Interview Of The Week with Selver Ahmed: From zero to hero
Selver Ahmed is a personal trainer and a professional bodybuilder who’s been competing in Bikini category for over 5 years. Now she is here with BWG to share her fitness tips as our guest fitness expert
Where are you from and what do you do?
I am from Bulgaria and I change people’s lives.
Why bodybuilding?
I think the name says it all. It is called bodybuilding for a reason. You build your body. That is the main reason for being in love with fitness, bodybuilding, or whatever you call it – to go from Zero to Hero.
How did you start your career as a bodybuilder?
I was never into fitness before the age of 28. Then one day I had to decide what I wanted to do with my life after finishing my business marketing degree in London. I came up with the brilliant idea to become a personal trainer... and at the age of 35, here I am.
How did becoming a fitness model change your life and your lifestyle?
It boosted my confidence. I had zero confidence before. Entering competition after competition, I have seen my body in the best shape and that got me hooked. I learned a lot about my body, the food I eat and foods I never touched before. But the biggest lesson I’ve learned throughout the years is to follow the process, don’t rush it. There is no magic pill to make things easier. I’ve learned to be patient, my mind has been pushed to a different level. They say it is all in your mind and I couldn’t agree more. If you wake up with the right mind set, you will crush your day - training, work, food. Set big goals and stay focused!
Do you think competing is harder for women than for men?
I think it is equal. We both have put the work in. Day and night.
How do you prep yourself for a show?
Every prep is different. However, there are general diet and training rules that work but there are also some factors in your body’s reactions and in your emotional state that are hard to predict. For me 2019 was the hardest year as I changed federations and I had to take my prep to a different level.
In the field of female fitness competitions there are several different federations and competitions. It is hard to say which one is better. Every federation is good just they have different purpose and different target audience. All of them has strict rules and they are serious about their mission.
Bikini category was created to feature much less emphasis on muscularity and promote femininity. – BWG’s note (description by Irina Cotton fitness judge).
I competed with WBFF, which is a US based federation, and with a few UK based fitness federations such as Miami Pro, Pure Elite, and UKUP. I didn’t fit in any of these federations. It seemed to me the overall stage presence and beauty was more important than your physique. Finally I decided to join IFBB Pro League, International Federation of Bodybuilding, where even in Bikini category you are judged mostly by your physique. 2019 was my first year competing for IFBB and fell in love with the federation, my training, my diet and my mindset has completely stepped up. I am really hoping to be able to compete this year and bring my best shape ever.
It was extremely hard but then you learn to cope with each prep. It never gets easier, you just learn a lot about yourself and you come to understand what you can tolerate.
The last two weeks are the hardest. The time you spend with cardio is getting crazy, calories drop slowly. Everybody thinks bodybuilders don’t eat carbs or don’t drink water for a very long time. I never stop eating carbs, I only reduce the amount. Also, you never cut water more than 24 hours before competition day and I always have sips, if I need it. When you compete everything should be under control and healthy. When you do a show you have to look your best, you cannot afford to look like a miserable cow on stage. I have seen girls who have been on extreme diets, no carbs, no water… That is a BIG NO!
As a personal trainer you work mostly with women, why?
Because I understand what they are going through, I know what they want and how they want to look. I understand what they struggle with and I help them to find the best solution.
Today’s fitness trends, like having a big peach-like bottom, take extremely hard work to achieve. It takes years to build those muscles and you have to be very focused with your diet and training. Scrolling through Instagram is driving me crazy - I see “Fit Pros” who post workouts that do not match their bodies at all. A nicely built girl, with visible abs and pure muscle shows workouts that are completely bonkers. And people believe that she achieved that body by doing those silly exercises. The fitness industry has become a bit shallow. More and more often what I see is not about the real effort anymore but about how many followers you have and if you wear Gym Shark.
What are the most common misbeliefs in women’s training?
The biggest misconception is ‘If I lift heavy, I will get big” or “If I drink protein powder, I will get big”.
Neither of these are true. The heavier you lift, the leaner you get. It’s not the weights, it is the overconsumption of calories that makes us big.
Would you recommend competing to anyone?
Competing is hard work. It is time-consuming, stressful and requires a lot of discipline. It is not for everyone. If you have already have a stressful job/life I wouldn’t recommend starting a show.
What do you like most about your job?
To see my clients getting stronger, gaining more confidence and lifting weights like they couldn’t imagine before. Sometimes it’s hard because I working anti-social hours but that’s my choice and I like it. I like being out of my comfort zone. I've learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It is the only way to grow. Nothing grows in the comfort zone.
