Flex it like Hex!
Men of steel may need to be flexible but they don’t break easily. An injury during his first (and last) appearance for the Counties Manukau Steelers thwarted his rugby career but, years on, one gutsy local keeps proving that it’s impossible to keep a Glenbrook Steel Mill worker down, as JON RAWLINSON discovered.
the way Hex expected during his younger years but it resulted in him venturing abroad and into more than just a few chip shops.
Things are on the ‘up and up’ for Hona ‘Hex’ Kingi. With national records and titles under his belt, this accomplished sportsman has achieved much more than just raising the bar.
“I played a season for North Harbour in ‘99 – at prop, obviously! – then to the Steelers, but I broke my ankle in my first game so that was my season over. After recovering from injuries I played a few years with Dudley Kingswinford in the West Midlands.
“I started powerlifting at Pukekohe High but stopped when I left school and focused on rugby. I actually still hold the national secondary school records for bench, squat and deadlift but it was only just a couple of years ago [2018] that I got back into it, at masters level,” he confirms. “My bench press is 242kg, 330kg deadlift and 300kg squat – those are the current national records for my age category (40-45). They’re not too far off world records too, but at this level, every extra kilo is pretty major.”
“My health was shocking when I came back from England because I had been eating way too much – too many pork pies and Jaffa cakes!” he chuckles. “I had to do something about my weight so I started working out at Counties Fitness.” More than just helping Hex regain his ‘pre-pork-pie’ prop forward’s build, the Pukekohe gym encouraged him to go a few steps further.
Of late, Hex has been busy raising cheers (as well as all sorts of other things), competing in a range of strongman competitions. “Strongman involves quite a few different events, from log lifts and truck tyre flips to truck pulls. Because there are heaps of events, it really tests your strength, overall, in a lot of different ways. For example, I’m pretty strong in deadlifts but, if we run with kegs, I’ll probably come last!” The Glenbrook Steel Mill driver says. “I watched the Counties strongman competition [New Zealand’s Strongest Man Competition] at the A&P Show in Pukekohe last year. It looked like heaps of fun.” Since July last year, Hex has claimed various accolades in strongman competitions, including Masters’ division records in log lift and deadlift. The reigning Masters title holder in New Zealand’s Static Monsters Championships, he will pick up where he left off defending his title on October 24 (all going well when it comes to Covid-19). The following day he will be back in action at powerlifting’s GPC-NZ www.southmagazine.co.nz
Hex Kingi – set to defend his title.
National Championships.
best when on the bench.
“I compete in the GPC (Global Powerlifting Association),” he confirms. “I’m a natural [clean] athlete but I want to beat the biggest guys as it’s the ultimate challenge. I’ve never, in my life, taken them [steroids]; my dad used to say that if I ever touched that stuff, even just once, I should always be considered a cheat.”
“Bench has always been my favourite; since I was a kid I did more of that. I’ve also had a knee injury since my rugby days but that doesn’t matter so much with bench press.”
Much like boxing, there is no unified governing body for powerlifting so athletes tend to favour one organisation’s competitions or another’s. Competitions usually feature three primary disciplines: squat, bench press and deadlift. Unsurprisingly, considering he still carries a knee injury from his rugby days, Hex is
“Hona’s my real name but everyone knows me as Hex. It started out as ‘Hona Heke’, and was shortened to ‘Hex’.” If Hone Heke struck the same burley figure as his modernday (near) namesake, I suggest, the Northern War would’ve been over before it began!
Born and raised in Pukekohe, Hex’s nickname developed during childhood.
Provincial rugby did not ‘break’
“It worked out so well I decided to give bodybuilding a go. I did pretty well; I even won in my weight category at the national champs in 2007,” he reveals. From weight loss efforts to bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman competitions, Counties Fitness has backed this multidiscipline champ’ every step of the way; now aged 43, he still works out there most weekdays, especially when gearing up for a competition. “It’s not all strength work; core work, endurance and other types of workouts are important too – you have to be fit all-round, especially for strongman. Counties Fitness has been great; they’ve been my sponsors right through,” he says. “You can go as long as your body lets you in strongman. Some people compete right into their fifties so I have no plans to stop yet.” Something tells me few would be game to try! south | september 2020 | 13
