Two Weeks To Go!

Whats goin on people?

Lets get down to business first I guess.  I am two weeks out from the Olympia now and I have managed to ignore all the polls and the hype so I don't get too discouraged.  Instead I have managed to see the show for what it is and that is not only the SuperBowl of bodybuilding but also the All-Star game.  So I guess that makes me a bodybuilding all-star ;).  A good man told me that and it took me a while to see it that way but I do now and being top twenty in the world at anything has to give me pleasure.  Hell, if that doesn't give me any satisfaction than what will?

Anyway, my weight is down to 242lbs today so I am back down to my ideal weight that I was before the Europa.  It hasn't been easy and I have to admit these last four weeks have been the most trying of my career.  I wake up constantly staring at the ceiling of my bedroom trying to figure out how to get through the night without going on a free for all in the pantry.  Somehow I have managed to stay disciplined and I believe it will pay off since my hard work always has in one way or another.

Hitting the 242lb mark also affords me another small piece of satisfaction....no more cardio!  Well, I guess that would be the case if I wasn't obsessive compulsive.  I can't actually bring myself to not do any cardio, I did a little this morning and probably will do a little tonight too, I just hope I don't wake up even lighter tomorrow.  I am pretty sure at this point if I get any lighter I will only be burning muscle.

The gym has been weird for the last week or so.  I have been unable for the first time since I started dieting back in June to lift heavy.  I just can't muster the strength to get my old poundage's up.  Since I am obsessive compulsive I can't leave the gym unless my muscles are screaming in agony.  So, instead of doing 14 sets of heavy duty lifting I have been doing 20-26 sets for each bodypart to make up for the lack of weight.  Only time will tell if it gives my muscle a worse or better appearance.  Looking in the mirror now it seems like everything is all good so I guess I will keep it going for another week.

Enough of business though, you guys can read that stuff in any mag or any other blog.  Let me tell you about my neurotic side....lol.  I have been craving food for so long that I am actually not craving it anymore.  You got it right, I found the answer to all of North America's weight problem.  If you just stop eating good food for long enough your brain actually forgets what it tastes like and you don't crave it anymore...lol.  Just screwin around.  Seriously though, I actually am not really craving any specific foods anymore.  

Those of you who don't compete might not understand this but I am craving situations now instead of food.  You get to a point when you diet for too long where the food you used to crave no longer becomes the center of your attention.  The center of your attention becomes the situations that involve food.  For example, I no longer crave pizza, I crave the football party on Sunday's that surrounds the pizza.  Or, I no longer crave McDonald's but I crave the road trip where I stopped at every rest stop not to pee but for some McD's because I had that much time.  Or, I no longer crave the sushi in Toronto but I crave the laughter that went along with watching the waitresses gasp that I had eaten a boat of sushi made for four.  Anyway, I think you guys get the point.  Well, those situations aren't far away now and I will make sure I revisit that Sushi place because I think it was as enjoyable for the waitresses to watch me eat all that Sushi as it was for me to eat it...although the owner couldn't have been that pleased...lol

On a much higher note.  Today while doing my obsessive behavioural cardio, after about six minutes in where I usually begin to curse the ground I walk on, instead, a warm feeling came over me at a thought I had.   I thought to myself, next week I will be standing on the same stage as Jay Cutler and I earned the right to be there...

Sacrifice Without Regret,

Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

What is Courage?

