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 **** 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

2009 NPC Julie Palmer Results. Check out the results from the 2009 NPC Julie Palmers Ultimate Bodybuilding Championships here. [ View 2009 NPC Julie Palmer Results ]

The 2009 NPC Julie Palmer Ultimate Showdown drew competitors from as far as North Dakota and Arizona to as close to 10 minutes down the road.  With over 120 competitors, the show continues to grow every year.  This year’s figure athletes presented top National level competitors warming up for the 2009 Junior Nationals in 3 weeks.  The overall figure winner, Pamela Soper, will hope to continue you on her winning ways earning that long desired pro card as will the C class Champion, Amanda Breznau.   Masters figure and A class figure winner, Daphne Bascom will also hope to have a big impact later this year at the Masters Nationals.  At this years event we introduced a novice figure category with 14 women who looked outstanding and had no signs of being novice in this competition.   Brooke Johnson took home the overall fitness award and Pam Wentz went on to win the women’s overall bodybuilding title, beating out a very tough and lean middleweight, Karen Stevens who won an overall title just 2 weeks prior.  Andy Wade was announced as the evenings Overall Men:s Champion.  

Thank you to all of the athletes and the NPC for making this event possible and a huge thank you to GNC, The Fitness Factory, Pride Nutrition, Bodybuilding.com, Fit World, and Jeff Glasser for their support.

Read more here.

Shelley learned everything she knows about cookies from the C-monster himself.

There are still shows at least 12 weeks out so you have time to still get it together and get some competitions in this year.

Here are a few of the competitions coming in September that are at least 12 weeks out so you have time to diet.

September 19, 2009

Musclemania Dixie
USBF Jersey Shore Natural
USBF Masters Nationals

September 26, 2009

OCB Mr./Mrs. Natural Indiana
NGA 11th Annual NOPI Nationals World Bodybuilding and Figure Championships
NGA Northern States Regional Bodybuilding Championships
NPC Natural Northern Michigan
NANBF BLUFFS CLASSIC & PRO FIGURE QUALIFIER

To look for more contests throughout the year click here.

For more information visit www.snbf.com

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 ****.

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

Regular Room Rate: $159
WBFF Room Rate: $103.00*
*Book before August 1st to receive special room rate.

More Info Here.

- 9:00 am Prejudging $15
- 7:00 pm Finals  $20 / $25 / $30

Yogi was so excited that he forgot to get her name but he didn manage to say, “she won second in her class.” Gotta love the Ronbo at an expo.

Sometimes listening to everyone but yourself can cause you to go a little batty. During my conversation with newly crowned IFBB Bikini Pro Jennifer Celeste, it became apparent to me that she fell victim to this. Jennifer competed a couple weeks ago in the NPC California State show and failed to make the top 5 in her class. I wasn’t there but from the looks of her photos you could tell she wasn’t at her best. When I asked her about it in Chicago she said, “ya that pretty much sucked.” So she went with what worked in the past, came in a few pounds lighter, wore a different suit and you could see her confidence level soar. She rocked the stage and was definitely a stand out in the show.

Lesson here: your confidence level translates on stage. If you’re off your game it will show on stage. Do ya thang and do what works for you.

Check out the beautiful women who earned their Bikini Pro Cards.

Marzia Prince

Sonya Vecchiarelli

Janet Harding

Jennifer Celeste