Today, we have an opportunity to bring you an interview with an up and coming bodybuilder. Well known for his structure and poise, it is a great pleasure to bring you an interview with MO Elbasouni. In the coming months and years, we expect to see a lot from this amateur bodybuilder. If he keeps up his current performance, it won't be long until we see him on stage with professional bodybuilders.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

”I was born in Cairo Egypt, 21 years ago. I came to United States at the age of 5.  I lived in Woodbridge NJ, then Avenel NJ, then Oldbridge NJ, then Giza Egypt, Then Bayonne NJ, and now finally Matawan NJ.  I failed the fourth grade and barely made it through High School.  I got a bad case of Attention deficit disorder, and I have extreme difficulty remembering simple things like names, numbers, etc. 

 I'm not too social around people I don't know, but I treat my close friends like family.  I never smoked, drank, or did any crazy head drugs.  I am engaged to the most beautiful girl in the world, Shimaa El-srougy.  I am the 2nd oldest out of 4 brothers and 1 sister.  My hobbies outside of bodybuilding include playing video-games and watching Disney movies.  Otherwise, I like to sip on a cold drink and relax.”

Who do you look up to in the sport?
This sport is such a crazy sport, I don't even know anymore.  You know, some people that you think you know, you don't really know, and some people that you think you look up to are really something else other than what they seem to be...

The best thing that I found is to start a clean slate with everybody, regardless of their history with others, verifiable rumors, etc.  I look up to people that have accomplishments - "well rounded" individuals that share the same thoughts about this sport as I do.

I look up to those that have done more with their bodybuilding careers than just looked good and those that did good for themselves... Can you tell that I can't stand selfish people yet... :)  In this sport, I look up to those who put their blood, tears, and sweat in training/dieting/balancing a life and still finished second to come back even better the next year... I look up to the Dennis James', Kevin Levrone'es, Sean Rays, and Darrem Charles’s of the sport.  The guys that pour their hearts and souls into the sport only to wind up disappointed and come back even better the next time around... I look up to my buddy Gary Kamil for training, dieting and competing as a bodybuilder for nearly 30 years, never to win a pro-card. Yet at the same time, those same people find the time to go out and help others whenever and wherever they are needed. Those are the true champions of the sport...    

Do you see yourself as a person who body builds, or as a bodybuilder? Meaning, is your bodybuilding they way you define yourself, or is it one of many aspects of you as a person?
Well, of course I was always a person - I was just always a person that loved bodybuilding.  Right now, in order of importance, I define myself as

• A Muslim 
• A fiancé 
• A son 
• A brother
•  A human being 
• A student
• An employee 
• A bodybuilder. 

So, as you can see, a lot comes before bodybuilding for me. That doesn't mean I won't bust my ass in the gym and diet my ass off to strive to be one of the best bodybuilders the world has seen :).

How do you feel about the whole issue of steroid use/abuse being highlighted in the news?  Does it bother you to know that your sport is being degraded by the negative attention brought by the media?
The media has to start accepting the fact that steroids have always been a part of sports.  I never really followed any other sports beside bodybuilding, so I just laugh so hard at all the guys that tried to knock bodybuilding, while all of their favorite all-time baseball greats are getting busted for steroids now... I kind of like it that other sports are being exposed now... It's like "HA! In your face!"

All of these politicians that watch baseball and football can now have a taste of what they've been giving bodybuilders for the past decade. I don't like the fact that one has to be chemically enhanced to be competitive, especially in this sport... it is what it is, though.  If you can't live with the rules, don't play the game - know what I mean?  
 
Do you know about the Tyler Hooten Foundation? If so, give me some comments about the foundation and its purpose.
They mean well, but, unfortunately they don't realize that most of the problems that steroid users are facing stem from lack of medical supervision. As many studies have shown, steroids can be safe and effective when used properly. 

Can you say the same  about cigarettes and booze?  All of the deaths that occur from drunk driving, the domestic abuse that occurs as a result of alcoholism, destroyed families, broken homes, abused wives, husbands, daughters and sons... Tyler Hooten probably doesn't know that the likes of Babe Ruth and Mikey Mantel probably used steroids.. I mean they were legal up and till only about a decade ago. Besides that, this is supposed to be a free country, and one shouldn't be scared-to-piss from the government about a personal choice that affects no one but the user...especially if it was accessible with medical supervision.

What do you wish to accomplish in bodybuilding? What would you like to be remembered for?
I would like to make it to the Olympia stage and have fun with bodybuilding as long as possible.  Once it starts to get boring and I'm not exactly bodybuilder material anymore, I'll stop and pursue my other goals further. As a bodybuilder I would like to be remembered for my lines and density.