Koosha Toofan - Rising Star of the Month
September 2009
Interviewed by: Tammy Renee
Photos by: Walter Parada & John Decker
It feels great, I am very honored!
Q. Can you tell our readers a little about who you are, what you are made of, and where you came from?
I have a very unique background. Not only am I a Fitness Model, a life long drug-free bodybuilder and sponsored athlete, but I also work as an Engineer. In addition, I am a Entrepreneur and do motivational speaking. I graduated from the University of California Davis in 2006, majoring in Electrical Engineering. And for those wondering, my ethnic background is Persian. With that said, I am an extremely motivated, ambitious, and driven individual, with a very unique outlook on life. As far back as I can remember I have always strived to be the best at whatever task lay before me. I always strive to use each accomplishment as a stepping stone to greater accomplishments. This has made me into an extremely competitive individual, and brings the best qualities out of me.
Growing up, I always have been involved with athletics in some form, however, it was not until the end of my high school years where I began researching on how to properly diet and train to put on muscle. And that's how I got hooked on bodybuilding.
Q. How long have you been in the fitness industry?
It's been roughly 4 years, since I was 20 years old. There have been many ups and downs in the journey, but like anything in life, you must endure the hardships to reap the rewards. And I have greatly enjoyed the experience thus far!
Q. What made you decide to get into the fitness industry?
I never intentionally aimed in entering into the fitness industry. I found myself in the industry because it is a byproduct of my passion for sports, athletics, and bodybuilding. The fitness industry is a new platform where I was and will be challenged. I always enjoy tackling new obstacles and pushing myself to new heights. Furthermore, I view the industry as a means to help further my tangent goals through self-marketing and further exposure. As I always say, in order to differentiate yourself from the pack and open new doors, you must maximize your ability to market yourself.
Q. You also model. Can you tell me about it.
Yes, I do modeling. And that was one of my first entry ways into the fitness industry. It actually happened out of the blue; someone suggested I give modeling a try and I went for it, and the rest is history as they say. Furthermore, there's a lot more to modeling than meets the eye; and to truly capture a great image, a group effort is required from all individuals involved: finding a location to shoot at, creating an outline of the photo shoot for the various themes, setting the lighting, and a large component is remaining positive while in front of the camera. The attribute of having a great personality is a key element as well, because it will get you further.
Q. Who have you worked with?
I've had the privilege of working with many great photographers whom have greatly helped build my portfolio, and who also have become great friends. To name several of the photographers I have worked with: Douglas Winters, Scott Mars, John Decker who was Arnold Schwarzenegger's personal photographer as governor of California, and Walter Parada. Walter Parada is the first photographer whom I worked with, and since then I have shot with him every year, creating very unique and captivating imagery. As a photographer who is gaining a lot of recognition from his growing portfolio, he has included me on his website and continues to inspire great shots! All of the photographers have been great to work with, and they've definitely captured my personality in many of their photographs.
My goals are to constantly improve. In light of modeling, it would be to create imagery that will captivate the audience; unique photographs that will set me apart from the rest. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, I want to utilize modeling as a vehicle to help fuel my other ambitious goals: help market my entrepreneurial goals, use my recognition to help others, and more. I view nothing as strictly a one-way street.
Q. How does your training differ when you are modeling and when you are not?
There is no difference in my training. The same method I use for building muscle, I believe is also the best way to maintain muscle: training heavy and to failure.
Q. What future projects do you have planned?
Currently, I am taking advantage of my newfound network to optimize my success, and branch out to new territories utilizing the modeling as a leveraging tool.
Q. What titles have you won during competitions?
I actually entered my first competition on May 2, 2009: The 'Model America' Championship competition in Orange County, California. I placed second. Definitely a great experience and being that it was my first competition, I could not be happier with my placing. However, I am even more driven to better myself, and win the overall at the next show!
Q. How does your routine and life change when you go from pre-contest to off-season?
In regards to training, usually at the end of my diet I switch to more machine exercises, rather than free weights because I am low on energy and I don't want to risk an injury. Additionally, I gradually increase the amount of cardio I do; a mix of slow and high intensity, based on how I am progressing. As for my diet, once I-m in pre-contest mode, I track every macro-nutrient, and I set my meal frequency; which is usually 6-7 meals. This is more so to create a structured outline for my day, ensuring I consume the right amount of calories through my hectic schedule. As a brief outline: I consume a little more protein while pre-contest, keep the fats the same and I gradually cut my carbohydrates based on how I look.
