4 Weeks Out

Let the games begin! That is the only way I can think of things right now. To date this diet has been a joke. I have been dieting for ten weeks and have only lost 11lbs but look like I lost 30lbs. I have been lifting like an animal and actually breaking some of my old records while dieting, that's unheard of for me. Normally I get weaker as the diet goes on. I have been eating about 5000cals a day and have been doing minimal cardio. Like I said things have been easy. Until now...
All of the things said above are about to change. The carbs are lower, the cardio is higher and glycogen stores are not what they were in weeks past so record breaking lifts may have to wait until after the show. There comes a point in every diet when the body stops working and the mind takes over. That's why so many people can't compete as bodybuilders, the mental toughness it takes to lift heavy weight and do cardio on minimal calories is torture and a true test of how bad you really want it. Either you have it or you don't.
I am looking forward to dialing in the last ten pounds. I am sitting at 260lbs right now and have about ten to lose to get that freaky, grainy conditioning that I have been known for bringing. This last ten pounds will take the next three weeks and all the mental toughness I have. The sad thing about all of this is I look forward to sleepless nights, being weaker in the gym and being hungry all the time. Those things all mean I am getting closer and closer to the goal of winning an IFBB show. Without feeling those things, you can not be a champion so you have to welcome it or stay off the stage. I have never heard any great bodybuilder say the dieted for the show and didn't feel hungry, cranky, lose sleep or lose strength. Every bodybuilder from the very top down feels one of all of these things when getting ready for a show.
Career wise things are picking up. I have an appearance next week at GNC in Toronto, I also have a couple guest posings lined up for the fall. They are significant since one of them is my first US guest posing which makes me very happy since it means I am gaining popularity in another country which is very important. There are a couple other store appearances in the works that I am trying to finalize, these are also significant because it gives me a chance to really talk to any fans that have questions for me. Lastly, PBW radio show is on the agenda in the weeks to come as well as SuperHumanRadio, both well known radio shows that I am happy to be part of. Like I always say, if you keep working good things will happen. Its just a matter of time and patience. If you guys are interested I also did an interview with bodybuilding.com this week, you can find it through the site under articles and interviews.
Okay as for the technical stuff. My lifts are still good right now as my body hasn't really begun to drain itself of glycogen and carb stores. Some of them this past week were, 405lb barbell rows, 405lb incline press, 315lb behind the neck press, 405lb stiff leg deads. There has been one minor setback. I have been dealing with a minor quad strain but I think its almost 100% so hopefully the next time I have a blog for you I will have some good quad numbers to put up. I actually broke one of my records this week for barbell shrugs...seven plates a side! I'm working hard to catch up to the big boys. It might take me a couple years but if I can stay healthy I am going to make it happen.
On the food end of things nothing has really changed except for a slight reduction in carbs. I am still eating six whole food meals, no shakes. Steak, chicken, fish are my protein sources and brown rice, yams and oatmeal are still my carb sources. The one thing I can say about knowing when you are dieting hard. I know some of you have felt this, when you are eating a meal and in the middle of it no matter how big it is, you know you're going to be starving when you are done. Actually I'm at the point now with some of my meals when I am starving while eating..lol.

Like I tell my family though, no sympathy. I chose this life, I love this life and I want nothing more than to immerse myself in it. I have said before I am a competitor and a fan of bodybuilding and want to be more than just a one time Olympia competitor, I want to make my mark. Whether it happens this year or another I will make the improvements needed to get me to where I need to be. This is a team sport and as I said before, this week more than ever I have great friends keeping me up and one person I can't thank enough for letting me know what is at stake. She has made me believe more now than ever before how important it is to never let up!

