Bodybuilder Hassan Mostafa might have lost the opportunity to compete at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, but it has not disheartened him one bit and he continues to give blood, sweat and tears to the sport of bodybuilding. Mostafa is in the middle of a competition prep during the holy month of Ramadan. A devout muslim, he is doing everything in his power to observe Ramadan and still prepare for the competition.
The Egyptian bodybuilder is the latest addition to the list of prominent competitors that emerged from the middle-east. In his pro bodybuilding debut at the 2019 Indy Pro, Hassan Mostafa’s insane conditioning and musculature became a major talking point. He finished third at the show and performed well at the 2020 Tampa Pro and New York Pro.
An unfortunate health issue forced the Egyptian bodybuilder to stop training and he had to sit out the rest of the year. Spearheading into the 2021 competitive season, Mostafa competed a whopping seven times in 2021 and earned a qualification to the 2021 Olympia on the back of multiple top three finishes. He finished in the top 15 at the Olympia debut. The year 2022 proved to be a year of stark contrasts for the Egyptian Tank.
After dominant showings at the 2022 Puerto Rico Pro and the 2022 Orlando Pro, Mostafa earned a direct qualification for the 2022 Mr. Olympia. He was expected to do some damage at the show but had to pull out of the show due to a health scare.
He has now got his health back on track and resumed training. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is observed by Muslims around the world as a month of praying, fasting, reflection, and community. In his recent video, Hassan Mostafa shared what his typical day looks like in the holy month of Ramadan.
Hassan Mostafa’s training and diet during Ramadan
Mostafa’s routine has flipped literally 180 degrees as he was in the prep during the holy month of Ramadan. He had to wake up in the afternoon, pray and do cardio. He usually stayed up the whole night and slept after the sunrise. Is it an ideal practice to follow during the holy month? No. But Mostafa stated:
“Of course it is not ideal for Ramadan to stay up all night and sleep some of the day. I know many people can’t do that. But due to prep and my online coaching, I have the flexibility to do so.”
Things were slightly different until the previous year. Mostafa had a day job and he could fast and work the whole day. But with the bodybuilding competition prep, he has to play with the routine a little bit and do what is best to achieve the goals.
Starting the day – Cardio and Iftar Meal
Mostafa starts his day an hour and half before the iftar time. Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims during the holy month at the time of adhan of the Maghrib prayer. Doing cardio with an empty stomach is not easy, especially when a person is fasting for long hours for an entire month. However, Mostafa’s experience says that if you are used to doing fasted cardio for the rest of the year, doing it during Ramadan shouldn’t be too difficult either.
“I’m not saying it’s easy. But it’s not too hard that I can’t do it. Yes, I’m more tired, more thirsty but the energy is the same and the effort is the same as usual,” he added.
The 2022 Orlando Pro winner plans his routine in such a way that he can break the fast within a few minutes of finishing the cardio session. On the day of recording this video, Mostafa finished the cardio session and prepared the first meal of his day. It consisted of 6 whole eggs, 200 grams of ground beef, and 1 tsp coconut oil.
The Egyptian Tank adds salt, pepper and other flavoring substances to his omelet as long as they don’t add any calories. His diet at the moment does not include carbohydrates and he is relying solely on protein and fats for functioning. Admittedly, it wasn’t as easy for Mostafa to adjust to this diet but he managed to bring things under control.
“Anyone that isn’t controlling their carb intake be careful with how you start. Obviously avoid sugary juices and especially dates – take only 1 to 3. If you can’t control it, then avoid it altogether,” Mostafa advised the viewers.
Mostafa broke the day long fast with this iftar meal and went on to do the workout later.
Workout post-workout meal
The 31-year-old allows his body to rest for a couple of hours after an iftar meal to digest the food well. He then heads to the gym for the workout. On the day of recording, Mostafa tackled an arms workout that included:
After tackling the evening workout with furious intensity, Mostafa heads back home to eat the post-workout meal and fuel the muscle growth. His post-workout meal on this particular day consisted of 225 grams of fish and ½ Avocado.
Subsequent meals and the rest of the day
He finishes the meal quickly, rests for a while, and spends time with family. Mostafa then eats the third meal of 200 grams of ground beef while enjoying his favorite TV show. The fourth meal, 225 grams of fish and ½ avocado follow shortly after.
“In Ramadan, there isn’t a lot of time to take a long break from one meal to the other. So I eat my meals even if I don’t have the appetite for it. If the digestion isn’t going well, I take probiotics and digestion supplements to help with that,” Mostafa said.
Since Mostafa’s diet is configured with certain goals, it does not change on a day-to-day basis. As a result, he cooks his meals in batches to last for a few days at a time. This saves precious time in the daily routine which would otherwise be spent cooking.
The 2022 Puerto Rico Pro winner then proceeds to do an hour of cardio and follows it up with the fifth and final meal of the day which is similar to his Iftar meal in composition. This concludes Hassan Mostafa’s day of training and diet during the holy month of Ramadan.
He then takes a good night’s or rather a good day’s sleep to recover and get ready for another day of hard work. Hassan Mostafa’s diet during Ramadan is summarised:
Meal 1 – Iftar Meal / Pre-Workout Meal
- 6 Whole Eggs
- 200 grams Ground Beef
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
Meal 2 – Post-Workout Meal
- 250 grams Fish
- ½ Avocado
Meal 3
- 200 grams Ground Beef
Meal 4
- 225 grams Fish and ½ Avocado
Meal 5 – Post Cardio Meal
- 6 Whole Eggs
- 200 grams Ground Beef
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
Hassan Mostafa Joins Chad Nicholls’ Camp
Hassan Mostafa trained under Coach Chris Aceto during the initial stages of his bodybuilding career. However, he switched over to the Cement Factory, which is known for helping athletes in achieving top-level conditioning. Under CF head coach AJ Sims’ guidance, Mostafa secured his first Pro show win at the 2023 Puerto Rico Pro and continued to train with him so far.
However, the caption to a recent Instagram post on Mostafa’s account confirmed he is training under famed bodybuilding coach Chad Nicholls AKA The Diet Doctor’s camp. You can read the caption below, courtesy of Mostafa’s personal Instagram account:
“Excited is an understatement ? pushing harder than ever!! #TeamMayhem #TheTank
Super excited for the upcoming championship !!! Working hard thank god.”
The comments section on the post was flooded with questions regarding Mostafa’s move. Military veteran and bodybuilder Roy Evans even welcomed Mostafa to the team and wrote:
“@hassan_mostafa92 my brother. Welcome to the team ?????? #teammayhem #newbeginnings”
Mostafa also gave a positive response to Fitness Volt’s comment, which confirms beyond doubt that he has made a move to Team Mayhem.
Chad Nicholls has trained some of the most elite bodybuilders in history like 8X Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, 7X Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, Brandon Curry and Phil Heath to name a few. Mostafa’s career might elevate to the next level under the Diet Doc’s tutelage. Until then, let’s wait and watch how things unfold.
You can watch the full video here, courtesy of Hassan Mostafa’s personal YouTube channel: