Dan Marashi posts for JW Training……guess what hes been upto now!
Posted under Client progress, Health and fitness, Monthly prize draw, Nutrition Tips.Hey Readers,
JW Training athlete Dan Marashi often updated or us last year with his ongoings as a bodybuilder and personal trainer, as we moved with his through 2010 we saw him start to play ice hockey again and re-discover his passion for the game.
So hes a personal trainer, a natural bodybuilder and an ice hockey player………..surely he does not have time to fit in anything else? well we caught up with Dan last week and he updated us on whats new in 2011!
Check this out:
What has Dan been up to? Right. Well. How do I start?
Firstly, it’s sad to say that hockey has been put on hold for me since about November time. For the last six months or so I have been battling with a really bad foot infection, including several trips to A and E for emergency antibiotics, as well as minor surgery. Touch wood, it seems that I’m finally on strong enough medication and my foot is beginning to get better. Inconveniently, I still can’t wear shoes and have been wearing nothing but flip-flops for over three months now!
Looking at the positives, I guess being unable to play hockey fell at a good time, as it coincided with me opening up a business in South West London. I have opened a “shisha and coffee” business, Marashi’s Shisha Lounge, located between Balham and Tooting, and like in the early stages of many businesses it means putting in a lot of hours! I’ve been doing a seven-day a week grind for as long as I can remember now, so it’s kind of a blessing that I don’t have hockey as a distraction right now…or maybe it’s just the case that I’ve compensated for missing hockey by throwing myself into my work.
Besides working everyday, I’ve still been keeping up my weight training. I hit the gym four or five days a week normally, although I make sure I’m doing something six days a week (sometimes I do abs and posing practice at home). I’ve been going to the gym as soon as I wake up, downing a protein shake in the car on the way there. I believe that training like this with barely any food in me has contributed to keeping me lean and my body fat very low, although in reality it’s the only time I get to train because I go straight to work after. Also, due to the active nature of working in my shop, I don’t need to do any cardio. Unfortunately, I’ve really struggled to gain any size as I simply can’t eat enough to keep up with my levels of activity.
Dan In his shisha house!
On the plus side, I left the shop for a few hours to go to a BNBF (British Natural Bodybuilding Federation) seminar held at a gym locally to me. There I hung out for a bit with the super-friendly BNBF team including natural bodybuilding professionals Chris Nsubuga (who I met at Bognor Regis at my first contest – in fact it was him who convinced me to do “the worm” at the show as part of my routine!) and Lizzy McCann. They got me strip down for some posing analysis, and they seemed really impressed with my physique, particularly my definition (or maybe they were just being nice!).
I was planning on competing at the BNBF Central Championship which is held in North London, so is my closest show, but based on my current level of conditioning the BNBF guys were adamant that I should do the Southern Championship again as this is the first show of the year, They advised that since I’m pretty much already in contest ready shape, to compete ASAP so that if I qualify for the British Finals I will have time in between to try and bulk up and gain more size before getting lean again. It sounds like a good plan, but in my mind I can’t help thinking about Ramadan that’s going to be lurking during the mentioned time period. Just like last year, I planned on doing the British Championship but fasting in Ramadan interfered with my contest preparation too much. Who knows though – maybe this year I can work around it some how…we’ll see….
Anyway, the BNBF Southern Championship will be held at the Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis on Sunday 12th June 2011. I’m planning on making a bigger impact this year now that I kind of know what I’m doing, and am keen on bettering my Fourth Place trophy in the Novice Category from last year. As I mentioned, I’m already incorporating posing practice into my training (posing is exhausting! No, it really is!). Otherwise, I’m plugging away at my business, so if you’re in South West London, and fancy a Shisha, coffee, mint tea, Oreo Cookie Milkshake, or a Protein Shake (seriously – we do them!) then please come on down to Marashi’s Shisha Lounge!
Train hard and take care,
Marashi
Marashi’s Shisha Lounge
Tel: 0208 772 4442
256 Balham High Road, Tooting, London SW17 7BD