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

Four Weeks Till the Big Dance

Hey everyone,

I missed last week because my brain was a mess from eating at buffets and trying to decide what I should do about the biggest show of my life. I decided that since it is the biggest show of my life it doesn't make to much sense to skip it.
Last Monday I returned to my office (the gym) and got my ass in gear on the step mill. When I weighed myself in the morning before my cardio I was a watery, fat, 276lbs. Eating at buffets and your soon to be mother in laws house for a week straight will do that to you. I gained an unhealthy 30lbs in just one week and now it was time to get it all back off.
So, literally, one step at a time I began to take it off. Chad got me back on my diet last Monday and I got myself back in the gym working hard. I have good training partners, one of which is getting ready for the Canadian Nationals so staying on the diet and getting into the gym has been relatively easy in terms of motivation.
I feel a little burnt out I have to admit but it is an honor to stand on the O stage and I really am pushing myself mentally and physically to bring the best package I can bring. This last week of training has actually been very intense and has rekindled the fire I had when I started this precontest season. Training at Metroflex with Johnnie Jackson, seeing Flex Lewis' work ethic and watching Branch Warren tear through iron like it was tissue has made me realize what real hardcore is. It brought new meaning to the term, 'when you think your training hard, someone else is training harder'. Those guys in Texas were animals. I'm sitting here in my air conditioned heaven while they're out there in the sweltering heat building physiques cut from stone. So I brought some of that mentality back with me and my training has been on fire.
Sleeping is a sad state of affairs for me. I go to bed only to wake up two hours later, not able to fall back asleep for hours sometimes. Its choppy and very light but I am getting as much as I can for now.
The diet has been pretty easy. I ate so much food after the Europa that I think I made myself sick of eating and actually was glad to get back on the diet. It has been one week and I have dropped twenty-three pounds......can you say water weight...lol.
So I am back down to 253lbs this morning and with another 8-10lbs to drop before the O things are moving in the right direction. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can't believe I am going to be standing on the Olympia stage. I remember it like it was yesterday, standing on the Windsor Cup stage at 21 years old. Sometimes I don't believe it and I am not sure I will until I actually get on the stage and feel what its like to pose with the best in the world.
Just a final thought to try and really express my feelings about it. A few nights ago I was on YouTube watching some of Kevin Levrone's posing video's. Now I always get nervous before shows but not because of the crowd, more so because of the competition and wanting to do well. This video brought about a new nervousness though. At the start it shows the camera behind him just as he is about to pull the curtain to get onstage. As he opens the curtain all you see is a see of people and camera's flashing. I just realized I will be going from posing in front of 500 people to posing in front of 10,000 people! Like I said a whole new ball game and an entirely new nervousness. I can't wait.....

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad Abiad

O, O, OMG.....I'm O Bound!

