Senior Mazen Abdelfadiel has been weightlifting for more than three years and has just recently started competing in physique shows, a sort of bodybuilding competition. On Dec. 11, 2021, Abdelfadiel competed for the first time in the OCB Men’s Classic Debut Show and managed to place third in the rankings. 

   His journey to this point has been challenging, but his bodybuilding career comically started out as a simple dare.    

   “A double dare my best friend Amr Elamin, senior, proposed in the summer of ninth grade started it all. The dare was for me to gain weight, since I was 106 lbs., and for my friend to lose weight because he was overweight, the exact opposite of me,” Abdelfadiel said.

   After working out for a little over a year, Abdelfadiel was hooked. He began researching bodybuilding as a career and the possible fortune that can come from efforts in the gym. This made him want to pursue it even further. 

   Abdelfadiel was ecstatic to learn that he was able to compete in physique shows at his current age. Having noticed sufficient changes in his body, Abdelfadiel signed up for a competition. 

   “I saw my body change in front of my eyes and started to learn about bodybuilding. As soon as I knew that anyone could compete, I quickly found a show to compete in, and I fell in love with the sport and want to see how far I can go,” Abdelfadiel said.

   He started prepping for his competition a year in advance to give himself time to prepare and to adjust his diet. The preparation for his first show has been a learning experience. 

   “The first prep went okay because I had a cut before it, so I knew what direction to go in. One mistake I did though was cutting calories fast and underestimating my fat loss rate. I lose weight very quickly,” Abdelfadiel said.

   Abdelfadiel is one of the youngest in the physique show world. In his competition, he was up against people 17 years older than him, and he still managed to win third as the youngest competitor. 

   Abdelfadiel wants “to go as far as I can safely go,” he said. If Abdelfadiel’s “genetics allow” him, he plans on getting his IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) pro card and possibly competing internationally for an Olympia title.