Juara Sejati Bernama King

Luar biasa! Kesan pertama yang saya tangkap dari beberapa bab awal. Biografi memoar perjalanan seorang maestro bulutangkis ini ditulis dengan apa adanya. Kesan setiap cerita didalamnya tidak hanya berkisah soal kesuksesan. Berbagai kisah kegagalan Liem Swie King diceritakan dengan jujur. Termasuk, cerita soal kekalahannya yang dianggap sebagai 'pemberi jalan' untuk gelar ke-8 All England bagi Rudy Hartono.

Cerita perjalanan Liem Swie King di dunia bulu tangkis tidak selalu penuh dengan kesuksesan. Terutama setelah kekalahan pertamanya usai 33 bulan tak terkalahkan di berbagai kejuaraan. Kekalahan tersebut didapatnya usai skorsing 3 bulan dari PB PBSI akibat kelalaiannya pada SEA Games X tahun 1979 di Jakarta. Akibatnya, King dinyatakan kalah WO. King tampil sebagai pribadi yang sportif yang dengan jujur mau mengakui kesalahannya. Satu hal yang tidak mudah, mengingat status King sebagai Juara All England. King dengan mudah bertutur soal  satu fase proses perjalanan dimana ia mencoba untuk bangkit dan meraih kembali percaya dirinya.

Lintasan memori soal kedigdayaan bangsa Indonesia di kancah perbulutangkisan dunia juga menyisakan setangkup haru. Beberapa kali saya hampir menitikkan air mata dan merinding membayangkan betapa gempitanya kejayaan Indonesia waktu itu. All England, Piala Thomas, Piala Uber, dan Kejuaraan Dunia adalah menu utama santapan khusus bagi atlit bulu tangkis Indonesia. Sayangnya, atlit bulu tangkis Indonesia masa kini belum mengambil pelajaran dari kisah Liem Swie King. Indonesia kini jauh tertinggal dari negara-negara pesaingnya.

King's Smash. Courtesy: www.badmintoncentral.com

Buku ini menghadirkan sosok Liem Swie King sebagai pribadi yang utuh. Mulai dari kisah perjalanan hidupnya, bagaimana hubungan King dengan keluarga, perkenalan pertamanya dengan bulu tangkis, jatuh bangun King di arena, hingga alasan-asalan dibalik pengunduran dirinya dari dunia yang telah diidamkannya sejak kecil.

King juga menuturkan kisahnya bersama Robert Budi Hartono, pemilik perusahaan rokok Djarum yang cukup berpengaruh dalam karir profesionalnya. Sebagai penyeimbang, testimoni dari rekan, kawan, pelatih, dan wartawan olahraga ikut mengisi cerita sehingga pembaca dengan mudah memahami sisi lain dari King.

Melalui buku ini, pembaca diajak untuk mengakrabi pribadi King yang cenderung pendiam dan dingin. Beberapa testimonial dan catatan dokumentasi media turut dihadirkan sebagai panduan bagi pembaca untuk lebih objektif dalam 'membaca' King. Selebihnya, pembaca diajak kilas balik sejenak ke masa-masa keemasan bulu tangkis nasional. Catatan emas yang diraih putra-putri terbaik bangsa itu kini menanti untuk diulang kembali. King mengajarkan pada kita bahwa juara sejati selalu bersedia berbuat lebih.

Judul       : Panggil Aku King
Penulis     : Robert Adhi Ksp
Penerbit   : Penerbit Buku Kompas
Tahun      : 2009
Tebal       : 456 hal.
Genre      : Biografi-Memoar

Paninggilan-Medan Merdeka Barat, 6 November 2013.

Amos Lee Chronicles

Finally, found this book. Just to complete the missing part of the series! Yeaay!!

