Aicha El Mahmoudi

Q: It’s time to show off. What are some of your personal bests?

A: While I train mostly for hypertrophy right now, the last time I: Deadlifted: 245 lbs, Squatted: 200 lbs (squatting has always been hard for me), Benched: 115 lbs (very proud of myself for this one)

Oh, and I ran a half marathon without training and in the top 10 of my age group!

Q: If you could do one workout for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A: Anything delt related, I love training my delts and I LOVE THE PUMP THAT I GET. Feeling and looking strong is so important to me and every time I train delts I get that feeling.

Q: What would you consider your approach to health and fitness?

A: Take care of my health (mental FIRST) and being fit will be a by product

Q: Is one more important than the other to you? Why?

A: I think health and fitness go hand in hand, they’re both super important to me. When I take care of my physical fitness and I do the things that make me happy (training, eating well, sleeping well etc...) my mental and physical health are great, if I let those things go, it’s a domino effect for me.

Q: What was the defining moment that changed the way you look at health & fitness?

A: When I started caring more about fueling my body and training for performance and well being rather than wanting to be so skinny and eating as little as possible. I have never felt more free in my fitness journey than I do right now.

Q: Your legs are feeling like jelly, your mind is swirling with doubts, but in your heart, you know you have one more set in you. What song are you playing to get you through it?

A: This is really hard because my taste in music, especially for the gym, changes so much but if I had to pick, anything EDM gets me going for that last rep to failure.

Q: What’s one thing you wish someone told you when you decided to get serious about your health & fitness?

A: Focus on eating enough, and lifting heavy AF. I was so afraid of gaining weight that I ended up spinning my wheels so much for so long.

Q: We’ve all had those moments where we wanted to cancel our alarm clock, rebel against our meal plan, put it in reverse after parking at the gym. Can you tell us about the moment that comes to mind? How did you push through?

A: Oh so many moments come to mind but most recently, I am in a pretty deep calorie deficit to cut down a bit before my coach and I build back up for a bodybuilding show. I have been so hungry lately that the other day I thought about just eating what I wanted for the day but I quickly reminded myself that not only have I made a promise to myself (which is the most important thing) but that I also have clients/people that follow me for inspiration and how much of a letdown it would be if I gave in just because I was a little hungry. Getting up early for cardio has also been a challenge recently but I also envision myself on stage not being competitive enough and that usually does the trick to get me out of bed.

Q: What does it mean for you to be on the Dymatize Squad?

A: I honestly can’t put into words how special it is to me to be a part of the Dymatize Squad. I remember seeing Dymatize on shelves when I first started my fitness journey, and I also remember buying ISO100 Fruity Pebbles when I had the money to afford it. To be on the Squad and to be inspiring people on their health journey through Dymatize is truly a full circle moment that I can’t vocalize. I am truly humbled to have been asked to be a part of this and I will rise up to the occasion.