Ismael Iess Falcon
World and European Sailing champion
Starting university in a new country made it very hard to keep up with my sailing routine. I had just finished 11th in the Laser Radial U19 worlds before moving to Southampton. By the end of 2016 I was going to be representing Spain in the ISAF Youth World Championships in New Zealand (with only 1 sailor per country), so I had to make sure that I got the right training programme which, thanks to the University of Southampton Bursary Athlete programme, I got Ali to design it specifically for me.
As an athlete, I really like the way Ali works as he is always trying to relate the exercises you do at the gym with the sport that you practice, so by watching videos he gets to see the motions that the sport involves and easily identifies the specific muscles that we need to focus on. From here, after setting a goal he can design programmes. after my last Youth event I had to jump into the Laser Standard class (Men’s Single-handed Olympic Class) where the average sailor weight is around 82-84 kg. After 4 months working with Ali I managed to put on 7 kg of muscle mass.
Another thing that I appreciate about Ali is that his mind goes much further than just a workout, he has been giving me some tips on my nutrition and has suggested other activities that would either improve my cardio or help me to prevent injuries in the future (rowing and yoga).
Above all that, I would say that Ali is a great person to hang out with and of course, if you can get the chance to have him as a training partner you will realize how much effort he puts on each person he works with. From my experience, if you show Ali your desire to win or achieve something he will do everything he can do to help you make it possible.
Laser standard Sailor Spain national team
9 times Spanish National Champion (Optimist, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial)
2nd place in Laser Worlds in 2014
5th place in 2016 ISAF YOUTH Worlds
2016 Laser Radial U21 European Champion
2016 Laser Radial Senior European Championships