INQUIRER Sports

TO HOTELIER Archimedes Rosario King – Archie to friends –sports and fitness are part of the journey to self-awareness.

It seems ironic for this scion, whose core business is the high-end motel chain Victoria Court. But it was an enterprise handed down to him by his father. He has since delegated the business to his sons Atticus, 31, and Ian, 29, who are the managing directors, while he humbly calls himself Chief Innkeeper.

King pioneered the boutique hotel concept in the Philippines with three La Corona hotels under the Best Western group. However, his heart lay in charities, such as being the chairman of his father’s civic endeavor, the Angelo King Foundation, which has over 100 partners and beneficiaries, and the WPO or World Presidents’ Organization, which he jestingly calls Wrinkled President’s Organization, composed of graduates of the Young Presidents’ Organization who are over 50.

At 56, King has retained his boyish looks and lean body, owing to his lifestyle. He pursues his sports as serious recreation. The family business is not only competing with deluxe hotels and other motels but also with dining outlets, cinemas and concerts. Thus, his varied non-competitive physical activities serve as an antidote to pressure.

First love

King cites windsurfing as his foremost passion. Back in the ’80s, he would water-ski in Naic, Cavite. On a trip to Caliraya, he couldn’t ski because of strong winds.

King then saw some men mounted on a sailboard, maneuvering the rigs and cruising with the speed of the wind. Windsurfing then became a family bonding activity for him and his sons, who would camp out in Caliraya on weekends. “It kept them out of drugs,” he says.

King enjoys the sport because of the adrenaline rush and the endorphins that remove the stress. “You get a high when you’re moving with the wind without the aid of an external force or a motor. You’re one with nature.”

He’s also challenged himself planing on the breaking waves under powerful wind conditions in Bali and Hawaii. He also enjoys other gliding sports such as snow skiing in Aspen, Colorado, Italy and Australia.

To keep King fit for windsurfing, trainer Nestor Hernandez makes a program consisting of core training and gymnastic rings, which is changed every six weeks.

Core conditioning strengthens different muscles that support the spine, pelvis and the whole length of the torso, providing strong basis for movement in the extremities. A stable core distributes the pressures of weight-bearing and protects the back.

Exercises

King’s exercises involve a lot of counter pulls to neutralize postural imbalances that can lead to aches and pains. He explains that his exercises enable the torso to function as one unit, with the front and back muscles working simultaneously and in coordination with other movements from the joints. His trainer makes sure his spine is stable and his weight placement evenly distributed.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, King works out with gymnastic rings set up in a tree in his garden. Ring fitness training is a method of bodyweight exercising or suspension training that builds up power and stamina. It challenges the core body and carves out the abdomen, shoulders and arms, because they are used in almost all the maneuvers.

King finds this bodyweight training superior to his other programs, because the ring handles rotate independently of each other and are more natural and joint-friendly than other gym equipment. The lateral muscles, abdominals, shoulders, triceps and forearms are utilized in almost every move.

Comparing his previous hardcore weight training program and his core strengthening, King says he works out more intelligently now, which has helped reduce strain on the joints.

“I have less injuries. There are some workouts that are not biomechanically correct,” he says, citing some resistance training exercises that can harm the extremities. “I can windsurf longer and harder. If you’re not fit, you don’t last long.”

Opposite forces

Aside from flying his own helicopter, King travels abroad to fish, hike, hunt ducks, desert-drive in Dubai, go karting and scuba-dive. He also goes to Chiang Mai to improve his tai chi with a master.

“I’m a Jack of all sports – except golf—but a master of none. All these sports I enjoy by myself; they are not group activities.”

At one time King was an equestrian, an exercise in connecting with an animal. When it’s not windsurfing season, he does skit shooting in a range in Muntinlupa.

“You have to control your breath to remain calm. Yet you have to be alert, but not on the edge; if not, you miss the target. Skit shooting is instinctive. You can’t be analytical. I find it challenging to be engaged in these two opposite forces – relaxed but alert. You must focus to balance these two in your head and body so you can have a smooth execution.”

During the interview, King drinks cucumber and lettuce juice, followed by a glass of chlorophyll juice, then another glass of beetroot. These drinks aim to balance the alkaline and acidity in his body. He has tried various diets such as macrobiotic, Zone, vegan and blood type diet. Now he just eats a lot of organic greens he cultivates in Caliraya.

“Health is the goal, so you can enjoy a long and fruitful life. Sickness is an accumulation of wrong habits and poor diet. One day the body will give up. Then you realize you’ve got cancer. Doctor gives you drugs. No one can take care of yourself but yourself. So you eat food as medicine.”

Asked why he spends more time in health and fitness than the rat race of the corporate world, he replies, “Why do you want so much? You can’t take them with you. Life is not about acquiring material things, but working for the perfection of the soul. All of these are geared towards internal development and harmony. At the end of the day, it’s achieving peace of mind.”