Hey everyone its about two days after the Europa and I am fatter than I was in the middle of the offseason..lol. Just playin but it feels like it for sure. I just finished my last day of shooting yesterday with MuscleTech and they were so nice to take me to the nicest buffet I have ever been too. Like that's what I needed was a buffet. Needless to say I ate enough for a small village and will never forget my night at the Brazillian Steakhouse which I am not too good to call a fine dining buffet, something I never thought I would see. Its actually a nice enough place to take a date as long as you can control yourself from refilling your plate six times like I did...lol
Last week was crazy, my head has been spinning and I have actually been so hard at work I haven't had a chance to sit and really think about the things I got to do last week or the things I accomplished.
After the last blog I told you guys I had a ton of work to do and that's what I did. I met a good friend of Steve Kuclo's down in Dallas named Max who was a stand up guy for sure. He was there to train with me and drive me around to get things I needed for the show and I will never forget his kindness for sure. Hope your shoulder injury gets better buddy. After slaving away on the hotel cardio machines Sunday and Monday morning, Max picked me up on Monday night and we went to Gold's to train. I tore it up. I have never trained that hard four days before a show before, I mean it was leg day and I was doing, squats, hacks, leg press you name it. All things I wouldn't normally do that close to a show but it just felt right.
Monday night I hit the cardio again as hard as I could and went to bed knowing I was going to be at the most hardcore place on earth the next day...MetroFlex Gym, shooting with Johnnie Jackson for MMI. I woke up Tuesday at 6:00am, smashed some cardio made sure I looked good, put on my little black booty shorts and headed out with my best Zoolander face on. When I got there I realized I had arrived in a place where being tired or slacking just wasn't aloud. The music was deafening and the dirt and dust in the machine made it hard to breath but the sound of DMX booming through four 20" subs was enough to make your blood boil and ready to train.
The MMI shoot was a fly on the wall shoot meaning me and JOJ got to train as if we were alone and the photogs just shot around us. Needless to say me and Johnnie trained back and I had one of the best back workouts I had ever had. It wasn't heavy but just the intensity inside that gym made you squeeze out reps you never thought you had in you. After Johnnie left I shot some Tricep shots and some Hamstring shots and we called it a day.
My day wasn't over however. I had trained Shoulders, Legs and Back and still had to fit in Chest and Arms with only a day left of training. So later on after getting back from the shoot I called Max and he picked up me and my girl and went to the gym to train. We hit Chest, Tris and a little Shoulders and again I had a great workout. For some reason, I don't know maybe it was being in Dallas but I had been training like an animal and loving every minute of it. We got back to the hotel late Tuesday night, I smashed out some more cardio and hit the sack because I had GASP to shoot with in the morning.
Wednesday the 13th. Again I woke up at 6:00am went down and busted out some cardio so I don't disappoint the GASP higher ups. Hopped in a cab and again got to hell on earth; MetroFlex for 8:30am. I shot with my man FLEX Lewis for something like eight hours in that gym and it was about 120 degrees in there. It was a long day but I know we got some good shots so it was all worth it even though I was half dead on the car ride home.
I was all done cardio at that point and training and had began carb loading for the show on Friday. So Wednesday we just went to bed, well I guess you could call it that. I don't think I have had a good nights rest in about 10 weeks but anyway. We woke up Thursday and I thought this girl has been with me going through all this shit and I haven't given her anything in return. So I said to my girl Sommer, lets hit the mall. So Thursday before one of the biggest shows of my life what do I do....I go shopping...lol...what a chick thing to do..lol. I ended up buying a whole bunch of stuff which made me feel better and at the same time I got my girl some new shoes that I thought she really deserved so all in all it was a fun trip.
Friday the 15th. Showtime. I woke up ready for some reason. I looked at myself in the mirror and I was a little nervous about the show but I new I was the best I had been out of all three shows and that I was going to do well. I didn't think I was going to win or nothing don't get me wrong I just knew that I was going to repeat my shape from the week before which was my goal.
Well when prejudging started I realized I had exceeded my shape from the week before because I got the first call out again in a deeper line up. It never fails, I wanted to jump up and down right there I was so excited. I love this sport. Toney Freeman congratulated me right there on stage during the call out and that's where the fun ended...lol. The judges wanted to see me compared to everyone. I was called out first and then second and then forth and then again and again and again, my legs felt like I had ran a marathon. At one point Tarek Elsetouhie pulled me aside and said to me jokingly in Arabic, 'what is this, are they trying to kill us as a joke'....lmao, we had a good laugh about it because he knew I felt the same way and we were called out together almost every time.
Prejudging ended and most people had me anywhere from 3-5th so I was happy and went back to the hotel with Sommer and just chilled out and tried not to think of the possibilities of what could happen the next day.
All I know is I didn't drink a single drop of water and I came back the next day for the finals harder and drier than the night before. I came to battle, I did my routine and then the top five posed down one more time. After our pose down they lined us up and began to read the placings. When they read the forth place name and I was still standing there I thought I was dreaming! I turned to Dennis James and he stuck his hand out to congratulate me and I think I almost ripped it off because I pulled him so hard for a hug thank you..lol. Toney Freeman I think was happier for me than I was for me, I swear he was like an older brother to me the entire weekend.
At that point all I did was try not to cry because I knew they were taking pics. After they were done I walked off stage and the first person I saw was a lady with a 'Press' badge. She looked at me and handed me a folder with '2008 Olympia' written on the front. She said "Here is your Olympia Qualification" and before she could finish saying it I burst out into tears because everything I had worked for, for ten years had finally come true.
Everyone backstage congratulated me and I ended up doing a Bodybuilding.com interview half in tears but I think everyone forgave me for that seeing as it was the biggest accomplishment of my career.
I was on cloud nine but here is the funny part, no celebration. Why you ask? Because I had more shoots!!!...lol. Me and Sommer went to the Cheesecake Factory where I had never been before, BIG mistake, I controlled myself but it was hard. We talked about what I had done and the show, we had a good meal and turned in.
Next morning, up at 7:00am hitting the cardio. Photo shoot with Muscletech at 12:00pm. It went well it wasn't too long but its work regardless. I shot with Darrem Charles and Johnnie again and the more I am around these guys the more I realize how real they are. They really inspire me to be better so I appreciate that.
After the shoot, no celebration. Why you ask? Because I had another shoot!!! Next morning up at 6:00am smashing the cardio making sure I look good for another MuscleTech shoot. Can't disappoint the people who got you there, so I always do my best not to flake out or show up looking sub par (that should be a lesson for you beginners). The shoot was at MetroFlex again, it was about eight hours long and it went really well.
At one point I stopped and zoned out. Imagine this, in one corner is FLEX Lewis shooting with Gaspari, in the other corner Johnnie is shooting with Muscletech, on the four 20" subs Tupac, DMX and Biggie are blaring so loud the only thing I can hear is Brian Dobson and his training partners pounding 500lbs worth of iron off the cement floor...bang....bang....bang. At that very moment I finally realized I was living a dream....

