Welcome back to the Longevity Muscle Podcast for our second episode of the Women's series! Today we have Dr. Zena Al Kelaby joining us. Zena is a 5x British Champion and 9x Gold Medalist. Zena is truly a rising star in the women's natural bodybuilding circuit.

00:55 Deload Weeks, Rest Days And Why They Matter
01:44 Zena’s Story As A 3DMJ Athlete Spotlight
02:24 Meeting AJ Morris + Olympic Motivation
05:50 5 British Titles (Zena’s Natural Bodybuilding Wins)
08:34 How Zena Got Sponsored
12:25 Inside Zena’s Championship Season
15:39 What Drives Zena to Compete Naturally
19:35 Competing While Working Night Shifts
23:22 Zena’s Weekly Training Frequency & Split
24:50 Advice: Tired, Unmotivated, Not Progressing?
27:21 How Often Zena Trains Per Week
28:01 Zena’s Long-Term Bodybuilding Goal
32:05 Zena’s Figure Athlete Role Models
33:22 Why AJ Morris Became Her Coach
35:14 Why Zena Stopped Using RIR Training
37:01 Sets per Exercise (Zena’s Approach)
38:49 Evolving Her Training with Experience
40:13 What It Takes to Be a Natural Champion
41:00 Zena’s Ideal Exercise Volume Per Workout
42:51 Why She Never Skips Deload Weeks
44:51 In-Season vs Off-Season Diet (2023–2024)
49:00 Pre-Workout Meal At 5–6 AM
50:35 Afternoon Training & Rolling Splits
51:48 How She Handles Chocolate Cravings
52:44 Zena’s Physique Goals for 2025
54:50 Training with Coach AJ Morris
55:36 Programming Deadlifts for Strength & Aesthetics
58:22 Zena’s Height, Stage Weight & Off-Season Target
59:05 Natural Bodybuilding Goals for 2026
01:01:42 Zena’s Message to Aspiring Athletes
01:04:24 Where to Follow Zena & Learn More

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Episode 44: Jonathan Scheiman, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO at FitBiomics