"It's just goes to show that there's never too late to achieve something in life, if you have that attitude in you.." This is what I believe in body building also (It is another story that I am saying this and keep procrastinate work outs) and today I came across these stories that is really inspiring. They are from Bollywood and ofcourse being in films, they have the compulsion to look good but the underlying point is that you can start work outs at any point of your life. There will be limitations regarding the kind of workout you can do taking your age, metabolism rate and muscles into consideration but you can reach your destination if there is a determination. These stories are for all those who think that fitness regime is for late teens & early 20-s only.
Manish Paul
A funny guy with hot six-pack abs is a rare sight. Tell Manish Paul that and he laughs. Add to that, he’s a full blooded Punjabi who grew up on a diet of aloo parathas, butter chicken and creamy lassi. He recounts how when he whittled down to 68 kilos from his normal 88 for his film debut Mickey Virus, his mother feared he had fallen ill. She asked him to promptly come home to Delhi so she could indulge him with some home-cooked soul food. He mentions that thanks to his fitness fetish, his entire family now has become fitness conscious. “My brother works out regularly. My father too has started taking care of his health and goes for long walks every morning. When I went home for Diwali we gorged on the delicacies but went jogging the next day. We went to the park and did burpees and other bodyweight exercises.”
He confesses being clueless about the new-age exercises as earlier, working out meant going to the gym and lifting weights. Building biceps and looking cool in those cut-off tee shirts was the ‘in’ thing. His conceptions changed when he joined trainer Praveen Nair. “Praveen believes in functional training, which involves burpees, pull-ups and free-hand exercises. He made me do that. Weight training means using all the weights you have in the gym, which includes bench press, shoulder press, arm curls, dumbells and all that. We follow a combination of weights and functional training.” The first thing Praveen told him was to lower his body fat percentage. Also, Indians hardly work on their legs, falsely going for an upper body look. Praveen changed that perspective and developed modules to help him strengthen his legs. Developing the abs meant doing rounds and rounds of crunches. But Praveen made him do planks in order to develop strong core muscles.
The actor says his gym hours increase if he has a film on hand. “If I’m preparing for a film then I attend the gym twice a day. Early morning I concentrate on functional training, which is cardio. We go for weight training in the evening. I spend around two hours in the gym if I’m shooting.” An actor needs to get his look right for different roles and may have to lose or gain weight fast to meet the requirements of his current film. Praveen has helped him streamline that process as well. “For example, if I talk about Baa Baaa Black Sheep I had to lose weight. I had to be ripped. My director Vishwas Paandya categorically told me that he wanted me to be muscular. You should gain muscle but at the same time not appear fat. Thankfully, Praveen took care of that. The results are fab,” he beams.
He was in the US on a holiday before the shoot and binged on anything that caught his fancy. His weight shot up and he got an earful from his trainer. His exercise regime had to be redesigned. It took time for him to get back into shape. Praveen later explained that anything eaten in moderation is fine but one should never overindulge, especially on sweets. Manish mentions that earlier he never cared about what he ate and would gorge on ghee-laden parathas after his gym sessions. “I believed in eating anything and anytime. If I woke up at midnight and I felt hungry, I’d happily raid the fridge.”
Praveen cautioned him that merely spending time at the gym wasn’t enough and that he had to follow a dedicated diet plan too. “Now, I’m conscious about my protein intake. I have cut down my carbohydrates. I’m drinking more water. Generally, I consume five to six litres a day. I stay away from fried stuff too.” He never had alcohol so it was easier to adapt to boiled meat and veggies. But what’s tough is staying off sweets. The actor says it’s not easy to follow an exercise and diet plan unless you have set goals. “Once you have made up your mind about the body you’re aiming for, then the results start showing. Once that happens, you don’t want to go wrong. Making a great body is all about your passion towards a preferred body image. Today, nobody stops me from eating fried food, I curb that myself.”
Having a proper sleep cycle in conjunction with an exercise and diet routine is essential. Manish goes to bed by 10 pm, if he isn’t shooting and gets up by 6 am. To counter the stress levels, he’s keen to take up yoga. “I force myself to sleep because my mind runs in different directions even when I’m resting. I want to learn to channelise the excess energy into my work, into looking good on stage and in front of the camera.” He looks up to Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra and says they have the best bodies in tinsel town. “Akshay Kumar wakes up on time, sleeps on time, he workouts regularly and has healthy food. Few months back we had gone for a show in Delhi. We returned to Mumbai at 1am. He told me he’d still wake up at 5.30 am, have an early morning swim and work out before breakfast.” Likewise, Priyanka has learned to fight the jetlag and times her workouts to match her flight schedules. Says he, “She still manages to look so fresh and fit because she makes sure she works out and eats according to a plan. Both Akshay and she are an inspiration for us.”
MANISH’S FITNESS TIPS
Control your diet. But don’t deny yourself. Also, dieting or exercise alone will not help. It’s all about eating the correct thing and in the right amount.
Youngsters tend to enjoy fast food. If you want to remain fit, avoid junk.
Follow a healthy lifestyle, sleep early and wake up early.
Drink lots of water. It clears the toxins.
Devote time to your body. Walk, exercise or do yoga. Physical activity is a must.
Text: Filmfare.com