Sacrifice Without Regret!
Fouad Abiad

Tampa Bay

Its two days after the show and I am trying to get my head back on straight because I know there is a lot of work to do still over the next eight days. The Tampa Bay show ended up being just the kick in the ass I needed to let me know that I still have what it takes to be a competitive IFBB Pro and even more.

I didn't really fill any of you in on the pre-show jitters or thoughts that I had because a competitor usually does his best to block those things out and stay positive. Now that the show has passed I can talk a little about things that go through your mind in the final weeks whether you are an IFBB Pro or simply doing your first local show.

After the Houston show I refocused and decided that I was going to attack Tampa with a full head of steam to try and redeem myself. That being said I still had doubts all through the final weeks of my prep, thoughts of uncertainty if this was really for me or if I had what it takes. Being mentally tough and having courage to me, means having those fears and going through with it anyway, so that's what I did.

All the way up to the final day before the show I was still feeling unsure of myself and uncertain if I wanted to go and feel another disappointing performance. Still I kept to the plan that Chad and I had worked out and decided I would do my best and let the chips fall where they may. In the end the Tampa show proved a few things to me but one most importantly. If I work as hard as I can in the gym I can achieve a level of physique that is competitive and that is enough for me to keep working towards more.

On August 9th I showed up in Tampa with the best package I could bring, it wasn't the best package of the day nor was it the best package that I in vision in my mind of one day having but it was the best I could do with what I currently have. The judges I believe saw that and rewarded me, putting me in the top five along with Darrem Charles, Dave Henry, Dennis James and Toney Freeman, all athletes I look up to and aspire to be like.

Now the show is done and after all the congratulations and good feelings its time to get back to work as next weeks show is going to be even harder than Tampa Bay. Along with the four names I mentioned there are others like Johnnie Jackson and Erik Fankhouser who will be throwing their hats into the mix. Not to mention I have a couple photo shoots lined up, so the good times and celebrating will have to wait for another week or so.

On a lighter side of things I have realized that my militant work ethic that I use to diet isn't so militant...lol. I mean I always listen to Chad Nichols and I always fulfill contract obligations with MT, MMI and GASP since they all are very good to me but somethings when left to interpretation may not be construed the way they were meant to be. For example, Chad says to me I can have a good meal after the Tampa Bay show and enjoy myself. These words were like death to my conditioning. I went out after the show to this meal:

Large Plate of Nachos

Tortellini

Chicken Avocado Salad (extra large)

Extra Large Fudge Sundae

Large Cookie with Double helping of Ice Cream

That was one meal!!! Whats wrong with me. I woke up the next morning and my head was shaped like a basketball with two slits in it that my eyes could barely see through. I said to myself its okay I'm sure the other guys did the same thing. So I go down for breakfast, I wasn't gonna eat much just some eggs and cereal and you know a healthy breakfast but not really a diet breakfast. I see Toney Freeman, down there and he looks like he is still on stage. Chiseled face and all....later I see Dave Henry with the same look. So I am starting to wonder, am I really a bad bodybuilder, these guys stay strict and I'm off stuffing my face. Then I see Nicole Ball (she won the women's BBing the night before) and she also looks shredded still. So I say to her, wow you still look great didn't you have anything sloppy to eat last night, she says 'I had a muffin and a coffee with cream in it'..???OMG a muffin and a coffee! After hearing that I felt like the worst bodybuilder ever and needless to say it got me right back on track.

