For the duration of our business operations (25 years in 2011 of continual service as a company specializing in the physical preparation of the elite athlete) we have always prided ourselves on the confidentiality of our clients program. They don’t get published – fullstop. There is also a little matter of protecting our proprietary information….

The program was verbatim save for a few minor details:

1. The KSI copyright that was on the document when it went to the client had been removed.
2. There was no reference to Ian King on the program.

So the publisher and readers, as there were not the client, would not have known the true origin of the program.

But what about the exercise descriptions…over 65 of them…verbatim…..except for the substitution of one word – the ‘King’ in the King Deadlift had been changed to ‘Single-leg’. Can’t figure out why? Ok, I can work that out….

Over 60 exercise descriptions and no-one figured it out…Amazing really. Considering also the web-site owner/publisher claims to have ‘read everything there is to read in the field of strength and conditioning….’

If that was the case, what would be the explaination for missing all of the copied text of these 60+ uniquely worded exercises, such as:

Bulgarian squat

Some know this as a Bulgarian squat – with a difference. Face away from a normal height bench, and place your rear leg up on the bench. You can check your distance by having a relatively vertical shin throughout the movement. Place your hands on your head, and keep your chest and trunk vertical throughout.

Lower the body down by bending the knee of the lead leg until the knee of the back leg is almost on the ground.

We are going to use a speed of 515 – 5 sec lower, 1 second pause top and bottom, and 5 second lift. If you can do more than 10 reps, you can hold dumbbells in your hand. I don’t expect this to be necessary initially. Keep the knee aligned over the feet during the lower and the lift. You don’t need to do a warm up set – get straight into the work set.
–King, I., 1999, Get Buffed book

Some know this as a Bulgarian squat – with a difference. Face away from a normal height bench, and place your rear leg up on the bench. You can check your distance by having a relatively vertical shin throughout the movement. Place your hands on your head, and keep your chest and trunk vertical throughout.

Lower the body down by bending the knee of the lead leg until the knee of the back leg is almost on the ground.

We are going to use a speed of 311 – 3 sec lower, 1-second pause top and bottom, and 1 second lift. If you can do more than 10 reps, you can hold dumbbells in your hand. Keep the knee aligned over the feet during the lower and the lift. You don’t need to do a warm up set – get straight into the work set.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

Single leg squat

…stand on 1 leg beside the squat rack or similar. Place the other leg out so that the heel stays just off the ground at all times. Bend the support knee and go down as far as you can whilst keeping your foot flat on the ground. 3 seconds down, no pause, controlled explosive up.

Initially I suspect your range will be limited but as you get better at it over time, aim to increase range as well (and maybe even more importantly) as reps. Using your bodyweight only, I expect somewhere between 5-10 reps on day one, and look to use DB’s in one hand if you exceed 15 reps. If this is the case, I have to wonder what you were doing during the earlier part of the workout?!

Use the squat rack to hold on to for balance if needed (and you probably will need to) but don’t get sucked into the temptation of using it to pull yourself up. Remember this is a leg day!
–King, I., 1999, Get Buffed book

Stand on 1 leg beside the squat rack or similar. Place the other leg out so that the heel stays just off the ground at all times. Bent the support knee and go down as far as you can whilst keeping your foot flat on the ground. 3 seconds down, no pause, controlled explosive up.

Initially I suspect your range will be limited but as you get better at it over time, aim to increase range as well (and maybe even more importantly) as reps. Using your bodyweight only, expect somewhere between 5-10 reps on day one, and look to use DB’s in one hand if you exceed 15 reps.

Use the squat rack to hold on to for balance if needed (and you probably will need to) but don’t get sucked into the temptation of using it to pull yourself up.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

Squat

Place the bar as high as is comfortable on the neck, take a narrower than shoulder width stance, and allow only a slight external rotation of the feet. Immediately prior to commencing the descent, bend your knees slightly, suck in the lower abdomen, and squeeze your cheeks. This will ‘set’ your pelvis in a slightly posteriorly rotated position. As you lower, keep the hips in line with the spine – which means maintain this hip position. Don’t misinterpret this – you can flex forward at the hips, just don’t change the hip/spine relationship. Squat as deeply as you can without exceeding forty-five degree trunk flexion relative to vertical. Keep your knees equal distance apart during the lift. Immediately prior to the ascent, focus on squeezing the cheeks tight and hold them tight during the concentric phase. The aim here is to prevent anterior rotation of the pelvis during the initial phase of the ascent….
–King, I., 1999, Get Buffed book

