says so (and that must be more powerful than my own conclusions...).

The only thing I am interested is what you, in an objective state of mind, in the absence of any compulsion to conform with what you think you are meant to beleive - believe in. And why. Because science says so doesn't cut it on my list of supportive conclusions.

Multiple knee ligament reconstruction - update #1

It's been approx 1 month since Ian's initial post and my initial interview with this former athlete for rehabilitation of his seriously challenged knee (2 x ligament repairs and meniscus trim on the one knee).

My initial contact with him was 14 weeks post surgery, up until that time, his physio (for the past 10+yrs) had been rehabbing him with very limited success. This measured by his lack of range at the knee, pain, swelling, altered gait via a large limp, recommendation of further surgery to the knee, muscle atrophy and a compromised life style with very limited signs of any improvement up until that 14 weeks!

So the first 'shift' had to take place. I had to learn why he likes to partner/associate with total incompetence and see if he was willing to break this tragic pattern. In other words, find out how willing he was to change. He passed the tests there, so on to the next step with the interview and assessments complete.

The next step was to get hands on and test my hypothesis as to the reasons why he had such limited improvement after 3 and one half months. Knowing the (lack of) competence of most therapists and the paradigms they subscribe to, we measured a few aspects of his current knee status then I spend maybe 30 mins all up working on some things and re-tested.

The changes were definitely in the right direction and in 30mins we were able to get more improvement than in his previous 14wks combined! That also carried through to the next day, with him saying it’s the best his knee has felt since the surgery!

This had a huge impact on his belief as to what is possible, as previously his belief (and therefore results) were reflective of the competence he chose to engage - low!

Additionally, while I was working with the client, Ian was busy creating an electronic version of a 'monitor' he has successfully used over the years with numerous athletes, that I can't talk too much about it here. This was another responsibility the client had and monitor continues to guide us in his rehabilitation daily.

So for the past 4 weeks he has happily made the 3 hour round trip (that's just the driving time, not including his time with me!) a number of time each week to get serviced to the level he deserves and continue to move forward in improvement.

Earlier this week Ian set our client up for a meeting and second opinion based on the apparent need for further surgery, with possibly Australia's leading sports surgeon who Ian knows well. This was another great learning experience for our client as the surgeon was able to share the grim long term realities for his knee if he continued on his previous course.

This was another wake up call for him, giving him greater appreciation for straight/blunt communication Ian and I use with him when it appears he is (or in the past was) selling himself short, expecting too little, and using blame or lack of control over life’s events as excuses…

More updates to follow...

Mitchell Kochonda