👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
I’m Mehdi Benmoussa, 23 years old and from Morocco. I’m a fitness coach, an entrepreneur and I also study economics.
I started training 5 years and for the last 4 years, I have trained more professionally (more based on expert advice and with a focus on small details that can change the whole game).
Besides fitness, I have trained baskedball. I also like swimming and surfing + I do poetry in French and Arabic.
What I like the most about fitness is the way it’s helping me mentally and how it’s leading me to eat healthy.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
When I train, I focus on never giving up and to keep improving.
I train every day, 1 hour for each session. Currently I follow a program that focus on fat cutting.
I train in a local gym called Genetix. Choose that gym because it’s clean, it has a good vibe and I have clients there.
When I’m not training my clients, I prefer to train alone. I prefer to train alone because I know what I need to work on and I like there isn’t anyone to bother me while I’m training.
30 minutes before training I take a pre-workout and I also bring BCAA with me.
After training, I take my protein shake, then shower, then my meal and finally some CLA.
My favorite exercises are chest and legs exercises and I’m so into squats.
Concerning cardio, I do 25-35 minutes of stair machine every morning before my first meal.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
Everytime I go, I just give everything I have.
I don’t need to make myself go to the gym. I enjoy going, so I don’t need to put in any mental effort to get it done.
If my motivation is low, I just check my body in the mirror and say to myself “that’s not enough. I can be better”.
Over time, my results have really helped me going. Everytime I go, I just give everything I have.
To improve, I’m focusing on the mind to muscle connection and negative movement.
My biggest challenge so far has been to find time for both studying and training. But now I got used to it, so it’s no longer a big problem.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
At the moment everything is good about my training. My fat cutting phase is going well.
Within the next 5 years, I hope to compete in the Arnold Classics. It’s a big show where you can really check if you are in good shape or not.
Right now, I also have a pro show coming up in the next 2 months. After that show I’ll get my IFBB card and then I’ll apply to be in Arnold’s lineup.
If I could restart my fitness journey, I would change the training and diet I had in the beginning. Especially because in the first year you can really gain a lot of muscle and I did that in a wrong way.
During the first year, I also didn’t eat enough.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
To lower the risk of injuries, I train in a good position. I also make sure I do a good warmup before training and go for physiotherapy as needed.
If I get an injury, I focus on eating healthy, avoid training the injured part and checking in with my doctor.
I usually sleep 8-8.5 hours a day.
If I’m travelling, I prepare my meals beforehand. I also search for a gym, so I know I’ll be able to train while I’m away.
I also recommend taking an ice bath to force the muscles to recover faster.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
If I’m going out, I ignore everything and focus on my goals.
For the moment, I’m cutting fat and at the same time I make sure to guard my muscle mass. I have been cutting for 3 months already.
Because I’m cutting, I count every g of food I eat. For the moment I get 2850 calories a day + I carbcycle, so some days I’m high on carbs and other days low.
During the season I’m cutting like I do now. Offseason I bulk up.
If I’m going out, I ignore everything and focus on my goals. So I watch what I’m eating and take my meals with me. I also don’t drink when I go out.
I take several supplements: Whey isolate, ZMA, creatine, CLA, fat burner, BCAA and so on. I don’t prefer any specific brands. Each brand has good products and bad products, so I focus on the product quality instead of the brand.
Twice a month I have a cheat day. My cheat meals are mostly healthy. I just carb up and take in more protein, for example by going for healthy burgers.
If I’m hungry or feel a lack of energy, I take sugar free dark chocolate. I helps a lot with the hunger. I also eat vegetables when hungry or feeling a lack of energy.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
I have got a lot of benefit from books with a scientific background. They have improved what I know and taken me and my clients to the next level.
The best advice I ever got was from my father: Son, follow your dream. It will never be easy, but it will be FUN.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
I also think many people try to lift to heavy.
If I were new to fitness, I would focus on a good diet and good training positions. I would also consider changing my diet and training style every 2 weeks, to see what’s the best solution for me.
Also remember that other people in the gym can help you. The most stupid thing I see in the gym is when I want to help someone in the gym and give free advice, they just act so arrogant.
I also think many people try to lift to heavy. They think it will help them build muscle, but it’s not true at all.
If you want, you can also combine fitness with other sports. Fitness in general will improve your body and take it beyond your current limits.
My best hack for life outside the gym is to stay away from stress.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I do take on clients as I just enjoy coaching. Both online clients and clients in real life.
I like to see people feel good about their results, so I always make sure that results will happen.
I also have a nutrition degree, so I know what I’m doing and always give my best to my clients.
It depends how long a client should train before they start seeing results. It depends on their body type, their respect for my advice and so on, but I would say minimum 3 months before you start seeing real results.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
I prefer not to use social media, so I haven’t got any social profiles.
But you can find me on Fiverr: @mehdibenmoussa1
