9 Weeks Out

The show is getting closer and closer and even though things have been hard I am getting more and more excited by the week. Some bodybuilders think its easy to stay in offseason mode, just eating whatever you want and training but for me it gets tiring. There comes a point after four or so months when I just get sick of the offseason and being chubby and really look forward to getting down to business.
This past week brought some challenges but also gave me some hope. In the last blog I spoke about some of the injuries I have had and was a bit discouraged. I have had a hamstring problem for the last few weeks and my therapist has been working on it to no avail. My therapist mentioned it might be my back, as he named some of the symptoms that go with low back pain and disc problems. I really began to identify with it and told him that those were the symptoms I was feeling. This week he began working on my low back on the traction table and also making daily back adjustments. Its only been a week of these treatments and I am already starting to feel better and am able to train pain free! I think a couple more weeks with him working on my back and I will be 100% again feelin good.
This small injury has really taught me to have some variation in my training. For example my back training this week was mostly machine work to keep my low back stable. For legs I had to make other small changes, instead of hack squats which were too much for my low back I had to do reverse hacks which still gave me a burn without slowing the healing process. I guess what I am trying to get across to you all is sometimes when you are training bad things can happen. Instead of throwing in the towel you have to find new ways and have an open mind about how you can really make the muscle work.
I am still growing as the weeks go by, I am at 275lbs and getting leaner. It feels really strange because I am accustomed to the scale dropping and that ends up meaning I am looking better. This time the scale isn't budging, in fact it is going up but I am looking better week by week. I can also tell that the diet is really starting to work because I am getting very hungry in between meals. I am still eating what I was eating two weeks ago but my metabolism has really kicked into high gear. Some of you have emailed me about specifics. Daily I am eating three red meat meals, two fish meals and one chicken making up all six meals with no shakes. This is also the first time I have ever eaten six meals a day without shakes. I think I like it but it does get expensive. Carbs are simple, oatmeal, yams, brown rice and the occasional salad just for some flavor.
Usually as I start to get excited about a show I begin to visualize the stage and how I am going to do. Its not something I do consciously but most of you know how it is when you are doing cardio or in between sets on the gym floor, sometimes your mind just wanders. This is the first pro show I am entering in my IFBB career that I really feel like I have a chance at winning. I can see the callouts and I can see the battle, everyday it looks a little more clear in my mind.
I don't know if its this visualization that has given me the strength in the gym but this week I resumed lifting some of the weight that I haven't lifted in a long time. Leg press - 18 plates a side, incline press - 405lbs for ten reps. I know there are bodybuilders out there that are much stronger than me but for me putting those numbers up while in the middle of a diet is very rare indeed.
Before I let you guys go this week there is one more thing I know of that has given me strength and I have thought of it everyday in and out of the gym. A very good friend of mine told me on Sunday that her daughter was diagnosed with cancer. After hearing something like that it makes all your aches and pains, personal problems and financial issues all seem so insignificant. It made me realize that I have my strength, my family, my friends and I should be grateful for everyday with them. My friend called the other night to tell me about how strong her daughter has been in the hospital and how she hasn't even cried through all the poking, prodding and surgeries. I found a lot of inspiration in that young women's strength and decided that I will dedicate the Tampa Bay Pro show to her for giving me the strength to get through it all and be my best.
The show is getting closer and I am fighting harder and harder, my time is now and I have to break out at this show. I am shooting for the veterans and trying to make my mark, this is the show and this is my year!

Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad
Sacrifice Without Regret!