Place the bar as high on your neck as comfortable. Grip the bar with your hands as close to the shoulders as comfortable, and ensure that your elbows are pointing directly downwards to the ground. Use a foot stance that is shoulder width, and have your feet either straight or slightly externally rotated. Immediately prior to commencing the descent, bend your knees slightly, suck in the lower abdomen, and squeeze your cheeks. This will ‘set’ your pelvis in a slightly posteriorly rotated position. As you lower, keep the hips in line with the spine – which means maintain this hip position. Don’t misinterpret this – you can flex forward at the hips, just don’t change the hip/spine relationship. Squat as deeply as you can without exceeding forty-five degree trunk flexion relative to vertical. Keep your knees equal distance apart during the lift. Immediately prior to the ascent, focus on squeezing the cheeks tight and hold them tight during the concentric phase. The aim here is to prevent anterior rotation of the pelvis during the initial phase of the ascent. The concentric phase should mirror the eccentric phase exactly.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

Deadlift

• Stand in front of the bar, feet under the bar, shins a few inches away from bar.
• Take hand grip just outside shoulder width, palms down.
• Bend the knees and take position : shoulders vertically over bar, shins on bar, arms straight, hips in line with spine, back flat, head in line with spine, looking a few meters head or straight, shoulder blades retracted.
• Prior to commencement of lift contract abdominal and gluteals, extending legs until no slack in arms.
• Use leg and hip extension to take the bar from ground to where bar is just over knees.
• The trunk angle and scapula retraction is not to change during this ‘first pull’.
• From the above knee position, stand up (the second pull).
• Apply more acceleration in the second pull than the first.
• Bar to be in contact with body throughout the whole lift.
• Arms stay straight throughout the lift.
–King., I., 2000, How to Teach

Deadlift : Stand in front of the bar, feet under the bar, shins a few inches away from the bar. Take a grip just outside shoulder width, palms down. Bend the knees and take position : shoulders vertically over bar, shins on bar, arms straight, hips in line with spine, back flat, head in line with spine, shoulder blades retracted.

Prior to commencement of lift contract abdominal and gluteals, extending legs until no slack in arms. Use leg and hip extension to take the bar from ground to where bar is just over knees. The trunk angle and scapula retraction is not to change during this first pull. From eh above knee position stand up ( second pull). Apply more acceleration in the second pull than in the first. Bar to be in contact with body throughout the whole lift. Arms stay straight throughout the lift.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

King Deadlift

This is a single leg bent knee deadlift – one of my very own creations! Stand on one leg (starting with the weak side) and bend the other leg up until the lower leg is parallel to the ground. Hands on hips or by side. The aim is to bend the knee of the supporting leg until the knee of the non-supporting leg is brushing the ground. In reality, you may have to settle for a shorter range (you’ll understand why I say this as soon as you do this workout). If this is the case – and I expect it will be – look to increase the range from workout to workout.

You are allowed to flex (bend) forward at the waist as much as you want, and doing so will increase the gluteal involvement. Keep the working knee aligned neutrally throughout the movement. Take 3 seconds to lower, 1 second pause each end and 2 seconds to lift. No warm up set needed. When you can do more than 15-20 reps FULL RANGE look to hold DB’s in the hands – …
–King, I., 1999, Get Buffed book

This is a single leg bent knee deadlift. Stand on one leg (starting with the weak side) and bend the other leg up until the lower leg is parallel to the ground. Hands on hips or by side. The aim is to bend the knee of the supporting leg until the knee of the non-supporting leg is brushing the ground. In reality, you may have to settle for a shorter range (you’ll understand why I say this as soon as you do this workout). If this is the case – and I expect it will be – look to increase the range from workout to workout.

You are allowed to flex (bend) forward at the waist as much as you want, and doing so will increase the gluteal involvement. Keep the working knee aligned neutrally throughout the movement. No warm up set needed. When you can do more than 15-20 reps FULL RANGE look to hold DB’s in the hands.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

Thin tummy variations:

Description – Lay on your back, knee bent, feet flat, place both hand under your belt line, with your fingers heading down into the pubic area and the thumbs placed higher up on the rectus abdominus (upper abdominal region); throughout all the following levels of difficulty, use the fingers to provide feedback that the ‘lower abdominals’ (obliques and transverse abdominus) are contracted, pulling the lower tummy thinner and creating a high level of tension under the skin; and that the upper abdominal region is hollowed, and non-contracted; and that this relationship is held. Should it at any time change or you feel that it is going to change e.g. upper tummy bulge, pelvis anteriorly rotate, terminate the range or the set. I focus more on how the muscles are ‘set’ than on the pressure of lumbar to ground or position of pelvis, although both are symptomatic of a good ‘set’ position.

Level 1 – Isometric holds (looking for above ‘set’ position) in the lying, knee bent positions.

Level 2 – As above., but lift one leg up, lower it, reset, other leg etc.

Level 3 – As above., but when you lift one leg up, extend it out as far as control (i.e. set position) allows.

Level 4 – As above., but start with both knees up, bent to 90 degrees knees and hips, cycling one leg out towards a parallel to ground position at a time as far as ‘set’ position control allows.

Level 5 – As above., but extending both legs out together.
–King., I., 2000, How to Teach

Description – lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat, place both hands under your belt line with your fingers heading down into the pubic area and the thumbs placed higher up on the upper abdominal region; throughout all the following levels of difficulty, use the fingers to provide feedback that the lower abdominals are contracted, pulling the lower tummy thinner and creating a high level of tension under the skin; and that the upper abdominal region is hollowed, and non-contracted; and that his relationship is held. Should it at any time change or you feel that it is going to change (e.g. upper tummy bulge, pelvis anteriorly rotate, terminate the range or the set. Focus more on how the muscles are ‘set’ than on the pressure of lumbar to ground or position of pelvis, although both are symptomatic of a good ‘set’ position.

Level One – isometric holds – looking for a good set position

Level Two – as Labove, but lift one leg up, lower it, rest, repeat opposite leg

Level Three – as above, but when you lift one leg up, extend it out as far as control (i.e. set position) allows

Level Four – as above, but start with both knees up, bent to 90 degrees knees and hips, cycling one leg out towards a parallel to ground position at a time as far as the ‘set’ position will allow

Level Five – as above, but extending both legs out together.
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

Toes to sky variations

Description – Lay on your back, arms out on the ground at 90 degrees to the trunk, have your legs together, 90 degrees hip flexion, so that legs are vertical.

Level 1 – Lift the pelvis as far off the ground whilst maintaining totally vertical leg position (initially this may not be very far at all, at even at best the movement is limited in its range) and hold for 5-10 seconds.

Level 2 – As above., but bend one knee to 90 degrees at knee; alternate each rep which leg is bent, which is straight.

Level 3 – As above., but bent both knees so that the knees are bent to 90 degrees.
–King., I., 2000, How to Teach

Description – lay on your back, arms out on the ground at 90 degrees to the trunk, have your legs together, 90 degrees hip flexion so that legs are vertical.

Level One – lift the pelvis as far off the ground whilst maintaining totally vertical leg position (initially this may not be very far at all, at even at best the movement is limited in its range) and hold for 5-10 seconds.

Level Two – as above, but bend one knee to 90 degrees at knee, alternate each rep which leg is bent, which is straight

Level Three – as above, but bend both knees so that the knees are bent to 90 degrees
–from rugby programs posted on this web site

These are samples of the 60+ exercise descriptions. I’m not talking about a three line generic descrition about how to do a DB press. These have a unique signature over many of them – a number of the exercises were original innovations, some were original exercise names, some were unique in their execution.

Difficult to see how a ‘well-read’ person could not have seen the finger print of the original source. What would be a motive if they had been recognzied and ignored? On the flip side, a poorly read person may have not picked up on the origin.

Either way, seeing this kind of behaviour, it’s enought to make your blood boyle. Then I realized that for some to have empathy, they would probably need to have had an original ideas worth protecting….