Fab Ashraf went from fat to shredded, using the gym to stem bad habits, and opened a successful supplement store using his newfound passion.
Here are the 16 things that make him tick.
Fab Ashraf’s Fat to Fit Vital Statistics
Before
Age: 25
Body fat: 23%
Waist: 38in
Arm: 18.5in
After
Age: 31
Body fat: 6%
Waist: 29in
Arm: 17in
1 Entering the ring
I was a fan of wrestlers. As a chubby 18-year old, I joined the gym and started cardio to get a physique like theirs. I then began bulking, but just ended up getting fatter.
2 My only love
I was never into sports as a kid – I was fat and was never any good at it.
This meant I didn’t grow up getting into any sport either. Bodybuilding is by far my favorite.
3 Own the room
Training has given me confidence. I’m a shy person and never talked to girls when I was younger, but now I feel like a king walking into somewhere.
A decent body immediately makes 90% of people in a room look at you.
4 Armed up
My goal is to have the biggest arms in the world with a six pack at the same time.
Joking aside, I enjoy competitive bodybuilding and it gives me a target to aim towards, which carries on improving my physique and mind.
5 Army of one
My Asian background generally frowns upon bodybuilding, but I believe it’s led me to a stronger mindset and even helped me in business open my sports supplement store (Power Up Nutrition).
6 Time to train
I train for one hour six days a week, and only take a day o because the gym closes by the time I shut my store.
I cycle heavy weights for strength with light weights and hit 20-30 mins of cardio two/three times a week.
7 What rest?
Rest day? What’s that? Does that fall between Sunday and Monday? Bad joke, but usually on a rest day I like to go to a buffet and get my money’s worth.
8 By the numbers
My diet is all calorie based and changes depending on my goal.
I consume about 5,000 calories a day when bulking. Timing my carbs before, during and post-workout has adapted my body to build muscle.
9 Midnight fast
I’m a firm believer in letting your stomach bacteria rest.
Put it this way, if you had a Ferrari would you drive it all day long, or would you let it cool down so when you used it again, it had recovered?
10 – The training split
Mon – Chest / shoulders
Tue – Back
Wed – Arms
Thurs – Legs
Friday – Chest / shoulders
Saturday – Rest
Sunday – Back
11 A typical breakfast
Breakfast is Coco Pops and egg whites, for energy before morning workouts.
I don’t mix them together. I drink the eggs raw. I know that sounds gross, but I’m hardcore like that.
12 My favorite part… Supplements!
Currently I am using the following:
BCAAs – 5g
Amino acids – 10g
Whey isolate – 30g
Beef protein – 30g
Glutamine – 5g
Vitargo – 50g
Pre-workout – 1 serving
Nitrogen balance tablet
Glucose dispersal agent
Omega 3s
Multivitamins
13 UK Grime music
I enjoy artists like Stormzy, Skepta and Tempa T. It’s raw music suited perfectly for raw, intense lifting.
14 Simple staples
Sorry to disappoint, but I’m that rice and grilled chicken guy. It works really well with my body and cooks so easily.
15 Go time quotes
My favorite one is by Ronnie Coleman: “Show them!”
I shout it to myself in a packed gym, and get weird looks!
16 Supplementing goals
I’ll carry on competitive bodybuilding for a few years and educate people in the logic and science behind sports supplements.
It’s cliché but I genuinely want to help people. There’s nothing like hearing, ‘Fab, you’ve helped so much with my nutrition and training.” It’s amazing.
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