Himesh Reshammiya on his one-and-a-half year journey into the six-pack abs world
Upala KBR (DNA; February 19, 2016)
For his last film, The Xposé, Himesh Reshammiya lost 20 kgs, but for his next he’s gaining muscle. He tells us that he sports six-pack abs in the film, but that he achieved it sans the use of steroids or other muscle-inducing supplements. Himesh tells us how...
Role call
“My character Raghu is dark, edgy and intriguing and gets to do action too, so I had to look lean and powerful. But now fitness has become a way of life with me. It is the most important thing in my life after music. I can work 18 hours a day because I am fit now.”
Fodder for the power machine
“I worked out for a year-and-a-half at 48 Fitness with my trainer Pankaj. No eating after 8.30 pm, no eating till 7.30 am and no carbs but only protein after 3 pm. No ice creams or chocolates at all, but on Sundays I could cheat a bit. I am a vegetarian but I started eating eggs for the high protein, so I could build my body. The body needs 120 gm of protein every day and though you get vegetable protein, it comes with a lot of fat. The toughest part is not eating after 8.30 pm because once you start eating after that, your body metabolism starts slowing down and you put on weight. I love watching TV every night, so not eating at that time becomes a problem for the first three-four months, but now it’s a habit.”
The fear factor
“Now I am so scared of putting on weight that I am conscious of what I eat. You start looking better than what you used to and then it’s difficult to go back to where you were. I put on muscle for Tera Suroor but I didn’t lose weight and get into shape in terms of toning. That timing is important and you have to eat every 90 minutes. You can’t keep your stomach empty as your metabolism rate as to keep getting lower. I also had lots of green tea and black coffees.”
Working it out
“I work out six times a day 45 min per session and not more than 45 min also. I followed a heavy workout which had weight-training five times a week and just once day was for cardio,” says HR.
Going the natural way
“You can get six-pack abs in five-six months and not the 18 months that I took, but then you have to use steroids, which I didn’t want to, at this stage. It is possible to get it but it just takes a bit longer. Also without the steroids, you can’t get that kind of a beefed-up body, but as I needed a lean look, so I was happy. Of course, it requires a lot of discipline and dedication.”
TIPS
* Eat ice creams and chocolates once a week
* Stop eating after 10 pm as your body can’t digest after that. Your body keeps converting everything into fat
* Wake up early by 7.30 am
* Eat small meals even 8-10 meals a day and 30 percent of what you normally eat. Now I eat 2,600 calories, whereas earlier, I’d consume 1600 calories and still put on weight. Metabolism rate goes up and you’ll never feel hungry and lose weight.
Fitness Tricks
* Do weights, inculcate the right eating habits and have at least 120 gm of protein ever day
* Have eight meals a day
* No rotis or rice after 3 pm. Maybe an omelette in the evening?
* Sabzi, chana, soups and salad and vegetables like broccolis for dinner.