I wanted to start by saying thank you to all those who commented on my shoulder video that was posted last week. I received many great comments about the video and I am inspired to keep putting them out for you all! This past week has been great in the gym: I have been lifting heavier and heavier each week. I never realized how much my tendonitis played a role in my benching. I mean, I know it hurt but I didn’t realize how weak the tendon had become…until now. This past week I was dumbbell pressing 150’s again for an easy 10, bangin out four plates on the bench is also possible again. It just feels so good to be able to lift heavy again and actually feel the muscle working instead of just pain in my tendons. My weight is holding steady at 285lbs but I’m getting leaner and leaner as the days pass. When I had to take a six-week layoff from the gym it really set me back. Not only in a sense of muscle loss but also in fat gain! I realized after training for a few weeks now…I AM FAT! Lol. This past week I decided enough was enough, I’m guest posing in a few weeks in St.Maarten and as a professional I want to make sure the people who show up to see me really get to see me and not some chubby guy in a pair of trunks. I have begun doing cardio daily and am almost on a contest diet now without really any cheats. I think I’ll add the cheats back in once I get some of this excess weight off. I used to be known for being fat and eating tons but after working with Hany the last few years my perspective on my offseason has really changed. Its important to me to have the discipline in the offseason to keep my body in pretty good shape, I think no more than 30lbs off contest weight is what I strive for. On the business side of things, I am on top of it like never before. My first show I am promoting is becoming a reality more and more everyday. I have tons of great sponsors on my side (including FLEX Magazine) that I couldn’t have put this together without. Evan Centopani, Frank McGrath and Erin Stern are all booked and as a fan I am just excited as everyone else to have them here. Lucky for you guys FLEXONLINE.com will bring you all video of the seminar and guest posings from that night! Talking about the show leads me to my last point. Is there something in your life that you’re striving for and just can’t seem to get it, or think about daily but won’t reach for it? That’s what my career and my show I’m putting on have both been about. Any of the people around you can tell you not to do a show, why bother dieting, it’s just a trophy, who cares, etc. I’m sure anyone who ever had a goal to do anything different always heard those comments. If we all listened to them we’d still be in the Stone Age. I was asked a few years ago to promote this show and I passed, strictly out of fear. I didn’t think I could do it, I thought it was too big a challenge for me or me and a partner to do because we had never done anything like this before. This year I decided to go for it and have attacked the challenge like I was getting ready for a show. I started planning for this show 7-8 months ago (offseason), recently have been paying bills and putting final plans in motion (precontest) and the hard work is paying off. The point of all of this isn’t to tell you I’m great…lol. The point of all of this is to tell you guys or girls that are getting ready for shows or want to do a show, it can be done. Its not just about bodybuilding, any body out there reading this that has an idea and is too scared to follow through, you are wasting time! Follow through on your goals, dreams, and aspirations. You could be sitting on a million dollar idea or a million dollar physique; how do you know unless you push it to the limit? What’s the worst thing that could happen is what you should ask yourself? If you fail and you know you tried your hardest, NEVER feel bad about that. If you don’t fail you can now live your life doing what you love! That is the ultimate goal for all of us, to be able to wake up and be happy and thankful that we are fulfilling our dreams. Sacrifice Without Regret, Fouad ‘Hoss’ Abiad www.fouadhossabiad.com www.fouadabiadopen.com
