Thread: Local bodybuilder fueled by family tragedy

Local bodybuilder fueled by family tragedy


By Robert Thomas Photography

“If you think you can just do cardio and lift weights, no. You have to eat right,” said bodybuilder Ken Stewart, who has a health food restaurant in McLean and seeks to educate everyone he can about about the benefits of eating right.

By Shemar Woods, June 16, 2011

Everyone who judges Ken Stewart on Friday night at the Musclemania Universe Championships in Miami will no doubt notice his eight-pack abs and rock-solid arms and legs. But Stewart says his real strength comes from within.

On a hot, humid August day almost 10 years ago, Stewart rode with his brother and father near the front of his mother’s funeral caravan. Ellaree Stewart had died at 54, from a ruptured ulcer in the midst of her fight with colorectal cancer, four months before Stewart finished his bachelor’s degree at Howard University.

The limo directly behind his mother’s hearse abruptly swerved from the funeral caravan upon arriving at the burial site. The limo door swung open and Stewart’s aunt screamed, “Oh my God.” Stewart’s grandmother, 74, had suffered a fatal heart attack before her daughter’s burial.

“Man, they laid my grandmother in a white dress on the ground at the grave site,” said Stewart, who blames the deaths on years of unhealthy eating habits. “I was like: ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me. There’s no way that could happen.’ You can’t even make a movie like that. It was unbelievable.”

Motivated by the deaths, Stewart opened a restaurant and delivery service, FUEL Cafe inside the Regency Sports and Health Complex in McLean. In addition to making his living there, he hopes to educate everyone he can about about the benefits of eating healthy.

“What I realized from that point in time is that I’m going to do anything to keep that from happening to anybody else, because that’s an experience I wouldn’t want to wish on anybody,” Stewart said.

The Musclemania Universe championships feature 500 “drug free” bodybuilders from around the world. Natural bodybuilding competitions seek to reward competitors who do not use steroids, testosterone, human growth hormone, diuretics or other banned substances. All competitors are required to submit urine samples before they check in.
“Obviously, we can’t drug test everyone, because that wouldn’t be cost effective. It’s a $100 entry fee and $65 for a drug test,” said Louis Zwick, producer of the championship. “We do check every one of our finalists.”

Judges score each competitor on body symmetry, muscle condition, muscle size and presentation. Stewart placed third in his weight class in last year’s competition, but needs to win in order to turn professional. Judges score each competitor on body symmetry, muscle condition, muscle size and presentation.

Stewart’s rigorous training regimen for his return trip to Miami depends on FUEL Cafe for his nutrition. The kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and there’s even a kids menu, although Stewart and his chefs couldn’t find a healthy solution for macaroni and cheese.

Stewart’s daily homage to a healthy life begins at 4:30 a.m. with toast and a cheeseburger omelet made with lean ground bison, mushrooms, onions, peppers and low-fat mozzarella cheese. He completes 45 minutes of cardio before he leads a group workout at 6 a.m. He then eats eight ounces of tilapia, bok choy (a Chinese cabbage) and 16 almonds — a meal he eats twice before noon every day.

Afterward, he checks on the cafe’s daily preparations before teaching his second class of the day at 10 a.m. From noon to 3 p.m., Stewart takes delivery orders and answers e-mails. He then focuses on one part of his body each for his workout between 3 and 4 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays are dedicated to the lower body, Tuesday’s workouts are for his chest, Wednesday and Saturday sessions are for his back and arms, and Friday workouts are focused on the shoulders. Sunday is his rest day.

The Bronx, N.Y., native replaces almonds with chicken and, if there’s time, takes a nap before his last class of the day at 6:30 p.m. For dinner, Stewart eats bison and bok choy. He normally leaves the gym around 10 p.m., a schedule he has followed since March.

“It’s a lifestyle. You gotta live it,” Stewart said. “If you think you can just do cardio and lift weights, no. You have to eat right.”

FUEL opened in 2003 after Stewart realized his clients weren’t achieving their fitness goals, though his “Eat like me, look like me” slogan may be somewhat misleading. The 5-foot-7 bodybuilder weighs 207 pounds and has 18 1/2-inch arms.

“People see me as a bodybuilder and think I’m an extreme example, but I haven’t always been this way,” Stewart said. “My attention to what I eat now is huge because I know that there’s some things that I’m genetically predisposed to.”

Stewart, who will compete in his 12th bodybuilding competition Friday, is always nervous on stage in front of judges and fans staring at his physique while he wears “damn near” a birthday suit. But Stewart uses a 10-year old trick to calm his nerves.
“I dedicated my first show pose routine to my mom and grandmother and ever since then I always think about them when I’m on stage,” Stewart said.

From Local bodybuilder fueled by family tragedy - The Washington Post

Eating right is seriously the hardest !@# in the world. I diet great for a month, but ALWAYS feel hungry. Back to the !@# diet and heavy stuff just so I dont feel hungry.