Reigning Natural Olympia Classic Physique Masters champ Tamer Barakat compares his 2022 physique to his 2021 competition body.
Natural Olympia is almost a month away, occurring November 10-13, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As Natural Olympia approaches, International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) athletes are prepping their physiques for the year’s biggest competition. For example, the 2021 Classic Physique Masters champ, Tamer Barakat, recently shared a progress photo of himself, comparing his 2021 physique to his 2022 body. Additionally, Barakat stated on Instagram on September 26, 2022:
“(Finally got some stage footage thanks to @dr.petercichonski .. snapped few pics not the best quality but all I got until the pro pics come in). My true and most fulfilling win out of this weekend is achieving my ultimate goal of 1)holding on to more muscle vs. 2021 2) coming more conditioned vs 21 and 3) bring my chest up and waist down. Quite an undertaking and it’s still WIP, I still have long ways to go and won’t stop until I get there, and then there will be something else to work on 😂, that’s what drives us all!! I have 7 weeks of grueling grinding and carving to bring #anotherlevel and my best ever, to the biggest and most prestigious stage of Bodybuilding, the 25th Natural Olympia 11/11-11/13 in Las Vegas.”
You can see a side-by-side comparison of Barakat’s physique in 2021 (left) versus 2022 (right) below.
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As you can see, the images of Tamer Barakat were taken nearly a year apart–November 2021 compared to September 2022. It’s apparent that Barakat has added quite a bit of muscle mass to his frame, and his chest looks much fuller.
Training for Natural Olympia
Tamer Barakat recently competed at INBA PNBA Pro/AM Team USA on September 24, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Team USA was Barakat’s first competition of the year. Barakat has implemented a new strategy to prepare for Team USA and Natural Olympia. He hasn’t changed the food he eats or the lifts he performs. Barakat’s been a vegan and eats plant-based foods consisting of vegan protein, oatmeal, rice, quinoa, mushrooms, salads, and tofu. And during the off-season, he incorporates Olympic lifts because he believes it helps him put on more muscle mass.
But he’s cut back on cardio and is focusing more on being in a caloric deficit and adjusting his macronutrient ratios. Before, he relied heavily on cardio to cut. But Barakat says this cost him muscle.
Barakat says in previous preps; he was doing 45-minute cardio sessions six times per week for nine weeks. And now he’s extended his prep to 15 weeks and has cut his cardio to no more than two times a week for 25 minutes each session. He says his new approach has allowed him to preserve more muscle mass. As a result, Barakat claims he went from losing 1-1.5 lbs per week to one pound or less during contest prep.
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