Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan’s latest release is the sports drama ‘Chandu Champion,’ directed by Kabir Khan. It’s the story of India’s first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar and follows the journey of the titular hero across ages and phases, including being an Indian Army soldier, a wrestler, a boxer, a 1965 war veteran and a swimmer. The 33-year-old actor went through 18 months of rigorous fitness training and strict diet to get the perfect physique of Petkar, who excelled in any sport he ventured into. And guess what! Kartik is still sticking to “90 per cent” of his routine which he followed while prepping for the role.
‘Never saw my physique like that’
Kartik says, “Whatever my prep was, be it internal or external, I have taken it all. I’m not going to change it… It’s a part of my lifestyle now. It has helped me in a lot of ways and I’m enjoying it now… I still do a lot of boxing and have swimming sessions. My entire day is filled with talks about what (food) I’m having or not having. “Or, the calorie intake, I need to burn these many calories in a day. I never used to see my physique like that… Not just the physicality bit but also it gives you a lot of mental peace. I’m feeling more positive, more energetic, and more and more healthy. That’s all thanks to the one and a half years of rigorous training and getting into this zone. I’m still following it to the T,” he said.
What did he do?
The actor worked on his body for nearly 1.5 years to go from 39% body fat to 7% body fat. His trainer recently revealed that Kartik started his day, after an eight-hour sleep, with a gym session, followed by breakfast, post which he went for boxing sessions. This was followed by a few hours of sleep. Interestingly, he even monitored his sleep to ensure the best results. The film’s team also claims the actor changed his body without using any steroids.
He added weighted pushups to his fitness regime, which added another layer of intensity to the challenging workout. According to fitness experts, such resistance pushups can amplify muscle activation can help further in muscle growth. It can also improve one’s core stability, boost cardiovascular health and increase functional strength. It’s important to ensure that one attempts it under the watchful eyes of fitness trainers, to get the best result and avoid injuries.
(With PTI inputs)