Part 1: King Kamali & George Farah debate about today’s bodybuilders’ dedication and sacrifice for the sport.
We previously interviewed George Farah about a multitude of topics in our GI Exclusive series. But King Kamali is a whole different beast and had some personal questions of his own that he wanted to ask the legendary bodybuilding guru. That’s why Kamali brought on Farah via video call to put him through the gauntlet. They discuss a variety of topics in the first part of this two part interview. But the biggest topic they keep coming back to is the problem with how bodybuilders today view steroids, insulin, and other drugs – and the big factor most competitors seem to overlook.
The keyword here is sacrifice. We’re not talking about sacrificing your health for the sport due to performance enhancing drugs. Quite the opposite. The problem both King Kamali and George Farah see in today’s bodybuilders is an over reliance on drugs to avoid real sacrifice when it comes to dieting, training, and amount of time overall focused on being an athlete. Or as King Kamali so eloquently puts it – bodybuilders today don’t suffer enough.
In our previous interview with George Farah, he made it clear that he’s had a change of view and considers himself a healthy bodybuilding coach. He doesn’t want his athletes to rely solely on steroids, insulin, or other potentially dangerous drugs. He wants all his clients to know that there is life after bodybuilding.
But the problem Farah sees time and time again is that young bodybuilders act like there is no tomorrow. They are cocksure and believe that the future of their health down the road is not something to be concerned about. This is why Farah had previously stated that he may stop coaching soon if things don’t change.
King Kamali agrees and while he may be less strict about drug use in the sport overall, he does think that the current crop of bodybuilders rely on these drugs too much. They want to skip the hard work of dieting, cutting, and perfecting their physique. Kamali believes that there are no athletes today who are willing to dedicate their entire life to solely bodybuilding.
This is where Kuwait and Oxygen Gym comes in. They provide a lifestyle that takes away friends, spouses, partners, and any sort of normal life. Kuwait bodybuilding gives a 100% dedication to only bodybuilding and no other factor of life. This is what more bodybuilders need to do to become champions. But there’s a downside. Kamali claims that the trainers in Kuwait are providing extremely high level and dangerous drug protocols. Despite the dedication, these athletes are still running dangerous risks and not looking towards their longterm future.
Ultimately both King Kamali and George Farah agree that bodybuilders today don’t know the true level of sacrifice other athletes from the past have made. Perhaps it’s the era of smart phones, social media, and constant internet connection. Perhaps it’s something else. At the end of the day, these two icons in the sport have witnessed today’s bodybuilders. They are looking for a shortcut to avoid sacrifice… but they may be sacrificing the longevity of their life in the process.
Check out part one of King Kamali’s two part interview with George Farah above on a new episode of King’s World!
