Written by Ron Harris
28 February 2017

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Ahmad Ashkanani - Heir to the 212 Olympia Throne?

Team Oxygen Gym

 

The most successful debut of the Olympia weekend happened in the 212 division, where a rookie from Kuwait named Ahmad Hamad Ashkanani, took second place to reigning champion Flex Lewis. Though Ahmad had been a top amateur in international competitions for several years, he had just earned his pro card six months prior at the Arnold Amateur in Australia. I spoke with his good friend and coach, Ahmad Askar, to find out a little more about this rising star and his breakthrough rookie year as an IFBB Pro.

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How they started working together

“Ahmad has been my friend and training partner since 2011. We also competed a few times together, he was in the under 80 kg. class and I was in the under 90 kg. Around the middle of 2015, I took over his nutrition and supplementation. He had come very close to winning his pro card five different times, winning his class but not the Overall needed. In fact, at the Arnold Amateur in Spain, he was tied for the Overall, but they awarded it to the Heavyweight.”

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What did you change the most about his program?

“The main change was to increase his protein and especially his carbs. Ahmad had been dieting on very low carbs, and he would lose size. Before this, he was competing at 80-83 kg. Once he increased his carbs, he was able to move up a class and compete at just under 90 kg, where he turned pro. At the Mr. Olympia, he was exactly 96 kg, or 212 pounds.”

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What are his strong points, and what does he need to improve on?

He has a massive back. That’s his best feature. Ahmad also has very good arms. As far as his legs, his glutes and hams are strong points, but he does need a little more mass in his quads. It’s more so a lack of detail. He needs those deep lines in the quads. It is a concern to add more mass, because he still needs to weigh in at 212 pounds or less.”

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Were you surprised he did so well right away as a pro?

“Honestly, yes, I was. That’s because I had only seen him stand onstage next to other amateurs for the past few years, never a pro. I went to Tampa with him, where he made his pro debut. There were guys up there who had been top 5 at the Olympia, and Ahmad won the show pretty easily. So then, I had a feeling he could be top 3 or 4 at the Olympia. Our goal was third place, to be honest. There were so many excellent competitors who would be competing, like Jose Raymond, David Henry, Eduardo Correa, and Hide Yamagishi. We thought third place would be a great accomplishment for his first year, if he could do it. As you know, he went on to take second place to Flex Lewis, and we were very happy about that. Ahmad is still very new to the pro ranks, and he will be making improvements as time goes on. I think the 212 Olympia title could very well be in his near future.”

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Ahmad Hamad Ashkanani Contest History

2010 IFBB Asian Amateur Championships                Middleweight winner

2011 IFBB Arnold Amateur Europe                            Second, Light-Middleweight

2011 IFBB World Amateur Championships                Tenth, Middleweight

2013 IFBB Amateur Olympia                                      Middleweight winner

2013 IFBB Arnold Amateur Europe                             Middleweight winner

2014 IFBB Asian Amateur Championships                 Second, Light-Heavyweight

2015 IFBB Arnold Amateur                                          Middleweight winner

2015 IFBB Amateur Olympia Spain                             Light-Heavyweight winner

2016 IFBB Arnold Amateur Australia                           Light-Heavyweight and Overall Champion

2016 IFBB Tampo Pro                                                  212 winner

2016 IFBB 212 Mr. Olympia                                         Second place

 

Next month, more about Oxygen Gym and some of the top champions who train there.

 

Instagram: ahmad_askar_1

Facebook:    Oxygen Gym Jabriya

Instagram:    o2_gyms

 

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