VITAL STATS Name: Raff Bentaleb E-mail: raf_zak@yahoo.com Age: 41 Where: Williamsburg, VA (Originally from Safi, Morocco) Height: 5'7" Weight: 220 Off 190-200 Contest Years Bodybuilding: 13 Favorite Bodypart: Quads Favorite Exercise: Smith Machine Deep Squats Favorite Supplements: Whey Protein, Flaxseed Oil & Creatine Monohydrate

How Did You Get Started?

I have always been a competitive athlete since I was 5. I started out with soccer first then when I turned 14 one of my gym teachers advised me to run track when he noticed the speed that I had when I played right wing in soccer. I listened to his valuable advice and joined the local track and field club. Five years later I would win the Junior Moroccan track and field championship clocking 1:47:16 in the 800m. Everybody was talking about the birth of a new name in the world of track and I was given the nick name Seb Coe.

However, things went the wrong way when I got injured in the right hip and couldn't run anywhere close to that 1:47 again. As poor as I was I couldn't afford a surgery and I would end up quitting a sport that I still love. I didn't know what to do then. I was born a competitor.

I wanted to stay busy so I started playing Judo and did amazingly well. And since the sport of judo (as many other sports) required weight training sessions I found myself in the weight lifting room more than 3 times a week, and that's when I discovered bodybuilding and fell in love. The rest is history.

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Raff Bentaleb.

What Workout Plan Worked Best For You?

I am an old school kind of guy, I believe in free weights, dumbbells and basic exercises. I workout four times a week. 40 minutes a session, heavy weight, high intensity and low reps:

Monday: Back/Triceps

• Lat Pull Down: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Bent Over Rows: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Deadlifts: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Skull Crushers: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Cable Extensions: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Dips: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps

Tuesday: Legs

• Smith Machine Deep Squats: 4 Sets 5-8 Reps
• Leg Press: 4 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Hamstring Curls: 4 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 4 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Calf Raises: 4 Sets Of 8-12 Reps
• Donkey Calf Raises: 4 Sets Of 8-12 Reps

Thursday: Chest/Biceps

• Incline Barbell: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Ez Bar Curls: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Incline Curls: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps
• Dumbbell Concentration Curls: 3 Sets Of 6-8 Reps

Friday: Shoulders/Traps

• Rear Dumbbell Raises: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Seated Rear Dumbbell Raises: 3 Sets Of 5-8 Reps
• Dumbbell Shrugs: 4 Sets Of 6-8 Reps

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Raff Bentaleb.

What Nutrition Plan Has Worked Best For You?

I eat 6 meals a day including two protein shakes.

Meal 1:

• 12 Egg White/2 Yolks
• A Cup Of Brown Rice
• Table Spoon Of Flaxseed Oil

Meal 2:

• 2 Scoops Of Whey Protein
• 4 Rice Cakes

Meal 3:

• 8 Ounces Of Lean Beef
• 1 Cup Of Brown Rice
• 1 Banana

Meal 4:

• 8 Ounce Chicken Breast (Grilled)
• 1 Cup Of Broccoli
• 1 Cup Of Brown Rice

Meal 5:

• 1 Low Sodium Tuna Can
• 1 Sweet Potato

Meal 6:

• 2 Scoops Of Whey Protein
• 1 Table Spoon Of Flaxseed Oil

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Raff Bentaleb.

What Supplements Have Given You The Greatest Gains?

Whey protein, creatine monohydrate and flaxseed oil.

Why Do You Love Bodybuilding?

Bodybuilding is more than a sport for me. It's the discipline behind it. Bodybuilding is probably the most demanding sport in the world, and if you don't have the discipline then it's the wrong sport for you. That discipline helped me quit smoking. It helped me quit alcohol without going to any AA meetings. Bodybuilding makes me feel healthy, focused, and self confident and invincible.

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Raff Bentaleb.

What Motivates You To Follow A Healthy Lifestyle?

Unfortunately the life style in America makes people eat more and exercise less. Most people don't walk anywhere and their eating habits are horrible, and that leads to nothing but being overweight and all the health problems behind it. I did not want to be one of those people. I do not go to doctors unless I'm forced to. With a healthy diet, exercise and staying away from smoking and excessive drinking I feel like I am in my twenties, and I prove that in the gym.

What Made You Want To Achieve Your Goals?

I want to be a good example to my children. Your children see you as their hero. So, you need to be a good example to them. If they grow up seeing you eating healthy and exercising they are more likely to be like you, but if they see you coming home drunk every night and can't even carry yourself then that's probably what they are going to learn when they're grown.

What Are Your Future Bodybuilding Plans?

2009 has been a rough year on me and so I wasn't really concentrated and my preparation for shows was short and full of ups and downs. So, I want to take a month off training and diet and give my body time to rest and recover, then start my off season prep (work on my weak points) for next year. I am planning to train really hard and prepare very well to qualify to the US nationals in Vegas then hopefully represent Morocco in the next IFBB World Amateur Championship.

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Raff Bentaleb.

What One Tip Would You Give Other Bodybuilders?

Leave your ego at home before you go to the gym. Weight is a means not a goal in bodybuilding. So don't worry about what people think of you when you are curling with 25 pounds on each side of the bar. Also set a realistic goal and stick with it. Then finally, discipline, discipline, and discipline.

Who Are Your Favorite Bodybuilders?

Classical Physiques: Muhammed Makkawi, Samir Bannout, and the great Francis Benfatto. Mass monsters: Nasser El Sonbati, Dorian Yates, Kevin Levrone and Dennis Wolf.

What Features Do You Use On Bodybuilding.com?

Bodybuilding.com is the greatest bodybuilding and nutrition site on the planet. When I am preparing for a show I get all my info and answers from Bodybuilding.com. I definitely love the contest prep articles feature and I get all my supplements and contest prep tools from Bodybuilding.com store.

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Raff Bentaleb.

BodySpace

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Moorish/

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