Ahmad Ashkanani
Ahmad Ashkanani is a bodybuilder from Kuwait. At 16 years old, he started training for bodybuilding. The first amateur competition he participated in was in 2002, when he was 18 years old. So he has been participating in bodybuilding contests for quite a while. In 2010 he became the Asian Champion in amateur bodybuilding for the middleweight category. In 2013 he won the Mr Olympia amateur competition and the Arnold Amateur Europe contest.
Since going pro, Ashkanani has had an amazing record in IFBB contests. He participates in the 212 division. He has stood on the podium of the Mr Olympia competition twice, claiming silver in both 2016 and 2017. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, he scored slightly less but still managed to end up in the top 5 of those years’ Mr Olympia competition. Ashkanani has yet to claim gold at the Mr Olympia competition, but he did come in first place at the Arnold Classic Ohio in 2017.
Ashkanani is the second Arab national and first Kuwaiti to compete at the Mr Olympia competition. He is very proud of being the first Kuwaiti to ascend to the podium of the 212 division at Mr Olympia. Besides entering competitions himself, he also helps coach others. He does that in person in his home gym in Kuwait. Here he also helps to train young people interested in the sport. He also coaches people all across the globe through videos with fitness content on the internet.
There is one thing Ashkanani hopes for in the future. He has said he hopes there will be more support in Kuwait for the sport of bodybuilding. There seems to be very little support from the government for people who participate in the support. This support is very relevant because many people are interested in it. Even those who compete at a professional level aren’t supported. When participating in Mr Olympia, Ashkanani could not get any sports leave and instead had to deduct the days from his annual leave.
How does Ahmad Ashkanani train?
Ahmad Ashkanani is lucky to live right next to one of the best gyms in the world. Known as ‘The Castle’ in the world of bodybuilders, Oxygen Gym is one of the most famous bodybuilding gyms in the world. The Oxygen Gym is a truly amazing place to train. It is regarded as one of the most motivating and productive gyms in the entire world.
Ashkanani trains six days a week, and on those days, he spends a full two hours in the gym. He divides this up into two separate training sessions. One in the morning and one in the evening. Ashkanani keeps this time schedule when preparing for competitions. However, he does switch up the method of training in the run-up to a contest.
His success is helped a lot by having a great coach. Ahmad Askar is coaching Ahmad Ashkanani, and this is an important part of his success. Askar has been a successful bodybuilder himself. Askar also coaches other successful bodybuilders like Roelly “the beast” Winklaar.
The diet of Ahmad Ashkanani
Ashkanani eats five to seven meals every day. These are served right out of the gym. This way, Ashkanani can focus his time and mind completely on his training. He says he eats only special foods that fit into his diet. This means he only eats food that is free from sugar and fats but which is rich in carbohydrates.
The future for Ahmad Ashkanani
Ahmad Ashkanani has scored very well in previous Mr Olympia competitions, even claiming silver in 2016 and in 2017. In more recent years, he didn´t score as well as earlier. But he has always maintained a place in the top 5 of the 212 division of the Mr Olympia competition.
In 2023 he won a spot for Mr Olympia because he came in first at the Saudi Arabia Show in the 212 division. This means he can focus completely on preparing for the big competition at Mr Olympia at the end of the year. In the last few years, he scored lower than earlier in his career. Can he redeem himself and get back on the podium again?
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