T
hese were the times
when bodybuilding was
very much an experimen-
tal period, where the science
and studies that we have today
just wasn’t around.
However, the information
that was available was from
the experience of other real
hardcore previous bodybuilders
work ethics.
Eddie admits, “I was always
trying to improve, always
following the trend of what
everyone else was using or
how they were training to be
competitive.”
Eventually after 16 years of
competing Abbew won his Pro
card in 1997. Now he knew that in
order to get to his ultimate goal
‘The Sacred Olympia Stage’ he
would have to push his body
above and beyond anything else
he had previously done, in every
way he needed, and at all costs.
He remembers, “I was inspired
by Sergio Oliva, I loved the iconic
waste to shoulder width, I wasn’t
entirely comfortable with
becoming to freakish.”
10 years after earning his
Pro card, he was invited to the
Mr. Olympia. “I couldn’t believe it,
I was going to be stood next to
the greats. The emotions and
excitement this achievement
gave me, transpired into a huge
amount of drive. I was now even
more unstoppable and focused
than ever before,” reflects Eddie.
This was when he pushed his
body to the limit. His training,
food and supplementation
regime was increased. The Mr.
Olympia stage was now in sight.
It Suddenly Dawned on Me
Eventually the time came when
he walked out under the bright
lights of the Mr. O stage. “I was
stood right there, next to the
best in the world,” He said.
“I was in awe, Phil and Big
Ronnie were in the same line
up as me.”
Whilst stood next to these elite
physiques, something dawned
on Abbew. He knew his level, he
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FLEX | APRIL 2018
knew that his genetics and
everyday life wasn’t going to
allow him to ever beat these
legends he very much looked up
to and chased in achievement
for so long.
“I competed against Phil Heath
in 2006, at the New York Pro. But
now I don’t even recognise him,
I used to love the way Phil
looked. He was perfect, healthy
and muscular, exactly what we
are trying to portray to the
public,” says Eddie.
After coming home, realisation
hit. He told FLEX, “I no longer
wanted to push my body to the
limits, at what risks to my health
am I willing to go?”
He knew what he would
have to do, the force feeding,
the excessive lifting and the
chemical pressure on his
internal organs,
“For what, another trophy and
liver failure, I’m not willing to take
that risk,” he says passionately.
He used to be excited about
the Mr. O, watching it live and
seeing how everybody looked,
but that excitement had gone,
“I’m not inspired by what body-
building has become, the big
distended stomachs, the ultra-
freakish unachievable size.”
He remembers, “Bodybuilders
physiques used to be achievable
with huge work, but now it’s
almost unrealistic to force this
type of growth,” we’re told.
As a qualified nurse, he knew
that the excessive use of drugs
and forcing the body beyond
its limits was dangerous and
he mentally just couldn’t do this
anymore.
Now, Abbew is trying to
promote healthy l