'Sacrifice Without Regret'
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

5 Weeks Out - Tampa Bay Pro

Well, I must be five weeks out because its 5am and I am sitting in front of the computer and NOT SLEEPING! It drives me crazy, I went to bed at like 2am and have been up every hour since then looking at the clock hoping its time for me to start my cardio. I can't really start cardio until about 7am because if I do it before then that means I have to eat my breakfast after that and then my day has started way to early. So I try and time it so I start cardio at 7am and eat my first meal around 8:30am.
Its amazing how the body reacts to having such little bodyfat on it. In the offseason some of you know me as 'Hoss' because I get so heavy, I sleep like a bear in that phase of the year. I go to bed at around 2am and wake up around 2pm the next day. I also feel sorry for anyone sleeping next to me in the offseason because I think I snore like a bear also..lol.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I have noticed a dramatic change in the way I feel this year while dieting and I think a few factors have played into that. As most of you know I am working with Hany this year and he opted to keep me lean this offseason. He wanted to see how my body would react since I have never stayed lean in the offseason before now. I started my contest diet at 271lbs. That might be confusing to some of you since I reported a heavier weight but trust me I wasn't lying I just didn't know. The scale at my gym was 8lbs off! Whats the point of even having a scale if its 8lbs off!..lol.
I went out and bought a new scale and realized I was 271lbs at the start of my diet and as I just stepped on the scale now I was 263lbs. The crazy thing about that is I've only lost 8lbs since the start of the diet 9 weeks ago. I normally only diet for about 9 weeks and I usually drop anywhere from 40-50lbs by contest time. I think this year its going to be more like 20lbs if not maybe a little less.
The point to all of this is the ongoing debate of getting big and fat in the offseason or staying leaner in the offseason. I was a firm believer in getting as big as a house and then shedding all the fat until this year. I have now realized that going a little over is essential for growth but getting sloppy fat (like me at 301lbs...jeez) is not necessary.
In my closet I have about three sets of clothing. One for 'fat offseason Fouad', one for 'started dieting not so fat Fouad' and the last one if 'ripped can finally fit into jeans Fouad'. The nice thing this year was eliminating one of those sets of clothing. I had 'kinda chubby' and 'lean', it makes life much easier, any of you guys out there that love to eat and pack on the pounds know exactly what I'm talking about.
Last but most importantly, I'm a little crazy this time around but as you can see from my previous blogs not nearly as much as years past. Since I didn't get crazy fat this year I don't have to restrict my calories really at all while dieting. I'm still eating in the 4-5000 cal range and loving it. My mood is much better, my friends and family all actually want to be around me this time..lol. Normally I'm a complete ass to be around when I'm dieting. I think having a good support system without outside pressures or negativity's has also really helped keep me levelled out.
I know bodybuilding is an individual and selfish sport, so I thought all these years. As I get older and get into the business of making this my life I have realized that every ounce of help you can get from anyone around you, girlfriend, friends, family, fans, trainer, anyone, its all so important to what the final product ends up looking like. I think if you are happy while training and you have good people around you, not only is the contest diet much easier but you can remain at peace with yourself while you get ready for the one big day you have been gunning for, for 14 weeks. I think it also shows in the way someone looks on contest day, so I hope. If I look like shit this year I'm going back to being an ass, since it worked before..lol.
The excitement for the show has become completely evident this week as we get into the last few weeks here. Before this week, I was feeling very easy going about it and actually wasn't thinking about the show itself that much. This week it has begun to hit me, fans emailing me about it being my first pro win or top three placings, its all very flattering and exciting. With that excitement comes pressure. I feel like the pressure is on now to take my physique and my career to the next level and I am trying to make it happen now. I don't want to wait another year of offseason to rebuild, I have put in the time and I need to make that impact now and that's the kind of pressure I have begun to feel. Its better this way because I work better under pressure, this will only make me stronger.
The great but sad thing is my three brothers are all coming to the show to see me kick some ass. I have to tell you that they are loving but ruthless and if I go out there and give anything less than a stellar performance they are going to rip me a new one for weeks after...lol. Gotta love good family!

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

June 23, 2009

Well, I was dreading this day and it has come. For some reason the cravings that weren't there at all over the last eight weeks have all of a sudden just shown up all at once. Last night I didn't care about food and it was pretty much the last thing on my mind. Until today winning the show has overcome all other thoughts. Today, thoughts about pizza, doughnuts, and chocolate ice cream all broke into my mind and wouldn't leave as much as I tried. I think I know the reason and it happened all at once.
Somebody please explain to me why people feel the need to watch the food channel while they do cardio. I always do my cardio on an empty stomach in the morning. My cardio of choice is the stepmill (the moving stairs) and I trained legs yesterday so it wasn't feeling very good anyway. To top it off there are about five T.V's in front of the stepmills at my gym and three of them were on food channels! What is wrong with people?! Why would watching chefs making delicious food on t.v make you want to train harder or make cardio any easier? I do forty minutes in the morning and today it felt like four hours because I had to watch people make gourmet pizza and some other stuff that I don't even know what it was but it looked so damn good...lol.
So I finish up and leave the gym and for some reason I couldn't get the food out of my head. It was like all the fast food signs were brighter, more colourful and actually were the only signs I could see..lol. Then I get home and I had mail, so I thought. In my mail was a Pizza Pizza flyer, a KFC flyer and a McDonlald's coupon book. Man when it rains it pours.
Well I am happy to say that the warrior in me was able to eventually (after burning my mail) get my head on straight and block any negative thoughts about food or anything else. There is only thing on my mind right now and that is winning this show coming up and I don't want to give anyone an easy road by messing up my diet and looking like shit.
People always ask me if I feel lucky because I don't have a normal nine to five job? I am always very grateful for my career choice and that I was able to follow my dream but today I actually felt like I worked eight hours in a factory. I barely got out of bed this morning, for some reason after a great leg workout my body needs lots more sleep. When I finally did get out of bed and made my way to the stepmill at the gym, it was a chore with every step since my quads were already burning after the first three minutes in. After coming home to eat I was out to the grocery store to stock the fridge and then cook more food. By the time that was done I was back at the gym for a forty set training session of chest and tris and before I could leave I did another cardio session. When I got home I sweaty and gross and I swear I felt like I did when I was eighteen and I was working in a factory. Just getting home exhausted and sweaty, getting into the shower all recalled those memories of real blue collar work.
Don't ever let anyone tell you what we bodybuilders do is easy, even if it looks that way from the outside looking in. When its done properly and pushed to the very limits it can be one of the hardest jobs on earth. All that being said I wouldn't trade it for the world! My dad was a blue collar man and if anything when I work this hard it makes me feel like him. That makes me proud...