I got into the hotel here in Dallas on Sunday and started busting ass on the cardio machines and it will continue until I work off that glutenous meal I decided to have without thinking. Anyway, just a little tip for you guys, when someone says 'if you think you're working hard someone else is working harder', I just learned that saying is all too true.

Sacrifice Without Regret,

Fouad Abiad

Final Week

So, its 5:34am and I can't sleep, can any of you guess why? That's right I am absolutely starving and I also can't seem to get out of my head that I didn't write my blog this week. It seems that when I am this crazy into the diet every little loose end needs to be tied up or I just can't seem to relax. So I figure now is as good a time as any to get my ass up and write you guys some nonsense about my week. As for the starving part, I already took about ten minutes staring into the fridge and realized god hasn't created any calorie free foods since yesterday and closed the door, I feel much better now....

Anyway, training is going as well as can be this week. I mean if you are doing everything correctly you can't expect to be lifting record numbers at this point. Actually if you are doing everything right you should just be happy to really get through the number of sets and reps you have set out for yourself. That's pretty much where I'm at. I get to the gym, take a deep breath and plow through set after set without thinking about it until I am done. If I stop to think I am finished, stopping means restarting again and at this point I can only get myself fired up once.

Cardio sessions are actually much better than I thought they would be. I have a StairMaster at home so I do my morning empty stomach cardio at the gym and I do my night cardio in my apartment. It works out well for me that way, they are only two thirty minute sessions since I was already in pretty good shape from the last show.

Food. What can I say about food, its the ultimate drug. I find myself sitting and daydreaming about foods I used to eat as a kid for some reason. I think my emotional attachment to food is unhealthy....ya think...lol. I was telling my girlfriend this story just the other day. As a child growing up with four siblings and a father who was a welder and a mom who was a stay at home mom, things were a little on the poor side. I mean don't get me wrong we always had everything we needed but never the extras that most kids have.
Growing up the only cereal in the house was Corn Flakes, no Reece Puffs, Fruit Loops, Cap'N'Crunch, none of that. So I used to add my own healthy dose of sugar to the Corn Flakes to make me feel like a kid...lol. Anyway one of my favorite things to do growing up was to fill like a big Salad bowl full of Corn Flakes, cover them in milk and sugar and then throw them in the fridge. I know, I know that's gross but Oh so good. Everything gets all soggy and the Corn Flakes soak up most of the milk. After about thirty minutes in the fridge its time to put in a good movie, watch a football game or whatever and just enjoy.
Point is I have come to realize that the Corn Flakes taste like shit but the point is I have been daydreaming about food so much I have even started dreaming about food all the way back in my childhood. I know, I need help...lol.

This last week is all about focus though and finishing up the last bits of work to make sure I look my best. I have already started to pack for my two weeks away and my hair and wax appointments are coming up. Oh yeah that should be fun, I'm getting my body waxed, don't worry its only gonna take about five hours...lol. I already asked the esthitician if she could stop in the middle so I could eat a meal...lol. As for my hair on head it shouldn't take too long to get through that part of things since most of it is slowly going away. I haven't decided how I am going to cut it yet but there isn't too many choices when its falling out faster than its growing so I will let the hair stylist do her thing and hope for the best.

I guess that's about all the rambling I have this week. I have cut my music, almost packed and have done all my homework. Now I just have to go write the test and see if I pass. The Olympia qualification has still be out of reach to date so I'm gonna see if I can make that happen this weekend. Be sure to watch as I think it will be web cast on Pro Bodybuilding Weekly. Okay its 6:00am now, I'm gonna go drink a ton of sugar free Kool-Aid and hope that gets me back to sleep!

