Fitness pro Klein flips over success
Date: 20-03-2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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HAZLET — The blaring music and clanking iron melded seamlessly as the perfect soundtrack for a snowy afternoon filtered into the small, cramped office at the rear of the gym.
With an over-size sweat shirt concealing what was recently judged the fittest female physique on the planet, Kim Klein took a moment to ponder the newfound status in her chosen profession.
"There's even more pressure on me now," said the 31-year-old Belmar resident, two weeks after snapping a string of runner-up finishes when Arnold Schwarzenegger handed her a trophy and $25,000 winner's check for the Fitness International division of The Arnold Classic at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio.
As she made her way through the maze of exercise equipment at the Xtreme Fitness Zone, the club she owns with her husband, Rob, the former Howell 008 ? 0009.04High School gymnast seems comfortable with how she's channeled her competitive drive, and the doors it could open in the future.
But the next challenge, winning the Ms. Fitness Olympia this fall in Las Vegas, is never far from her mind, as she struggles to carve out time for her daily workouts amid her job keeping the facility they purchased last June running smoothly.
"I've finished second at the Olympia the past two years," Klein lamented. "I've already started training for this year's. I had been so close at The Arnold, and finally won it. Ms. Olympia is the other big event, so it would be great to finally win that one."
Like the bodybuilding divisions of the competitions, muscle definition is important. But fitness competitors must show also their strength, flexibility and athleticism in a compulsory program featuring a series of required moves, followed by a two-minute long program.
It was the perfect avenue for an athlete who once had dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast, only to have them dashed by knee injuries.
"I had knee surgery but that didn't help the problem," she said. "I was just over-flexible so I had to build up all the muscles around my knees to stabilize my knees. I had a personal trainer, I had a universal gym in my home, I went to a gym and I did everything I possibly could to build up my knees.
"But by that time I couldn't continue gymnastics and I saw an ad on TV for a fitness competition. So I figured I had no problems with my knees anymore, and I can still compete and have fun. That was when I was 19."
Now, she's a spokeswoman for MET-Rx, one of the country's top dietary supplement producers, and is featured on their Web site. She has a growing reputation as a fitness expert, backed by a competitive resume that gets more impressive with each passing year.
Klein also forms a perfect team with her husband, who competed as an amateur and has a degree in exercise science. A teacher in Howell, Klein has also taught gymnastics for 18 years.
"I handle her diet and training, and help with things like her music and costumes," Rob Klein said. "Basically, I try to take all that stress off of her so she can just do all the hard work. But I'm also the one in her ear, keeping her calm and focused because when you've finished second so many times, it gets frustrating. You're doing the best you can, so part of my job is to get her pumped up."
While the plaques and trophies, along with the posters of her in competition, scattered about the gym bear testament to how far she's come in the sport, the wear-and-tear on her body likely means her career could end within the next five years.
But the hope is that their gym will become a hotbed for younger talent looking to absorb knowledge from the pair.
"Just since winning that last show, I've had a ton of people just asking me more questions," Klein said. "We already work a lot of the amateur shows, and working with and getting young athletes ready for competitions is something we'd love to do in the future."