Sepertinya, buku kedua ini adalah klimaks dari Amos Lee: The Series. Bila buku pertama berperan sebagai pengantar menuju kehidupan Amos Lee dengan segala problematikanya, dan buku ketiga yang lebih merupakan sebagai "prelude to epilogue", maka buku kedua ini lebih manampilkan unsur-unsur filosofis tentang bagaimana meraih kemenangan, memaknai kemenangan, lalu bagaimana bersikap sebagai seorang pemenang.

Buku ini menampilkan beberapa hal yang biasa dalam konteks hubungan persahabatan juga disajikan sebagai permasalahan. Amos Lee merasa cemburu pada Alvin yang mulai dekat dengan Somaly, dan berusaha membujuk Anthony agar melakukan sesuatu untuk memisahkan mereka berdua. Kecemburuan semacam ini menjadi hal yang menarik sepanjang pengalaman membaca. Kiranya, Adeline Foo tidak pernah kehilangan referensi dalam sejarah penciptaan tokohnya.

Buku kedua ini banyak diisi tentang persoalan memotivasi diri sendiri. Beberapa diantaranya adalah pepatah lama. Namun, tidak berarti ketinggalan zaman. Amos Lee telah membuktikannya. Amos Lee mengalami pengalaman turun naik dalam mengatasi masalah yang menerpanya. Persaingan dengan Michael yang sarat dan kental muatan bullying hingga menimbulkan proses demotivasi pada dirinya. And the most important thing is, menarik untuk tahu sebab apa yang membuatnya memutuskan kembali berlatih  dengan tim renang, dan akhirnya menjadi juara pertandingan antar sekolah.

Personally, buku kedua ini melengkapi cerita-cerita yang hilang dalam pembacaan buku pertama dan ketiga. Ibarat jembatan yang menghubungkan dua desa berseberangan. Amos Lee bercerita awal persaingannya dengan Michael  dan Bif, lalu bagaimana kemampuan Amos Lee untuk menulis mulai terasah. Jangan lupa, pada buku ketiga Amos Lee punya media yang terbit rutin untuk memuat beberapa topik penting yang kelihatannya sepele.

Kadang, untuk menjadi dewasa kita harus berkaca pada kelakuan anak-anak seperti Amos Lee dan kawan-kawannya. Beberapa hal kadang tidak berubah. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Judul       : The Diary of Amos Lee: Renungan di WC, Tentang Pertandingan, Anak Cewek, dan Kemenangan
Penulis     : Adeline Foo
Penerbit   : Penerbit Buah Hati
Tahun      : 2011
Tebal       : 122 hal.
Genre      : Teenlit

Paninggilan, 24 Januari 2013.

_happy wedding day to Alfa & Qori_

Tips Hidup Sehat: Burn More Calories

Top 10: Ways To Burn More Calories

Huge training and dietary interventions are definitely a great way to jump-start fat loss. With that said, many times this approach fails as people can’t handle changing many aspects of their daily routine all at once. Even if they can, sometimes the best way to stave off weight gain is to make slight modifications to the things you’re already doing. Whether you want to lose fat or maintain low levels of fat, use these 10 ways to help burn more calories throughout the day.

No.10 Interrupt your day with brief exercises

The problem most of us have is that we spend way too much time sitting in a relatively passive position (meaning minimal muscle activation). Getting up to do a few squats in your cubical or simply sitting up straight, tensing your stomach and pulling your shoulder blades back for 30-second holds throughout the day will help strengthen the muscles that reinforce good posture -- and you'll burn some calories in the process.

No.9 Eat spicy foods

Have you ever felt that you were going to break into a sweat while munching on some jalapenos?  Most people have felt the physical effects of spicy food at some point in their lives. The truth is that spicy foods can actually speed up your metabolism. Adding a little spice to your foods will help you burn more calories after you eat.

No.8 Move weights quickly

In general, you should perform your exercises so that you lower the weight under control, then move it up as quickly as possible. This lowers the recruitment threshold of motor units, meaning you’ll get more muscle fibers involved with each repetition. More muscle involved on each repetition can translate into more calories burned during your training sessions.