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad Abiad

Refocused and Ready for Battle!

Whats going on everyone. It has been a tough road to this point for many different reasons but things seem to be coming together nicely. This week was one of reflection and refocus. After the Houston Pro Show I realized I hadn't dealt with my poor performance. This week I took some time out to think about what happen and how I can make it better in the future, I also took some time to let it go!
I am two weeks out from the Tampa Bay Pro Show now and I am tighter than I was for Houston already. I weighed in this morning at 245lbs and plan on dropping more if I can. One of the mistakes I made leading to Houston was playing the size game but not trying to catch any other athlete but more so with myself. I wanted to come in as big as I could and still be in shape, the problem was I didn't have my shape that I was recognized for last year.
So what am I doing differently you ask? When it comes to training in the gym with iron I have tried not to change anything. That is one equation that I will not mess with. I still am lifting as heavy as I can and trying to keep the volume as high as possible without over doing it.
Cardio has gone a drastic overhaul and if someone asks me after the show what I did differently, cardio will be the main culprit. I have gone back to basics with my cardio, in the past I have never been a treadmill or bike kinda guy. I always stuck to my old companion the Stepmill or Gauntlet, that's the moving stairs for those of you who don't know. For the Houston Chad and I had my cardio set up at 45min once a day first thing in the morning. I was on the treadmill the entire prep because I was seeing my weight drop so I thought it was all the same. Man, do I stand corrected. Being on the Stepmill the last couple weeks has really etched in some of the lines in the lower body I am really known for, it burns like a bitch especially when you trained legs the day before but it has to be done. The second change to my cardio was splitting my cardio into two sessions which is also something that I have always done. I am doing two 30min sessions instead of one long 45min session. The extra 15min isn't really whats doing the trick, its more the timing. First session is done on an empty stomach in the morning and the second session is done just before my last meal, which has no carbs in it by the way. So essentially I am burning most of the small amount of carbs I have had during the day and going to bed with my metabolism cranked. Welcome to the world of no sleep...
Now, there is some good news. Like I said I am refocused and am void of distraction. For the Houston I was always looking for food, I just wanted to eat all the time and I don't know why because I am not that kind of dieter. I generally flip the switch and then there is nothing left to do except follow the plan. For this show, I have gotten that militant attitude back. My girlfriend came here this weekend and I even cooked her my famous Penne with Blush sauce (which if you didn't know I would kill anyone of you for if it wouldn't hurt my show prep...lol). So as far as food goes it has become more for fuel again and less for fun, I guess getting mopped at a show will help you realize whats important.
On the same not my girlfriend has become more understanding of my situation and she actually doesn't hate me this week so it has been a little easier to focus on the task at hand. I know it has to be hard on them dealing with our cranky asses, so I have been doing the best I can also to make her life less miserable. Its a two way street I guess but either way you look at it, if we are okay I can think more clearly about the things I need to be doing.
I have also been trying much harder to be nicer to the people around me, be it, close friends, family or just the dude in the gym who was in the wrong place at the wrong time...lol. Its a tough thing to do but a conscious effort has to made or I will drive everyone crazy.
On the crazy side of things, I have also curbed my craziness into one corner I think. I used to be on the net buying anything and everything I could get my hands on. Lately though it seems to be all directed toward my car. This I don't feel so bad about. My car is like my hobby or my release and since I can't go out and have a few drinks then I might as well enjoy modifying my car. I have an 05 Mustang GT and this past week I had it lowered, this coming week I am adding a few more goodies to it. When its done I will give you guys a good shot of it so you can email me some of your opinions.
Anyway, now I am rambling. The Tampa show is going to have the like of Dennis James, Darrem Charles, Toney Freeman and Mark Dugdale to name a few so I guess you guys see what I am getting at. If I stand a chance against these Olympians I better show up at 100% or else I will just be another fan but with a better seat than most. To all of you getting ready for the North Americans or the Canadian Nationals, keep slammin that weight and to my peers in the IFBB, its all good, have that piece of pie, no ones lookin...

Sacrifice Without Regret!
Fouad Abiad