INTERVIEWER: MAHMOUD MANSI

EDITOR: NOHA ALY SLEME

About Mohamed Issa:

My relationship with bodybuilding has started in 6/6/2003, I have never forgotten this date, and I will not because everything in my life has changed after that date. The second special date in my life is the first competition date and it was where I started bodybuilding in August 2008. And after that I got the 3rd place at Egypt national bodybuilding contest in 2008 and I won the same place in 2009 and 2010. And I was preparing for the peak of my competing career in 2011 but there was a revolution and it got postponed during the competing years I used to postpone the college exams, because I was very obsessed with working out and trying every single program I’ve ever read about. Finally I was graduated in November 2012 and got my tourism management bachelor, starting from summer 2008 I started my career in Planet Gym with my couch and idol Captain Hany Soliman “5 times heavy weight bodybuilding champion in Egypt”. He is the person who taught me a lot about the business and every single thing I wanted to know, So I have got to say that I owe him a lot in the practical and the personal life then in January 2010 I have moved to premiere Gym then I quit after 3 months to clear my mind and end all the commitment with anything. I decided to dedicate my whole life to win the first place in 2010 and 2011 contest season, then from summer 2011 till summer 2012 I was a personal trainer and free length coach but to be honest I choose not to commit with any place for a full time job because I was not totally sure am I able to compete and stay at the same career or not. And once I got a chance to change my career to customer service at Mobinil, I did not hesitate but it didn’t work with me. I did not find the satisfaction that I used to have at the gym and while training people with different targets. It was totally a different job description and it did not work out with me. So at once I quit and decided to start my own gym my business and I choose Bolkly and Roushdy and in the same time I’ve started researching about the CrossFit and in August 2014 I booked my seat in Saint Petersburg, Russia L1 CrossFit trainer in November. Before going to Russia I signed my gym contract in 46 Masgid El Hidaya Street Bolky, and I signed the contract I got the advice to call my place Fit-Zone as an expression for fitness zone.

THE INTERVIEW

1HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Why do you like bodybuilding? And what is your personal perception or definition for “Bodybuilding”?

Coach Mohamed Issa: I liked the bodybuilding because of many reasons but my main reason that it has taught me that every single thing you are going to give, you will get it back. As much you will work hard, you will get the prize. And it’s not a routine and it does not have magical talents like football and there is no “Messi”, the one who will work harder on himself and changed himself individually is the one who will be able to secure at least one of the top three places. My definition of bodybuilding and any individual sport the 2nd place is being a loser. There is one and only winner at 1st place, and from my personal experience it’s very hard to work 364 day for a target then to lose your dream spot. But trust me it will maximize your hunger for your target.

2. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What has inspired you to start your own business, your own gym? Although this can be a risky move.

Coach Mohamed Issa: If you were a bodybuilder you will love taking risks but practically what has inspired me was my idea about bodybuilding and the fact that people still using and believing in old schools and training principles, while old is not necessarily gold as they say. Because simply in 2015 you can’t copy and paste because there is internet and there is google at least.

3. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: How did you start the gym? Did you make some kind of research before that? For example, a financial research or a geographical one to help you choose the place, or any other kinds of research? If possible please share details.

Coach Mohamed Issa: When I started my gym I made my financial research, my client target, and the perfect spot for my gym. My advice to anyone who is starting his business is to set his client target because this is a very important financial issue.

4. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Recently in Egypt the number of trainers and gyms are increasing. What are the qualifications of a good trainer? And how can one differentiate between a professional and fake trainer?

Coach Mohamed Issa: Yes this business is getting bigger but not all the trainers are qualified. And it’s not about the certificates because it is a long way to learn. And to be honest even the professional instructors have no idea about the updated researches.

5. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What are the challenges have you faced currently in your business? And how are you dealing with each?

Coach Mohamed Issa: To know the difference between the professional and the fake, because the fake can copy from anywhere but he does not have his own training principles as everyone can read and research, but not all the writers got the tools to turn his own letters in real for example there is a lot who’s able to write the right diet who really fits you but the point is to be able to set the right training program that can fix his client weak points.

6. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What are your pieces of advice to young trainers who want to seriously take this career as a profession?

Coach Mohamed Issa: My advice will be read, read and read. Observe as much as you can. And do not read to copy, read to be able to observe and always try to set new targets and to keep your thirst to succeed.

7. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Tell us about your experience in Russia and the difference between the bodybuilding business there and here in Egypt?

Coach Mohamed Issa: My main comment about Russia will be it is not what I thought. I went to Saint Petersburg and Moscow but I stayed in Saint Peter longer, I had a lot of workout in different places and from different categories. After all I can admit that they are not only the soviet union successors but they will be better but the main problem is that the American media masters the world wide sports media, for example the CrossFit is a pure American sport and I can admit that in some ways the Russians is tougher than the Americans because of their weightlifting and wrestling. In Russia you can find 2 guys from 10 who do not have a weightlifting background and when I compared our sports culture and theirs, there are a lot of differences starting from the mentality till their dedication which is so much better than ours. About the business I will come back to the differences in the mentality simply they went to the gym as a task they have to do it during their day, they are working out to stay fit and stronger to enhance their endurance and strength to live healthier while we are aiming to look bigger and to show off nothing more.

8. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What do you think Egyptian Professional Bodybuilders lack the most?

Coach Mohamed Issa: The Egyptian bodybuilder problem is that they don’t have the tools to communicate with the updates in this industry (the lack of English speakers).

9. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: From your point of view, what made you a successful bodybuilder/trainer, and businessman?

Coach Mohamed Issa: I think what’s make differences between any competitors in any field is their ability to update themselves as much as they can in any way and every way they must read and observe because in our field whatever works with you it’s not a must to work with other one, so you must observe every single detail you reach to be able to use it as a tool. From my own experience in personal training the good trainer must follow every single detail from his routine and diet, because many clients will not be honest and after all you will be blamed so that’s why observation will allow you know what kind of mistake it was.

10. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: You once mentioned to one of your friends that you may also consider working in the HR field along with your original business. Why HR in specific and what is your opinion regarding HR in Egypt?

Coach Mohamed Issa: Yeah I may consider working in that field along with my business because I always have my plan B in pocket and what differentiates the HR from any other thing is the job description, because I am into the scheduled and the very specific job duties, also I am into the leadership jobs.

11. HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Do you have a certain vision for bodybuilding in Egypt that you wish to implement?

Coach Mohamed Issa: My wish is to work on spreading the CrossFit for the non-individual sports like football, volley ball, hand ball and basketball because our teams and athletes in these sports lack of strength and stamina and the CrossFit if they use it as strength, we will see total transforming and we’ll be able to compete in higher level.

HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Thank you so much for sharing your passion and knowledge with us coach Issa.

10858349_10205040823634198_5315030004724125190_n

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1528505170748840/