No.7 Maintain adequate hydration

There are a million advantages to staying hydrated. Because optimal mental and physical performance depends on proper hydration, staying hydrated will allow you to train with a greater focus and intensity, so you'll burn more calories. If you’re worried about burning calories, you’re probably interested in losing fat, in which case keeping your carbohydrates low is going to be essential. If water doesn’t suit your taste buds, try a low-carb sports drink like POWERADE ZERO.

No.6 Add muscle mass

Compared with other tissues in the body (like bone or fat tissue), muscle has a significantly higher metabolic rate. This means that it “costs” your body more calories to keep it alive and functioning. Aside from the fact that the process of building muscle will burn calories, just having a few pounds of muscle will allow you to burn more calories throughout the day, regardless of your activity levels. Plus, chicks dig guys with a muscular physique. Everywhere you look, a win.

No.5 Lift heavy weights

The old “light weight, high reps” idea is a mistake. All these programs do is waste your time. Everyone worth their salt knows that muscular adaptations result from training that tests muscular capacity. Some people recommend doing sets to failure as a means of testing capacity, which can be beneficial in adding muscle mass (if done correctly). Another strategy to add muscle and a lot of strength is to lift heavy weights. Heavy, of course, is all relative to your individual capacity. If you have a solid training base and are familiar with all the exercises you’re doing, try adding in some high-load, six-to-eight rep sets to your training session. These heavier loads are more likely to recruit more muscle mass, allowing you to improve your strength and the size of your muscles as you burn a ton of calories.

No.4 Do unilateral lower body exercises

When most people see someone do a squat with 300 pounds and a reverse lunge with 200 pounds, they assume the squat is a more effective exercise because you can move a heavier load. Surprisingly, external training loads are somewhat comparable between exercises like front squats and reverse lunges. If someone can front squat 225 pounds for 6 reps, he can probably reverse lunge about 225 pounds for 6 reps each leg. There are both neural and mechanical reasons for this phenomenon. By choosing the unilateral option (reverse lunges), you create a greater stimulus to the working muscles and are forced to do more reps. Both of these results will help you burn more calories during your training.

No.3 Eat high-quality protein with every meal

The thermogenic effect of digesting/absorbing protein is higher than other macronutrients, like fat and carbs. This means that it takes more energy/calories to process protein. In fact, some reports state that as much as 50% of the calories consumed as protein are “used” in the digestion/absorption process. Eating a high-quality protein source (like fish and  lean meats) will increase the thermogenic effect of the meal and keep your metabolism revved up.

No.2 Perform mini-lifting circuits

Most traditional programs have you sit and rest between sets of an exercise. It’s true that this allows the muscles you just used to rest. If you’re competing in a max-effort lift, this is a good “recovery” strategy. For the average gym-goer, it’s a complete waste of time. There’s a substantial difference between localized fatigue (one muscle group) and central fatigue (full body). Most sets result in localized fatigue, meaning the rest of your body is rested enough to do a quality set. Instead of sending text messages or sitting on a bench and staring blankly at the girl across from you, use your rest intervals to do exercises for different muscle groups. An example would be do a mini-circuit with a dumbbell reverse lunge, dumbbell chest press and stability ball front plank. By using this “rest period” to do exercises for different muscle groups, you can burn more calories in the same amount of training time.

No.1 For cardio, do high intensity interval training

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective “bang-for-your-buck” calorie-burner out there. It’s also the most effective fat burner. Forget everything you’ve been told about “fat burning zones”; the truth is that there is a formidable amount of scientific evidence supporting interval training over steady-state cardio work in terms of fat and weight loss. In fact, one report demonstrated that interval training burns nine times as much fat per calorie burned. Since you burn substantially more calories in any given time period using interval training (compared with steady-state cardio), HIIT is an easy choice to meet your calorie-burning needs.

Taken from here

Paninggilan, 24 September 2011