Arash Rahbar: Pushing Hard!
Arash Rahbar: Pushing Hard!
After a Post-Olympia Win, He’s Determined to Climb Back Up the Ranks at the Olympia
By Ron Harris
On paper, things were not looking good for Arash Rahbar’s future in the Classic Physique division. After a stunning rookie year in 2016 in which he won his first two pro shows and proceeded to take the runner-up spot at the first Classic Physique Olympia to Danny Hester, his showings at the Olympia dropped every year. 2017 saw him place fourth. Though he narrowly lost the first Classic Physique competition at the Arnold Classic in 2018 to Breon Ansley, Breon went on to win his second Olympia title that fall while Arash garnered fifth place. Most recently, he dropped out of the top five to place eighth at the 2019 Olympia. I thought well, maybe that was it for Arash. He has a hell of a physique and had a great run near the top, but the division has been flooded with more exceptional new talent every season, pushing some more established veterans out of the elite placings. Even the first Classic Physique Olympia champ, Danny Hester, despite looking damn good, could do no better than 12th place. Maybe it was time for Arash to hang it up before he too was relegated out of the top 10. But what do you know, in early November, I was shocked to see the results of the Ultimate Warrior contest in San Diego, and there was his name in second place to winner Dani Younan. One week later, I was out in Long Beach, California to cover the Legion Sports Fest for MD. Dani was hungry to defend his title there since he’d won the premiere edition of that show in 2018, but guess who was back for a rematch— Arash. In a nail-biter where the two battled tooth and nail and were in fact tied all the way up until the end of the night, Rahbar claimed the win and a qualification for the 2020 Olympia. A couple of weeks later, we spoke at length about how he’s learned his body and what it needs to peak perfectly after many failed attempts, why competing more often will be key to his continued success, where the Classic division’s standards seem to be headed, and where he fits into the grand scheme of it all.
Forgive me for leading with this, but what happened at the last Olympia? You’ve been runner-up and top five two other times. Eighth place is not where Arash Rahbar belongs in that show.
I feel my physique was the best-ever at the Olympia. I was better balanced, my waist was smaller, my legs had come up, I got more back detail, and I was very conditioned. But at the judging, I looked soft. Peaking is a science that takes time to perfect, and I didn’t have many shows under my belt. I turned pro in 2014 in Men’s Physique, a division I never competed in as a pro, and the 2019 Olympia was only my seventh pro show. When I got third place at the Olympia in 2016, that was only my third pro show and I’d won my first two. People always ask me, why do you look so amazing in your social media posts a week or two out, but you don’t look like that onstage? It’s mainly because I have to make weight the day before. At my first two pro shows in 2016, the weigh-ins were the same day. I’m getting more experienced at how to manage this. I think the key for me is doing more shows. Some would say that burns you out, but that’s not true for everyone. Doing multiple shows close together as I did with the two shows in California a week apart allows you to test out different things. I did look incredible for the Olympia. I posted videos the day before, with no filters or Photoshopping, that showed this. But then I had to make weight, and then rehydrate. Without getting too deep into the science of it, it’s tricky to load up on carbs and water, because you might retain water. Most bodybuilders will cut off their water at a certain point in their carb load to avoid this. But we need water to stay full and hard. I am learning to carb up less and less. For the Olympia, I was already starting to carb up before the weigh-ins. For the Legion Fest show, I drank a ton of water after weigh-ins and carbed up very lightly. I kept drinking plenty of water, and that was the most successful strategy for me.
A big issue with both 212 and Classic competitors who struggle to make the weight limit is that you often don’t have enough time to fill out again in time.
It’s mostly about hydration. You can go into a weigh-in with some carbs and glycogen in your muscles, just not a lot. As long as you’re not drinking water yet, you won’t gain much weight. For both the 2016 and 2017 Olympia shows, I never had any carbs before weigh-ins, which was a huge mistake. When you are totally depleted of glycogen, there’s no way in hell you can fill those stores back in just 24 hours. The 2018 Arnold Classic was the first time I carbed up prior to weigh-ins, and it didn’t cause me to gain weight because I was dehydrated. I wasn’t eating massive bowls of rice or oatmeal, just some rice and rice cakes. I now realize carb backloading is the way to go for me, meaning I load most of my carbs early in the carb-up and taper them off from there. I now like to weigh in with my glycogen stores about 30 to 40 percent full. I typically drop 5 or 6 pounds of water the morning of weigh-ins in a sauna if I need to at that point. My meals after weigh-ins only had about 40 to 50 grams of carbs each, but I drank plenty of water. That had me looking crisp and full. A lot of people thought my Legion win was my best look to date. I feel my best physique package was at my posing routine in the 2019 Olympia. I had been soft at judging. A lot of guys will eat a cheeseburger and fries after judging. Instead, I had 16 ounces of water, and a little bit of steak and rice before lying down for a long nap. From the time I woke up until the time the finals were over, I didn’t eat anything else. I just drank water. The rest of the athletes were eating peanut butter and rice cakes backstage. If you’re not already carbed up, there’s nothing you can do in 10 minutes before you go on. In my humble opinion, what you need most are sodium and water.
You’ve never competed in any post-Olympia shows before. Why did you decide to do two this time?
I had been a little spoiled up to that point. Because I was in the top five for my first three Olympias, I never had to requalify, so I would be done after that. After getting eighth this time, I would need to qualify again. As for when and where, I had no idea, but I did get right back on my diet after one day of eating. Just over a week later, my buddy pointed out to me that there were back-to-back shows the first two weekends in November in California, and that was it.
I’ve been critical of you in the past, stating that I feel you are right on the line of being too big for Classic.
And I’ve said that if I’m too big for Classic, so are almost all the bodybuilders from the past people use as examples for what our ideal look should be. You hear names like Bob Paris, Berry de Mey, Lee Labrada and Frank Zane. Frank was the only won who would be able to make weight for the Classic division at his height. Lee Labrada was about 190 toward the end of his career at 5-foot-5. That’s just about the weight George Peterson had to get down to at just under 5-foot-8. I also feel the shorter guys in Classic tend to have the most complete physiques. I’m not too big at all. I need to grow my legs. I’m on the taller side for Classic at 5-foot-10, then you look at Henri-Pierre Ano who is 6-foot-1. He did well in 2018 because he has a pleasing look and was sharp, but his legs are way too small. Chris Bumstead at 6 feet has a beautiful shape and flow to his physique, but he needs more back thickness. We’re not as complete as the shorter guys like Breon and George. It’s hard to bring up a body part when you’re constantly in a caloric deficit and can’t gain weight.
When Chris beat Breon, we started hearing that the criteria had shifted. Classic was no longer being judged like bodybuilding. Pointing out that Chris needs more back development is more along the lines of bodybuilding judging.
If they had judged Classic like bodybuilding at the last Olympia, George Peterson would have won. Breon is more “classic” looking than George, and Chris is more classic looking than Breon. That’s it. But if Chris hadn’t been as big and polished as he was, Breon would have beat him again. They weren’t going to give the title to him just for his structure and shape. Classic does seem to be setting itself apart from other divisions with the judging.
I suspect we will see the advantage shifting to men in that 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-1 range. It’s just more impressive to see a man of that stature with very wide shoulders and lats and a small waist as opposed to a shorter guy.
I’ve followed bodybuilding for 25 years. Even back when there was only bodybuilding, there were always arguments about which type of physique should win. Our sport isn’t about getting a ball in a hoop or being the first to cross a finish line. It’s judged by human beings with opinions and preferences. My advice to other competitors is, be a competitor and don’t try to second-guess the judges or complain about the judging. My job is to be the best possible version of myself I can be on contest day. If you’re going to kick and scream and cry politics whenever you don’t win, this sport isn’t for you. Go play golf.
One thing I want to point out about your Legion win is that it was your first pro win since the spring of 2016, well over three years ago.
Like I said, I didn’t compete much because the Olympia was my goal and I kept qualifying for it with my placings there. In retrospect, I do wish I had competed more and won a few more shows. But I was busy, and I did have some injuries. Let’s say I wanted to do the 2020 Arnold Classic. There would be no time at all for an off-season, and I’ve never given myself an off-season where my body could breathe and grow. Even now as I am starting that phase, I don’t want to get much heavier than 240. I could easily get up to 260. It wouldn’t be a pretty 260. It wouldn’t be a Phil Heath 260. I was able to make improvements to my legs while in a caloric deficit, while in prep. By the Legion show, I had been dieting for seven months. I am confident I can bring them up a lot more with some more calories coming in.
I’m extremely critical of legs in general, and it did seem as if they had come up a bit since the Olympia even.
I’m more critical of my legs than you or anyone else could ever be, and I think they grew. Back in 2016, I asked Steve Weinberger about my legs and he said they were fine. A couple of years later, he told me they needed to come up because my upper body had grown so much. We’ve talked about my TFL issue, which mainly affects my outer quads and the sweep. They need to get bigger and rounder. One factor that helped my legs come up after the Olympia was that I didn’t kill myself with cardio. Since I was already very lean, I only had to do 30 minutes a day.
You’ve been a Dymatize athlete for three years now. Do you consult with them as far as when to compete and in which shows?