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

8 Weeks Out

Wow, its been a good week! I have been crushing the iron and lifting more than I ever have at the eight week mark. Usually as most competitors know the closer you get to a show the weaker or lower on energy you become. I have been dieting for six weeks and I am getting stronger each week but still getting tighter. This week I broke a couple of my records and that has got me on fire and ready for the coming week.
Front squats are a tough thing to master and I never really did them on a regular basis until this year. Even though I was doing them week to week I was having trouble mastering the form and getting the feel. In the last few weeks I have really begun to nail it and its paying off. I broke my front squat record this time front squatting 405lbs for 10reps. I know that doesn't sound like a lot when you watch Ronnie front squat 600lbs for fun but for me it is a personal best with that many reps.
Incline press has also been a sticking point for me over the year and as of late its become one of my favorite exercises. Again there are plenty of bodybuilders out there that can lift more so I am by no means bragging but for me I broke another record of mine. I incline pressed 405lbs for 10 reps also this week for two sets and then went on to dumbell press 170lb dumbells for three more sets. I have never done that kind of weight back to back like that so I am feeling good. If I can stay healthy I am going to try to keep this up all the way into the show, within reason of course.
Hunger is still not an issue as I am still getting in 4500cals or so. Someone emailed me this week about wondering how I was eating that many calories and still losing weight. Here is the best way I can explain it.
First off I train twice a day now on some days which is something I have never done. I have a fast metabolism to begin with, not Dexter Jackson fast but I can lose weight pretty easily. So now there are days where I do cardio in the morning then eat, train a bodypart, eat some more and then train a different bodypart. This type of training is really keeping my body burning like a furnace. Secondly and maybe most importantly, all the food I am eating is as clean as can be. I am eating low glycemic carbs this year which is also something I haven't ever done before. Oatmeal, Yams and brown rice are the sources and protein sources are chicken, fish and steak. That's it, that's all I am eating every day, no fats, no sugars, no empty calories. So that being the case my body is using it all to rebuild from two a day workouts and whatever it isn't rebuilding with it is using for energy. Nothing is being wasted.
Over the years in my bodybuilding career I have been somewhat of a homebody. I like to be home to make sure I am getting my meals in on time and that way I can also make sure the quality of the food I am eating is up to par. On a more picky not I have been blessed to be able to make a living from bodybuilding so I can be home to eat meals fresh and not packed in cold Tupperware containers. This type of lifestyle has lead me to missing out on many occasions because I have to eat every couple hours so home base is the place to be for me.
I decided this year that I wasn't going to let my eating schedule dictate what I do and don't do this summer. I have always competed in late summer meaning I am always dieting when everyone else is sitting on a patio somewhere enjoying the weather.
This weekend we had a pretty big event going on in Windsor with concerts and parties going on in the streets. I thought why not make this the weekend I change things. So I ate my meal and headed out with a few friends. They were all drinking, partying and eating great food. To be honest it didn't bother me, I mean I am always interested in a cold beer while under the hot sun but I was OK. I think today showed me that you can still be a great bodybuilder and have a good social life, just because you're out doesn't mean you have to eat crappy food and it doesn't mean you have to be drunk.
All this being said, if I notice even the slightest bit of change in my performance in the gym or in my physique, its back to my old ways. Nothing is more important to me than getting better each year and reaching the top of the sport. Till next week, keep the injuries in check, the iron clanging and the motivation to be the best at its peak!

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

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!

Nothing can stand in my way!

So we're a little over ten weeks out from Tampa Bay now and things are rolling right along better than I could have imagined. There have been a few setbacks, hence the title but overall I am happy with the progress I have been making and still baffled by the weight loss even while eating five thousand calories a day.
So lets get to the setbacks so you all can understand what we really go through on a day to day basis as IFBB Pro's. One of the goals this year was to really bring up the legs all around, hams, quads and calves. To do this we have been blasting them twice a week, heavy and high volume, the perfect recipe for injury. Most bodybuilders either go heavy or they go high volume but because of the imbalance in my physique I have had to do both all year. In the process I have managed to overwork and inflame my tendons in my knees and my elbows.
On a daily basis you could walk into my apartment at any time of day and find me with ice packs wrapped around my knees and most likely an ice pack on deck for one of my elbows. Its the only way to keep the inflammation down and allow me to keep training and growing. Anyone who has ever had tendon inflammation of any kind can understand the pain that I go through on a daily basis. These are just the day to day things that I have to live with as I try to grow and become better at what I do.
On top of the day to day challenge of keeping me feeling good enough to train I have minor tears that also come with the territory of lifting heavy for long durations of time. For example, I have a minor tear right now in the top left area of my calve and it makes it hard to do any type of leg curl. I am also battling a hamstring tear that I actually tore about nine years ago now but it has been aggravated again and I am getting it worked on. These are just two of the many minor tears I have dealt with this year. Maybe other bodybuilders are training injury free all year round but I would bet my pay on the fact that anyone training as hard as I am is going through similar problems. As I said its part of the territory so I'm not trying to complain but just trying to educate you all about some of the things you have to look forward to as you become great bodybuilders.
That's pretty much it for setbacks so I guess I am lucky that nothing really bad has happened and I am thankful everyday to still be doing what I love. On a more positive note as I said before I am still eating about five thousand calories a day and still seeing minor changes in my physique everyday. I actually am heavier now than when I started my diet but I am much leaner so I guess that means I am growing into the show which is something I have never done before.
In the past I have always gotten really heavy and then cut cals to help get me in shape. I think that approach worked because it always got me really ripped for the stage. The bad side of that approach for someone like me could have been that it made me stringy and smaller as I dieted. I have a fast metabolism so I think cutting calories drastically burns a lot of mass as well as fat in my body. With the contest diet appraoch Hany is using with me and if I can keep lifting heavy (and its getting heavier every week) all the way into the show I think you will all see a completely different physique. I am excited at what I am seeing so far and can't wait to hit the stage.
So at ten and a half weeks out my weight is 275lbs in the morning on an empty stomach, still eating lots and lifting offseason weight but precontest. So far a great report card as far as I can see. Who knows you all might be witnessing my first pro win in a few months...

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad

So it begins...

What's going on everyone? I'm back at it for the 09' season and getting ready to make a bigger impact than last year at the Tampa Bay Pro in August. I started dieting a couple weeks ago and figured it was time to get back to typing and letting you all know how messed up things really get as I get hungrier and crankier in the weeks to come.
As most of you reading this know I am working with Hany Rambod this year so the diet and training around now is really new to me. In years past working with Chad Nicholls we really only dieted for about eight weeks for most shows, Hany had me start at the fourteen week mark. I am hoping the longer diet makes a difference as we are trying to grow into the show instead of lean down. In all honesty I'm not looking forward to dieting for an extra six weeks than I do normally but if it means a big W at the end of the struggle than that's what it has to be.
One of the benefits of working with Hany this year was being able to keep my weight down throughout the offseason. I am usually known for getting very heavy in the offseason, hence the name 'Hoss' and it has worked to date in helping me obtain size, usually 5-10lbs a year since I started. The problem with this is now that I am at a higher level if I keep doing what I was doing and eating mass quantities of food at each sitting my stomach is going to start growing with the rest of me. That's why this year we kept meals small and my weight in check, although only time will tell if it was the right way to go when I hit the stage.
The other great thing about growing into the show so far has been being able to eat more while dieting. For instance, right now I am eating about 350-500g of carbs depending on the day so I am still relatively nice to people..lol. I am going to try and keep my demeanor a little more civil this year, being hungry isn't really an excuse to be an ass.
Training this year is really different for me. So far I am only doing cardio six times a week which is nice but I have three days where I train with weights twice a day. This is new for me, I have never done more than one training session a day and those three days are really taking it out of me. To counter that I am only training with weights five days a week instead of my normal six so I think it balances out in the end. The other main difference is we are doing anywhere from 30-40 sets per bodypart so its fine now but I wonder as I get down in carbs and low on energy how its going to feel to get through that. Like I said its all new and you guys can come along for the ride.
Overall I think it was a good offseason and I am very curious to see what the finished product is. As the last couple weeks have passed I have begun to see small changes in my physique as for as fat loss and that has aloud me to see some of the muscle gains that have come through hard work this year. We'll keep this blog all business but I think most of you know that followed along last prep as I get crazy in the head so does the writing!
If any of you have questions or if there is anything you want me to write about feel free to email me, fouadabiad@gmail.com.

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad