‘The machine of the gym’ wants to make his family proud

Ilyasse Koujjit is a rising star in the kickboxing world. The Spanish-Moroccan kickboxer (22) has now fought 37 matches, in which he stepped out of the ring as a winner no less than 36 times. Ilyasse is clear about his motivation: “I would like to make my family proud by becoming a top fighter.”

Strong motivation

Ilyasse also includes Kevin Chin, his manager, in that family. The first time Ilyasse and Kevin met was about three years ago. “When I first met Ilyasse, I immediately saw that it is a boy with a talent for kickboxing,” Kevin says. “But perhaps more importantly, he already had a huge drive back then. Because there was not much room for Ilyasse in Spain to grow further as a top fighter, I decided to bring him to the Netherlands, so that he could develop further here.” Once in the Netherlands, Kevin also helped the young kickboxer draw up a strict training schedule, find sponsors and organize competitions. Ilyasse: “Kevin did and does a lot for me and I am very grateful to him for that. I am therefore very motivated to repay him for this in the form of good results.”

Training animal

“They also see that motivation in the gym,” Kevin says. “There they call Ilyasse ‘The Machine’, because he just keeps going.” Impressing the other martial artists at the gym is just one part of Ilyasse’s tough training program. “I train twice a day, six days a week,” says the top athlete. “On Monday I complete a cardio program and work on my boxing technique, Tuesday is all about strength training and sparring with the other fighters and Wednesday follows cardio and kickboxing training again. On Thursday there is another strength circuit and kickboxing training on the program, after which I do an interval training on Friday morning and go into the gym. I finish the training week with running and sometimes swimming on Saturdays. On Sunday I rest to recover and I work on my studies.”

Diet

To keep up with his heavy training program, Ilyasse pays close attention to his diet, sees a sports masseur twice a week and uses cupping therapy. “My diet mainly consists of foods with a lot of protein and natural proteins. For example, I eat a lot of salad with chicken, fish and drink a lot of water,” says Ilyasse. “As a top athlete I also have to leave out things that I really like to eat, such as my mother’s couscous, paella and tagine. Very occasionally Ilyasse has a cheat day; “Then I take baklava or künefe with tea, I really love that.”

Dietary Supplements

In addition to his diet, Ilyasse also uses House of Nutrition nutritional supplements every day. “The food supplements help me to let my body recover,” explains Ilyasse. “I notice that the supplements really help me to get stronger. The 100% Whey Protein from M Double You is my favorite, because it contains the proteins I need and also tastes very good. I especially like the Mango/White Chocolate. I also use pre-workout supplements such as Get Pumped 3.0 from M Double You and supplements for extra Omega intake, such as the Omega 3 from Performance Sports Nutrition. For a good recovery after training I use the Glutamine Caps from Performance Sports Nutrition and as a vitamin boost I also regularly take the Multi Max capsules from M Double You.”

House of Nutrition takes into account the diverse dietary requirements of (top) athletes. For example, the supplier of dietary supplements produces its own line of halal-certified supplements. “I am very happy that House of Nutrition has halal-certified nutritional supplements,” continues Ilyasse. “As a Muslim, it is very important to me that I only eat and drink halal products. So I was really excited when I heard that House of Nutrition had also set up a halal product line.” Kevin adds: “When Ilyasse started training, he didn’t take any supplements. This allowed us to see exactly what House of Nutrition’s nutritional supplements do. The difference is impressive: since Ilyasse takes the nutritional supplements, he has really become a monster. He has become so much more muscular and fit.”

Satisfying

Ilyasse is very grateful to House of Nutrition for the sponsorship. “I am very happy with House of Nutrition as a sponsor. The House of Nutrition team has helped me enormously. It is partly because of them and Kevin, whom I regard as a second father, that I have come to where I am now. I would like to repay them and my family and make them proud by becoming champions in the One Championship one day. I continue to work hard for that every day.”