DUBAI— American muscleman and former Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler was the star attraction at Physique Weekend, a two-day seminar on fitness and bodybuilding in Dubai. The event was held to promote the sport before the Middle East’s first bodybuilding tournament in 2009.

Cutler won the International Federation of Bodybuilders’ Mr Olympia title in 2006 and 2007, but lost the title to Dexter Jackson in September 2008.

As an ambassador of the sport, Cutler said it was important to promote healthful eating and nutrition. “In America we face an obesity epidemic,” he said, “and I spend much of the year visiting schools and teaching young people about looking after their body.”

He added that bodybuilders had to be committed to keeping their physique in peak condition for competitions. “I train solidly for four months in preparation for tournaments,” he said. “If you break your routine, even for a day, your muscle definition is reduced.”

Bodybuilding has become a popular sport in the country, notably after bodybuilder Salim Al-Zahmi won the UAE Bodybuilding Association’s first gold medal in the 70kg category at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last year.

Al-Zahmi had already won a gold medal in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and was credited by the Bodybuilding Association for helping to promote the sport in the UAE.

[Khaleej Times, The National]