As for my life, it has been a lot of changes. Once I'm focused on the end goal of stepping on stage, my pre-contest preparation slowly consumes me. The last few weeks of the diet are the hardest on me: mentally, physically and emotionally I am drained from the low-carbohydrate diet, the many hours of cardio, and from my other lines of work; my Engineering job. I have a very relentless work ethic, and if I want something, I will give everything I have until I achieve it. It keeps me extremely focused.
Q. What do you like and dislike about competing?
I enjoy the natural high you receive while you're on stage, showcasing your months of preparation to family and friends. It's a very special feeling. Moreover, I believe stepping on stage takes a lot of courage: you are exposing yourself for direct criticism, and you are at your most vulnerable, standing in just your shorts in front of hundreds or even thousands. That's why I believe not only do you have to physically be at your best, but also mentally, to display confidence and capture the audiences and judges attention; rather than showing any insecurity you may have.
As for dislikes, I would have to say the preparation. In addition to all of my other commitments, it placed me under a lot of pressure; and was very fatiguing towards the end.
Q. What would you change about the judges in the competition?
Q. What federation did you compete in?
I competed in the Muscle Mania federation.
Q. Do you have any other competitions lined up?
As of now, I'm just concentrating on improving on all aspects of my body. From there I will decide on a natural bodybuilding federation to compete in; as well as a show. Additionally, I may compete at the Model Universe competition. Yet, it all depends on my other obligations - I currently have a lot going on.
Q. From your past contests, what have you learned you need to correct or work on for the physique you are aiming for?
I need to work on my hamstrings and calves, bring them up a little. With that said, there is always room for improvement, and I am always open to constructive criticism to better myself.
Q. So, tell us a little about your dieting techniques. Giving some tips to our readers who want to look their best.
I recommend creating a calorie deficit by initially lowering your calories; once the fat loss begins to stall, and then gradually incorporate cardio. You don't want to cut calories too low, or do too much cardio, because your body will begin to burn muscle for energy, and you will get a stringy look. Patience is the key; you must diet down slowly. Moreover, another great method is to cycle your carbohydrates. I personally always cycle my carbs, and it works great for me. I have no cravings, and I am able to keep my strength in the gym because of the high carb days, which replenish my glycogen stores. Furthermore, read, and read some more! I can't emphasize how important it is to build your knowledge on at least the basics of diet and exercise.
Q. What advice would you give to our readers?
Many people see me now and assume I was able to build my body overnight; relatively speaking. There's no such thing; it's all about steady progress. I have been in this sport for 7 years. If you want to truly become the best, you need to go beyond the norm, give more then 100% effort; not only is your training and diet important, but so is your attitude and how you carry yourself to become stage or photo shoot ready.
Furthermore, what I always try to convey is the importance of keeping a balance in your life; outside of contest preparation. Too often I see individuals saturate themselves in the sport and sacrifice their family, friends, and other points in their lives. There's no need to be selfish, and neglect your other responsibilities. Bodybuilding should be integrated into a normal life, and should be fun; it should not make you miserable as I see too often. If it makes you miserable, stop doing it, take a break, and re-evaluate your priorities. Additionally, there's a lot of negative stereotypes associated with bodybuilding, and that's something I'd like to change by better educating non-bodybuilders.
Q. What are your strengths and weaknesses in your physique? How are you attempting to correct them?
My strengths are my proportions, and the symmetry seen in my physique. I train every body part with great intensity, with strict form, and with high volume; especially loading up on the number of sets I do for my legs. In regards to my weaknesses, I will mention again that there's always room for improvement; and that's the way I view my physique - I am my own toughest critic.
Q. What problems have you had as far as staying motivated and disciplined to stick with your workouts?
I've never had a problem staying motivated and disciplined with my training. I love training, and it's a stress reliever for me. Additionally, I train solely for myself, and for no other external reasons. If I was not passionate about this lifestyle, I would not continue with it.
Q. How have you, mentally and physically, changed over the years?
Physically, my body has tremendously matured through the consistent weight training and diet; where the diet was a lifestyle change. In regards to my mental state of mind: I have an entire new outlook on life. I appreciate the smaller things in life; enjoy the essence of what life is supposed to be: to be happy, enjoy the company of loved ones and striving for constant self-improvement, and not becoming complacent and leading life on how society or your culture pressures you to.
Q. Any shout outs?
First and foremost I want to thank my family, they're my biggest fans, and have supported me from the beginning. Both my mother and father have helped mold me, and without them I wouldn't be where I am today. Then my sister, who even with her busy schedule is always right beside me, and makes the juggling of my lines of work much more manageable,. And my cousin Ali, who is my right hand man; he supports me and always pushes me in and outside of the gym when the going gets tuff.
Finally, to my coach, mentor and good friend, Sagi Kalev. As a world famous fitness model and bodybuilder, it means a lot having him on my team, encouraging me, believing in me, and helping me reach new heights in my self-development as a competitor. I recently joined his team of elite athletes, named "Team Kalev", his website is sagikalev.com.
Q. Who had the most impact on you in your life thus far?
Hands down it would be my parents; they are my inspiration! They have been there for me since day one, and helped me overcome each obstacle I confronted in my life, and have made me believe that anything is achievable if you work hard and believe in yourself.
Q. What were you like in high school?
In high school, I was just as driven as I am today; I believe the positive traits you build early on in your life will remain with you throughout your life. I was very athletic growing up: I played football, ran track, and my passion - basketball. I recall I would train by running intervals on the football field, and run the bleachers whether it was scorching hot outside, late at night or pouring rain; I would continue this even if I could barely walk, even with the extreme pain I was in because of the shin splints I had in both my legs. I was extremely confident in my abilities, and I had the mentality that to be the best I had to give 110% effort to succeed. Moreover, I was a very studious student, and applied the same mindset I had for my athletics to school.
Q. Please describe a typical day for you. What is your daily routine like?
Currently, since I'm in the off season, I wake up at 5:30 AM and perform 40 minutes of plyometrics training; not only do I train for aesthetics, but for performance as well. Next, I get ready and leave for my Engineering job at 7 AM, returning home at 6 PM, where I then get ready and leave for the gym to weight train, getting back home roughly around 7:30 PM. Next, I work on my various businesses, cook my meals for the next day, and I usually get to bed by 12 PM. The weekdays are very hectic as you can see, thus, I like to balance it out by spending time with my family on the weekends, and relaxing; if possible. Ha-ha.
Q. If I were to open your fridge and kitchen cabinets, what would I find in them?
In my fridge I have chicken, fish, sirloin steak, eggs, natural organic peanut butter, fruits, and a lot of greens, mostly broccoli and spinach. In my cabinet you'd find my buckets of whey and casein protein, rice cakes, rice, oatmeal, yam, and more. Additionally, I have a lot of condiments for flavoring my food, since I always like to switch things up and cook adventurous new dishes. I won't lie though, I have cookies & cream ice cream, my favorite and chocolate chip cookies too; what can I say, I have a sweet tooth. Ha-ha.
With that said, I love cooking, and have been doing it for years. I’ve been able to cook practically any dish, and I can truthfully say eating healthy doesn't have to be bland; it actually can be very enjoyable if you know how and what ingredients to mix together. Eating healthy requires a lot of self-discipline, and it's something that you need to slowly integrate into a new-found lifestyle to be truly successful.
Q. Could you go over a sample day of your diet from when you were preparing for your Model America show?
Sure, the sample diet I'm going to list is from close to the end of my diet preparation, a low carb day. Additionally, note that my diet would change week to week based on how I was progressing, a mix of structured dieting and instinctive eating:
Meal 1: 1 tsp flax oil, 4oz. steak, 80g oats
Meal 2: 6 oz. chicken
Meal 3: 4oz. chicken, 1 tsp. Flax Oil
Meal 4: 6oz. tilapia, 3 oz. veggies
Meal 5: (pre-workout): 6 oz. chicken, 1 tsp. Flax Oil
Meal 6: (post-workout): 6 oz. steak, Veggies
Meal 7: 2 whole eggs, 8 whites
Q. If I were to walk into your house and have a look around, what type of fitness equipment would I find?
Nothing really. I take advantage of the great equipment at my gym, Gold's Gym. And if need be, I just drive to a football field and do my cardiovascular work there: you have the bleachers there to run and the football field to do wind sprints; since I love high intensity cardio and the outdoors.
Q. What are your hobbies outside of fitness?
I have too many to list, but I will say I have a great passion for great challenges. Thus, I feel financial investing, real estate, entrepreneurial goals, and other, are what I'm currently focused on. I also love learning new things; you can always catch me with a book in hand; anything from hard science to medical journals. Additionally, I enjoy giving back and helping others who are less fortunate; you should never forget where you came from. Furthermore, I love to travel, experience new cultures, foods, the outdoors and to meet new people. So, if you ever see me. Come say hi and introduce yourself!
Q. Where are you going from here? What are your future goals for your career, this industry, and your physique?
My future goals are to keep advancing forward, never becoming complacent with what I have accomplished, while still remaining appreciative of what I have achieved; this applies to all my lines of work. In the fitness industry, I want to gain further exposure, while simultaneously helping others reach their fitness goals, and being able to leverage my accomplishments to greater goals in and outside of the industry. In regards to my physique, it will always be a work in progress; not to say that I am not satisfied, rather, just like in life there always remains room for improvement; to get bigger, and more conditioned. I want to make a lasting impact in this world, to make a positive difference!
Q. How do you make time for yourself? How do you relax and hide from the stress of the world?
I always try to make time on weekends to spend with my family and friends. It is difficult at times, however, I acknowledge the importance of keeping a healthy balance in my life. Additionally, my family helps keep me grounded, which I believe is very important. In reference to relaxing, the gym is my means for stress relief; athletic training has always been my means to escape from the daily grind. I do not get stressed too often, since I'm doing what I am passionate about, which makes an enormous difference.
Q. What are your stats, such as height, weight, biceps, and waist?
I stand 5'10", and my contest weight when I was completely depleted was 172 lbs, and right now I am roughly 195 lbs; still lean, but just filled out now. I try to stay very lean year round. My arms currently measure 17.5" and my waist is 30".
Q. Can you list some of your best lifts?
To name a few: I squat 425 lbs. x 4 with free weights, incline dumbbell press, press 130 lb. dumbbells for 6 reps, and one-arm dumbbell rows where I use 170 lb. dumbbells for 8 reps. Also, I'd like to mention that my 100 meter sprint time is 10.82 seconds, using fully automatic timing. I don't want to just look the part of an athlete, it is also important for me to be able to perform at a high competitive level, as well.
Q. Here is the place you can throw a plug in on anyone, any company, anything. Who do you want to plug?
I want to give a plug to my sponsors, LA Muscle, who have been great to me and have provided me with the best products, which are available at www.lamuscle.com. Additionally, they've heard the cry for more health and fitness programming from the world and have created the successful online channel: www.lamuscle.tv, which I absolutely love! It's done so well now that they've created the same programming on mainstream satellite TV in the UK and around Europe with SKY TV. The channel's going worldwide and already has production here in the US. Hopefully, you'll be seeing me soon on our satellite TV channel in the near future. Stay tuned!
Q. Tell me about your family. In addition, tell me if you are married, single, dating around, etc.
My family is very close knit; we greatly value the importance of spending time together. My parents are happily married, and my sister is in Law School while simultaneously working at a prestigious law firm.
And yes, I'm single. I'm a very independent and busy person; therefore, at this point in time I have given greater precedence to my personal goals. However, if the right girl enters into my life, and we mesh well together, I'd definitely pursue it.
Q. How do you feel you have improved you and your life?
I feel that I am improving myself every day. I try to live each day to the fullest, and aim at bettering myself. I never want to remain static, life is just too short. With that said, I feel I have opened many new doors with all of my different lines of work; and I am now blessed with many new opportunities, which all originated from my many sacrifices and relentless work ethic since I was a young kid.
Q. The interview is coming to a close now. Is there anything that you would like to add prior to the end of the interview?
I want to first thank World Physique Magazine for this interview. I greatly appreciate it! I also want to thank all of the readers, and everyone who has ever supported and believed in me throughout the years.
Remember, success isn't just handed to you, you must earn it. People should not have a feeling of self-entitlement; rather you need self-discipline, a relentless work ethic, and knowledge to advance yourself forward in life by working both your body and mind. Anything can be accomplished as long as you believe in yourself and work for it. I am a testament to that!
Q. We are delighted to have you featured as our 'Rising Star of the Month'. Thank you for taking the time out to hold this interview with us. We wish you the best of luck in the future.
Thank you, it was my pleasure!
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