Mohamed Makkawy
Mohamed Makkawy was at the top of the bodybuilding world for a while in the late 1980s. While he never won a Mr Olympia title, he did win a good share of IFBB Grand Prix titles in 1982 and 1983. Known for impeccable symmetry, balance, and muscularity, the 5’4″ Makkawy was the epitome of the well-rounded athlete: He was graceful, fluent in many languages, served in the military as a translator, and dominated the pro ranks (albeit for a short time).
He also had perhaps the greatest forearms of all time! He trained with Vince Gironda during his pro streak and might have won the Mr. O title had he persevered. It takes most Mr Olympias several tries before they ultimately win.
Mohamed Makkawy is doing personal training nowadays.
Reviewed: Muscle Explosion by Nick Nilsson
I’ve been following Nick Nilsson for quite a while now. He’s known in training circles as the “Mad Scientist” for all of his unorthodox training exercises. In Muscle Explosion, 28 Days to Maximum Mass, Nick goes all out on throwing bodybuilding orthodoxy out the window, into the field, and across the ocean!
The stuff I learned here is remarkable! Nick sets up the entire program for you, step by step. There’s no guess work here: Follow the program to a “T” and you’ll be better off a month from now. You’ll likely be bigger, more cut, and you’ll definitely be stronger.
In fact, on this last point I am confident. One of the hallmarks of Muscle Explosion is Nick’s very unorthodox (and very uncomfortable) use of a single exercise for an entire week. In this one week alone, you could really boost your strength levels by 5-10 percent.
It’s this massive increase in strength that contributes so heavily to your success with this program. More strength means you can lift more weight for more reps when you go back to a more “conventional” routine (as in, when you go off Nick’s program and back to your old routine).
More weight and more reps always means more mass (assuming you’re eating as Nick prescribes, too!) – all the while, you can be ripping up your body to become more defined, too.
I don’t often recommend a system so highly. This one is that good. Take a look. See what you think – you’ve really got nothing to lose, except the tire around your gut, and you’ve definitely got everything to gain!
Try Muscle Explosion today!
Coming soonLosing Fat Gaining Muscle
Question: How do I figure the calories I need to gain muscle and lose fat?
Answer: Ah, wouldn’t it be great if there were an easy answer to this question? I’m going to take this as a two-part question, since it’s VERY difficult to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously.
The answer is the same on both sides, meaning either add 250-500 calories per day to gain muscle or subtract 250-500 calories per day to lose fat.
Any more (or less) than this, and you’re going to be trying too hard.
So, if you currently maintain your weight by consuming 2,500 calories, then eat 2,750 to 3,000 calories to gain muscle. Vary the intake; don’t keep it the same every day. The body is VERY resistant to change, so keep it guessing.
MORE is NOT better! Don’t think that if 5000 calories is good, then 1,000 calories is twice as good. It doesn’t work that way. You’ll wind up putting on too much fat and you’ll feel sluggish throughout the day.
It works the same on the fat-loss side. Instead of adding 250-500 calories, subtract them!
The only distinction between adding and subtracting calories is the following: When trying to build muscle, your added calories should be mostly in the form of protein and when trying to lose fat, your calories should be cut from fat.
Don’t go to a no-fat diet, however. Ironically, you need fat in your diet to lose body fat. So never take your fat intake down to zero.
Lou Ferrigno
Lou started out as a very skinny 6’5″ kid from New York. He began working out as a way to overcome a disability that he suffered as a toddler when he lost his hearing due to an ear infection.
He basically stormed onto the bodybuilding scene as a 21-year-old prodigy, winning several Mr America and Mr Universe contests, then battling Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Mr Olympia in 1974 and 1975. He never beat Arnold.
Lou played a big part in the film Pumping Iron, which pitted him against Schwarzenegger in the 1975 Mr O. While a lot of the movie was theatrics, the documentary did bring the sport of bodybuilding into the limelight and gave it some much-needed exposure to the general public.
Ferrigno then went on to become the Incredible Hulk, starring Bill Bixby.
Lou has also been in quite a few movies, including Hercules and Sinbad, as well as playing a role in The King of Queens, playing himself.
He also made one appearance in The World’s Strongest Man contest. He participated with fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu and they both showed that bodybuilders weren’t just about showy muscles; they were indeed very strong.
Lou, of course, has his own web site and does a strong mail order business. He’s also written several books, including my personal favorite, The Incredible Lou Ferrigno.
Want Faster Results?
Look, I know how hard it is to build muscle. Trust me when I tell you it took me 20+ years to figure it out. But once I did--BAM!--muscle appeared almost overnight. Give me your email address and I'll send you the keys.