I'm three weeks out and I am sitting at my computer at 2:00am not able to sleep. Its not because I am hungry (well maybe a little), its not because I am nervous and its not because I have been up all night partying (although I wish it were). I am up this late and writing this blog because there are some things on my mind I need to express to you all.
People think bodybuilding is an easy sport, you just hit the gym, eat your food, take your supplements and the next thing you know you are standing on the Olympia stage. People also think that bodybuilders are weak minded and have self esteem issues. Well, in my two years as an IFBB pro I have learned that nothing could be further from the truth of either of those things.
The latter of those two points is the one I want to touch on. As an amateur I had the privilege of being able to win my first couple shows and also win my class a few times. As an amateur you enter each show expecting to win or if not expecting at least being able to imagine winning. This makes it easy to really train hard, diet and focus since you know anything can happen and you have a chance of winning. This is great for a bodybuilders contest prep but does nothing to strengthen you mentally for what lies ahead if you ever do break into the higher levels of bodybuilding.
I am three weeks out from the biggest show of my life and I have finally come to the realization that mental toughness is actually a pro bodybuilders most overlooked attribute. I say this because I have entered five IFBB shows now and haven't won any of them. The crazy thing is I knew I wasn't going to win any of them and yet I still trained to my full extent with every intention of winning or placing. That is the courage to fear losing yet still be your best and accept your fate.
Somehow today I realized why this show is different from the rest. I have had to reach deep into my soul for a toughness and focus I didn't think I had to get ready for this show. You would think it would be the easiest one seeing as it is the Mr.Olympia contest, but your wrong for that exact reason. For the first time in my pro career I have to get ready for a contest and train my hardest knowing I may not even crack the top ten. I didn't realize how hard a task this would be until I started but it is wreaking havoc on me mentally. There is a new level of courage I have taken on in doing this show because never before have I trained this hard to potentially be 15th.
This is why I say bodybuilders have a mental toughness that is commonly overlooked. In no other sport do you find athletes pushing themselves to the limits knowing they won't win. In football when the other team runs up the score more times than not you see the losing team fade and begin to give up. This is the opposite in bodybuilding. I am going into this show knowing I can't win and yet I have to train harder for this loss than I have ever trained for any of my wins. The other side to this coin is an even greater testament to bodybuilders everywhere. We train and diet and we compete. We lose but we never stop. Why? There is something in our hearts that tells us if you keep pushing, if you keep training your time will come....that is mental toughness that is unmatched. That is courage...
Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad
