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Eddie ‘The Savage’ Abbew
Britain’s Number One!
Interview by Giles Thomas
For the past couple of years I don’t really think that there can be any reasonable argument against the fact of this interview heading. The 6 foot tall 270lb St Albans-based Ghanian Eddie Abbew has led the way for British bodybuilding in the IFBB pro ranks ever since Ernie Taylor passed the torch over to big Eddie several years ago when he retired.
Despite being a pro since he won his pro card with a heavyweights and overall win at the 1997 EFBB British Championships, Eddie is living proof that consistency and never giving up is what eventually brings success in pro bodybuilding. In 2007 we saw Eddie score third place, his highest ever placing in an IFBB pro show and not just any pro contest but the Pro Ironman, seeing off such fierce opponents in the form of Silvio Samuel, 2008’s ‘202’ Mr Olympia David Henry and Marcus ‘The Comet’ Haley.
In 2007 we also saw ever-popular Eddie appear in his first ever Mr Olympia, but this wasn’t the first time Eddie had appeared on stage with Mr Olympia superstars such as Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler, he had done battle with these icons many times before. That’s the thing, you see, at 270lb with a 32-inch waist, he’s pretty difficult to ignore for those judges!
Exclusively for BodyFitness, we take a look at Eddie’s eleven years as a pro and where Eddie has been and where he is going with his impressive career. Always upbeat and jolly, Eddie is always a pleasure to speak with. I hope you all enjoy reading about one of my favourite British bodybuilders.
Giles: Great to see you Eddie as always mate. I thought it was about time we got you in for an interview for you to tell us about your years as a top UK professional athlete. Right, let’s take it right back to 1997 when you won the EFBB British, you won the heavyweights against Jamo Nazzar and beat a very impressive Linvall Miller in the light heavyweights, Gary Fung in the middleweights and mini-Flex Wheeler Brian Yansen in the lightweights. It was your fifth try for your pro card and you finally won it, how did you feel finally after all those years of trying?
Eddie: I was actually quite shocked at first. I had been trying to win it for a few years and decided that that was my last year. If I had not won, it, I was going to retire. There were some very good bodybuilders around at that time so winning was sweet.
Giles: You didn’t waste any time really did you after that to do a pro show? Was the 1999 Toronto pro where you placed 14th your very first professional contest?
Eddie: What are you on about Giles? I took a year off to improve a little before I did my first contest. Get your facts right. I turned pro in 1997 and competed in 1999, Mr Thomas! (laughs) The Toronto Pro, 1999 was my first pro show. I was incredibly naïve and made so many mistakes. I did not understand the deal with travelling and carb depleting and completely f***ed up the show. I placed 14th and frankly, I thought I deserved worse after looking at the contest photos.
Giles: It was 2000 when you really started to get your name known wasn’t it Eddie, when you came ninth in the Night of Champions? Dexter Jackson was eighth and you beat guys like Titus, JD Dowadu, Mike Matarazzo and Kevin English! It was a really good line-up with Cutler, Dillett and Priest all alongside you in that magic top ten… did your confidence really take an upturn after you did well at that contest?
Eddie: Frankly, yes, my confidence did take an upturn. In my opinion the condition I had in that contest was my best ever to date. I knew after that contest that maybe I had something; consistency was what I lacked in my subsequent contests. It is quite difficult monitoring one’s self pre-contest. Objectivity disappears after a few weeks of dieting.
Giles: How did the all those top American’s take to you with you being a foreigner? Were they cool with you?
Eddie: You know Giles, I think most competitors respect you if you’re in better condition than they are on the day. It’s the fans who sometimes can be unkind, especially if you defeat their favourite, but that really is neither here nor there if the contests are judged fairly.
Giles: So, what came next for you? What shows did you do and how did you place?
Eddie: My next couple of contests were the 2001 European Cup, 11th; 2001 NOC, 13th; 2002 Ironman, 11th; and 2002 NOC, 14th. As you can tell by the trend, it wasn’t happening for me the way I wanted. I just couldn’t get my act right. I always made some mistake during the 11-hour flights to the States.
Giles: I hope I’m right in saying that things plateaued a little for you for several years… what were your thoughts and feelings over those next few years? Were you happy with how things were going or not?
Eddie: Yes sir, I was ecstatic I was not placing… not! Those were very frustrating times because I know if I got my act right I would probably place but it was just not happening for me. I contemplated throwing in the towel but I suppose my stubborn nature took the better of me, hence my perseverance.
Giles: Then came 2005 and you took third in the Olympia Wildcard, which Dave Henry won. I’d imagine that this got your face and physique known a little better? I heard that on the Olympia weekend you were getting mistaken for Ronnie Coleman? I have the same problem… err, not!
Eddie: Actually the 2005 Wildcard was the worst I have ever felt at all my shows in the States. The truth was that I played around with my sodium intake prior to flying and suffered cramp when I got there. It was generally thought by some of the other competitors that I had overdosed on diuretics. That was far from the truth. I had to go to a clinic at 3am and ask to be prescribed quinine sulphate to combat the cramps. The obvious thing to do at that time was to just abandon the contest and consume gallons of water. In hindsight I wish I had. I am used to being mistaken for Ronnie Coleman wherever I go… I am always irritated by that! How is it possible to mistake a BRUTALLY handsome chap like myself for Ronnie? I know you agree with me 110%, don’t you, Giles?
Giles: Hmmm, err, of course Eddie! You did pretty well in the 2006 Post Olympia Grand Prix tour taking sixth place in Austria and fifth in Holland behind Cutler and Coleman. I saw on the net some impressive photos of you in comparisons with Jay and Ronnie, how did you feel about comparing favourably with the, at the time, world number one and two?
Eddie: It was awesome! I was immensely pleased with my condition. I had to sacrifice a little size to achieve that condition but I was happy nonetheless. The magazines and the reporters said that Ronnie Rockell and I had the best contest of the whole tour. I was pleased with that.
Giles: Would you say you had finally started to make significant improvements from the 2006 Olympia Grand Prix tour onwards, as things just got better from here on out for you didn’t they? Four months later you entered the Pro Ironman and took third qualifying for the Olympia. What, after those five years of solid competing would you say caused you to all of a sudden look so much drastically even better? I heard you were working on your prep with Ernie Taylor?
Eddie: Yes, I was at a guest spot in Leeds when Ernie saw me. He asked me what I had planned for my last week of the contest. He gave me some invaluable information, which made a huge difference to my placing hence. Ernie’s metabolism is similar to mine, very fast, so I am eternally grateful to him for all his help.
Giles: I saw you at some guest spots around the UK and you looked good, but what happened for the Olympia… as I think it’s fair to say that you didn’t look quite as good as you did at the Ironman earlier in the year did you? Were you simply overwhelmed by the fact it was the Olympia and it knocked you off your perch a bit? Or were you maybe tired out from all the travelling before the contest as I remember talking to you in Leeds at the UKBFF qualifier when you stood in at the last minute for scheduled guest star Martin Kjellstrom. You could barely stand you looked so knackered mate!
Eddie: I was knackered, as you put it, because I did two guest spots, one in Wales and one in Leeds. I am not superman you know! I tried to fly to both venues but I didn’t have a cape! The Olympia was another story. Yes, it is possible that I was overwhelmed by all the fuss surrounding it that I forgot it was just another bodybuilding contest!
I made some elementary mistakes that even some first timers wouldn’t do. I can’t blame anyone but myself for that. The final straw was the tanning, which made me blend in with the black background curtain.
Giles: (laughs) Indeed Eddie! Then in 2008 you had another stab at the Pro Ironman in California, and you took seventh, beating such names as Toney Freeman and Will Harris. How did you feel about not qualifying for the Olympia again or was that not your intention, rather just to do well?
Eddie: To a large extent I did that contest to somewhat redeem myself. I had made such a cock-up of the Olympia that I had to prove to myself that I could look better than that. My condition was not as crisp as it was at the previous Ironman, but much better than the Olympia the year before. Yes, I would have liked to qualify for the Olympia, but I was happy with my placing.
Giles: Your last contest was the Atlantic Pro show where by your own admission you “messed it up”. I saw the photos… what happened?
Eddie: Don’t even mention that contest! Everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong! I was almost late for my flight, BA lost one of my cases and I was searched thoroughly at Philadelphia airport. Again, I suffered terrible cramp on stage and pulled out after my first individual showing. I had to think of my health. I was sprawled out on the floor backstage with Cynthia James shoving salt down my throat! It was an ordeal!
Giles: So, what is next and how are you doing right now?
Eddie: My plan is to compete at some of the early contests next year, namely the Ironman, Australian and New Zealand shows. I am currently negotiating a sponsorship deal with Monster Gym in Cheshunt. Steve and Angie, the owners, have kindly offered to help finance my preparation next year. I am eternally grateful to them.
Giles: There’s a few things I’ve heard about you over the years that just sound a bit bizarre to me, you know what this sport is like, full of daft Chinese whispers that are usually so far from the truth. Can you clear them up for me please Eddie? Firstly, I heard that you, a black guy, use 14 coats of tan before you go on stage? Surely not?
Eddie: That is very funny Giles! Which Chinese restaurant did you hear that whisper in? Who said I was black anyway? No, that is NOT true at all! I apply a very thin layer of Dream Tan backstage. I made the mistake of letting the tanners at the Olympia backstage apply two layers of Jan Tana and we all know what happened after!
Giles: I’ve also heard that you carb up on 2500 grams of carbs? Surely, surely not?
Eddie: That is correct sir. My metabolism is incredibly fast. I have been known to lose three pounds overnight by just missing one of my daily seven meals. I zero carb three days before I load. I only load for two days, therefore I try to get in as much carbs as possible in those three days. All I do in those two days is rest; I sometimes don’t have the energy to bathe!
Giles: I’ve heard that to get down enough protein you have to blend cooked chicken breasts with water and drink it down? Mate, tell me that one ain’t true… bleargh!
Eddie: Yeah, “BLENDIET” is my name for it. I have very little appetite. I used to weigh less than 140 pounds before I started bodybuilding. I would have had to give up bodybuilding had I not discovered Blendiet. Basically, I put my chicken breast in a baking tray, cover with kitchen foil and cook it. I sometimes steam it in the microwave. I weigh the amount I need, break it up into small pieces, add water and blend into the consistency of a milk shake. I drink this in one after I have eaten my carbs. It takes a while to get used to it. Yummy!
Giles: I’m not convinced Eddie! I’ve heard that you have to eat doughnuts on top of your diet just to stop yourself losing weight as your metabolism is just so fast?
Eddie: Yes, I have had to do that in the past. Eating doughnuts was an easy way of getting some calories in a few years ago before I discovered Blendiet. Before then I used to have to eat a box of ten Sainsbury’s doughnuts every evening before bed. The funny thing was that I was still lean enough to do a guest spot without having to diet.
Giles: It’s rumoured that you’ve been up to 350 pounds (25 stone!) in the off-season?
Eddie: (laughs) Stay away from the Chinese restaurants Giles! Those whispers are not good for your health. The most I have ever weighed is 312 pounds. I found that weight impossible to carry around. My lower back could not carry that weight.
Giles: Is it true that you don’t train your arms anymore?
Eddie: I do train my triceps but stopped training biceps for years. I now do a mediocre workout for my arms just to accompany my training partners. My biceps respond very well to training even though I have never liked the shape of them.
Giles: Here’s another good one… from when you started training you DOUBLED your bodyweight after three years?
Eddie: Yes, I weighed less than 140 pounds when I started training. My goal was to double my bodyweight. I did that in three years. I think I was more obsessed about bodybuilding than I am now.
Giles: That’s amazing. Is it true that Ronnie Coleman started hitting poses in front of you once thinking it was a mirror?
Eddie: I am sure Ronnie often thinks he’s ME because of my incredible good looks! (laughs).
Giles: Is it true that you were squatting with Ricky (Welling, who is blind!) and he was squatting 700lb when the gym had a power cut and Ricky just carried on squatting in the dark none the wiser?
Eddie: If you think about it, it makes no difference to him whether it’s dark or light. I was the idiot who started flapping around like it was the end of civilisation because there was no light! He doesn’t get intimidated by the weight either, because he is unable to see how heavy it is.
Giles: Are you still training with fellow pro Ricky Welling and figure pro Carmen Knight?
Eddie: Yes, I still train with Ricky and Carmen and Chris Mylona. I have trained with the same team for a few years now. We work well as a team.
Giles: I see you’ve got a DVD out Eddie, care to tell us about that?
Eddie: My DVD STICKABILITY was released just before the Olympia last year. It follows my preparation for the Olympia. You can get a copy from my website.
Giles: And a website too?
Eddie: Yes, www.eddieabbew.co.uk.
Giles: What style of training do you follow and tell us about your split? Are you as strong as you certainly look?
Eddie: I really don’t care much for strength anymore. My ego training days are long gone at my age. My main concern is longevity and prevention of injuries. I am over 30 now, you see. I have cut my rep range from 15 to 12 maximum. I train from Monday to Friday and have weekends off.
Monday – Delts, abs, calves
Tuesday – Quads
Wednesday – Abs, arms
Thursday – Back, calves
Friday – Hamstrings, chest
Giles: Let’s talk about diet… off-season, what sort of eating plan do you follow?