They ask me which shows I’m doing, and then they support me and help me out with anything I need. I’ve been using their products for over a decade, a few years before I ever started competing. The quality is top-notch. I used their ISO100 shakes throughout my whole prep. I rely on it so much that even though I get their products for free, I wound up buying two jugs of it in California because my girlfriend Maria and I kept running out. I won’t promote any product I don’t use. I believe that what we put in our bodies is crucial. I wouldn’t eat low-grade food because it’s cheaper, and I wouldn’t take low-grade, cheap supplements either. You don’t put cheap gas in a Ferrari.
So what’s next for you? You must be excited to finally have a real off-season ahead of you.
I am. I was constantly staying lean and keeping my weight down for years. My plan right now is to make improvements, get back to where I belong at the Olympia, and do a few more shows in that same time frame. I love this shit. I’m getting giddy thinking about how much I want to grow over the next eight months. Thinking about training hard and heavy and eating to grow puts a smile on my face.
I’m glad to hear you will compete in more shows, because having a name like yours in any lineup ups the ante and brings excitement. Too often the big names only do the Olympia these days.
It’s a good feeling to have that approval and high opinion, and to get all the love and support I do from fans. Part of why I want to do more shows is to meet more of them. But I don’t elevate myself to some mythic status, and I welcome any of these other guys to come out and try to beat me. Work hard! I see plenty of guys backstage with better genetics than me, but they won’t do what I do. I treat every show like it’s my first and last show. I never worry about being outworked.
It’s funny you say that, because the Classic division has amazing new talent coming in all the time. I see at least four to five new guys every season that have the potential for greatness. It’s a credit to you that you are able to stay in the top tier in that climate. Most of the genetic freaks are finding their way to Classic now, not open bodybuilding.
It’s true, and I give these guys props backstage all the time. They have what it takes to win, but they usually aren’t in condition. I tell some of them they could win the Olympia multiple times. I also want to add that I have tremendous respect for the open bodybuilders. It’s not easy to be that big and also bring the condition. Smaller guys don’t understand that the bigger you get, the harder it becomes to dial it all in. For one thing, you will carry a lot more water. Some fans have suggested that I move to 212 or open. First of all, I am much too tall to be a 212. I would look like a beanpole next to someone who is half a foot shorter and the same weight. And to compete in the open ranks, I would need a good 20-25 pounds of additional muscle. No, Classic Physique is where I belong, and it’s where I plan to stay.
And I fully expect to see you back in the top five at the next Olympia, at the very least!
Thanks, I never make any predictions; but I am going to be working very hard to get back up there.
Training Split
Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders and triceps
Day 4: Chest and biceps
Day 5: OFF, repeat
Chest Routine
Incline Dumbbell Press
Warm-up: 2 x 15-20
3-4 x 8-12
Flat Dumbbell or Hammer Strength Press
4 x 10
Dumbbell Flyes
4 x 8-10
Cable Crossovers
3 x 12
Shoulder Routine
Warm-up:
Rotator cuff exercises, light lateral raises
One-arm Lateral Raises
3-4 x 8-12*
Seated Dumbbell Press
3-4 x 8-12
One-arm Dumbbell Upright Rows
3-4 x 8-12
Bent Lateral Raises
3-4 x 8-12
Seated Lateral Raises, 2 arms
3-4 x 8-12
*Arash warms up as much as necessary, which may be three to four sets before his first working set. “I like to warm up, then warm up some more,” he says. It should also be noted that he does not pyramid up but starts with his heaviest working weight and usually lightens up on successive sets.
Triceps Routine
Close-grip Bench Press
4 x 10-15
Straight Bar Pushdowns
3 x 10
Dumbbell Kickbacks
3 x 10-12
Arash’s Stack (all products by Dymatize)
Upon waking:
40 minutes of fasted cardio
1 serving AmpliFire
2 scoops Glutamine Micronized
Immediately after:
2 scoops All9 Amino
Before training:
1-1.5 scoops PreW.O.
During workout:
2 scoops Glutamine Micronized
2 scoops All9 Amino
After training:
2 scoops ISO100 Clear (Currently Cherry Watermelon)
2 scoops Glutamine Micronized
1 serving Creatine Micronized
Before bed:
2 scoops Glutamine Micronized
1 scoop All9 Amino
1 capsule Joint Tech
Various times:
2 scoops ISO100
For more information, visit dymatize.com
Contest History
2014 North American
MPD Overall Champion
2016 Pittsburgh Pro
Winner
2016 New York Pro
Winner
2016 Classic Physique Olympia
Second Place
2017 Classic Physique Olympia
Fourth Place
2018 Arnold Classic
Second Place
2018 Classic Physique Olympia
Fifth Place
2019 Classic Physique Olympia
Eighth Place
2019 Ultimate Warrior
Second Place
2019 Legion Sports Fest
Winner
Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram
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