A successful professional bodybuilder from Egypt that grew up from humble beginnings to one of the most recognized Bodybuilders in the sport right now!  We are fortunate to have him not only represent Jed North but he graciously gave his time to sit down with us for an interview to get a deeper look into his craft and motivations.

1. Tell us what motivated you to get into bodybuilding and how you got started?

• It came from my friend while in school who introduced me to his dad who was a successful bodybuilder in the region I grew up. It motivated me to do it myself and hopefully make my future kids proud of me when I win shows.  It started at a simple gym in my town.  Youtube was a big influence in my training and after consistent lifting I started to notice results because it became my passion.  Shortly after I started to enter regional shows.

2. Who is the first person that comes to mind that helped you accomplish your goals in a very competitive sport?

• Throughout my career my dad and my wife played a huge role in my success. He created the right environment to focus on my training and diet to achieve my goals. While she pushed me to compete shortly after marriage and got my pro card in 2017.   They both sacrificed a lot especially when there were no sponsors helping me out at the time.  After the birth of our daughter we moved to the US to compete in 6 shows to qualify for the Olympia, while helping me take care of our daughter.  She has been extremely supportive and I'm grateful for that.   

3. With all the research and science that goes into exercise and sport nowadays how has your training and diet regiment changed from 5 years ago to now?

• Of course the research is valuable and we all learn as we go. For example, at first I used to cut out all salt from diet thinking it would prevent me from holding too much water, now I use salt until show day. Even carb cycling wasn't always a thing, before I would do zero carbs for long periods of time. In the past I used to only focus on training and not realize the importance of cardio, as both play their own important role. All these changes in training and diet happen over time as my experience grows and learn new things.

4. Can you describe the feeling when you first got your Pro Bodybuilding Card?

• It was such a relief! Since I'm holding an Egyptian passport, I had difficulty obtaining visas to different countries, so I didn't have many opportunities to travel to get my pro card. So when it finally happened in 2017 I was very excited and relieved.

5. Pick three adjectives to describe your experience with the bodybuilding community?

• Supportive. Competitive. Genuine 

6. What is something you wish people knew about bodybuilding that just simply does not get talked about enough?

• Back in the day information was very limited, but nowadays everything is talked about through YouTube, podcasts etc. So I don't think there's a specific thing that isn't talked about enough, if you want to find information about anything you will.

7. Who is someone you admire in the bodybuilding circuit?

• Flex Lewis. He's always been an inspiration. He's a great athlete, a successful business man and has a great family. All things I aspire to have.

8. What helps you relax and take your mind off training?

• Spend time with my wife and baby girl. Perfect way to do it is some good food and a good movie.

9. What do you hope to accomplish in the next 365 days?

• To hit top 5 in 2022 Mr Olympia and push my condition to the limit.

10. Motivational speaking has become a big part of the bodybuilding culture, what words of wisdom would you give to an aspiring bodybuilder?

• To never give up until you try again and again and again. It's easy to say something isn't working out or it's not the right thing for you. But with time it might be exactly what you need. Think this way when you do everything bodybuilding related. When you try a new technique at the gym, when you experiment with a new diet strategy, when you compete on stage... the list is endless. Keep trying, give it your all, and don't quit until you exhaust all your options.