Eddie: I practically eat the same food all year round. The difference between off-season and pre-contest for me is the amounts and sauces added to my meals during the off-season. I also have three cheat meals per week off-season, and one pre-contest.
My diet consists of three shakes of CNP Propeptide a day, three chicken and rice meals and one steak and oats meal.
Giles: What about supplementation? You’re sponsored by CNP now, which of their products do you use?
Eddie: I use CNP Propeptide, CND Pro Glutamine, E2 creatine capsules, Pro lean, Pro Lipids. Tribulis, and Pro Recovery.
Giles: What does your waist measure?
Eddie: Off-season I don’t know how it measures but I have managed to get my waist down to 32 inches on stage before. I think currently my on stage waist measurement is 34 inches.
Giles: Ever measured your arms Eddie? They are immense, even bigger than mine!
Eddie: I think even my dick is bigger than your arms, Giles! No, I have never measured my arms and have refused offers to measure them.
Giles: The cheek of it! Disgraceful behaviour! You’re just jealous! (laughs). How many more years do you see yourself competing for Eddie? Is there still plenty left in the tank, and what do you think realistically you can hope to achieve placing-wise, err, now that you say you are over 30? (laughs).
Eddie: I don’t know yet. I know the bodybuilding world have not seen the best of me yet. I think I will retire after I achieve that. There is still plenty left in the tank mate, black don’t crack, don’t forget that.
Giles: Are you still training at Monster Gym is Cheshunt? I’ve never seen anything like that elsewhere in the UK, it’s huge! A monster even!
Eddie: Yes mate, I train at Monster Gym. They also sponsor me. I divide my training between Monster and Body Limits in St Albans, where I have trained since 1989!
No, I have never seen anything like Monster in all my travels. It boasts almost every conceivable Hammer strength station made.
Giles: Who out of the pros do you get on best with? Cormier? Cutler? Coleman? Ken Jones?
Eddie: I get on with everyone really. Johnnie Jackson, Dexter, Darrem Charles and Jay Cutler are the ones I suppose I chat to often.
Giles: What did you think on Dexter winning the Olympia this year, were you shocked?
Eddie: I thought Jay was a good ambassador for the sport but judging from the photos, Dex had the best condition and deserved to win. I think also that it is good for the sport that a different person has won. It will make it interesting for next year’s Olympia.
Giles: Who else in Britain do you think has the potential to take over from you as the UK’s number one pro? When you retire of course!
Eddie: I like James Lewis. He has a good physique but I am a fan of Zack Khan. I just wish he would get his act together and get his pro card. I am sure in condition he will do well in the pro ranks.
Giles: Why are you called ‘the Savage’? Do you like, eat people or something? But then again, you’d be called something more like Eddie ‘Hannibal Lecter’ Abbew wouldn’t you?
Eddie: (laughs) Funny Welsh comedian! Savage is actually my mother’s maiden name and also my son’s middle name. I gave up cannibalism years ago when I came to reside in the UK. I believe it’s frowned upon here isn’t it?
Giles: (laughs) Not in Wales, I believe! If you had a pound for every time you heard “Hey Eddie, where’s your brother Peak?”, how much money do you think you would have?
Eddie: Only a pound Giles, because that’s the first I’ve heard that! (laughs).
Giles: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given as a bodybuilder?
Eddie: That was to change my last week pre-contest prep by Ernie Taylor.
Giles: Finally, 2001 British Grand Prix, mate, what was that posing routine all about? I don’t think pelvic thrusts will ever become a compulsory pose mate! What made you, err, decide to do a routine, albeit, very entertaining, like umm, that one?
Eddie: That routine was done for a bet. I knew I was not going to place anyway so I cared less! I won a tenner by the way.
Giles: Happy days! Right Eddie, I think we can leave it there mate, thank you for taking the time to do this interview for all your fans and BodyFitness readers. We shall have to do another one again soon!
Eddie: Ok, sir. The pleasure is mine.
Eddie is available worldwide for guest posing and exhibitions seminars, letters, etc…
WEBSITE: www.thebiguniverse.com/abbew, www.eddieabbew.co.uk.
EMAIL: Eddieabbew@aol.com
MAIL: Eddie Abbew, c/o Body Limits Gym, Sutton Rd, St Albans, Herts AL1 5HH, or Monster Gymnasium Delamare Rd, Cheshunt ,Waltham Cross, Herts EN8 9SH.
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