Top 10 Indian Bodybuilders: Diet and Workout Plan

If you think that bodybuilding is a western phenomenon, you are in for a surprise. Long before, the west began to focus on the biceps and pecs bodybuilding had already become a national passion for Indians. By 1100 AD Indians had started to work out with heavy wooden clubs known as Nal and Mudgal to build their bodies. Still, bodybuilding continues to remain on the sideline and without a doubt, the native sport of Indians is fairly unrecognized. 

If you think about it, bodybuilding is a way of life. There is no break from the sport. It goes beyond lifting heavy in the gym or displaying those beefed up muscles. The larger share of building muscles happens through rest, right diet and supplements.

 In the recent times, bodybuilders like Murali Sharma, Sangram Chougule, Ankur Sharma, Suhas Khamkar and many others have made the country proud in bodybuilding.  Continue reading to get a glimpse into the life of  top 10 Indian bodybuilders,  their diet and workout plan. 

 PAWAN SHETTY

Pawan Shetty is from a small town in Karnataka and his love for bodybuilding motivated him to move out of his comfort zone.  He has won several titles like Mr Asia, Mr India, Bharath Shresta and in 2016, he won the title of World Amateur Bodybuilding Association Champion.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

 I split my diet into 6 meals. In the offseason, my diet includes white rice, milk, yam, chicken and a green veggie. During the pre-contest period, my diet basically constitutes of fish, brown rice, oats, yam, broccoli and asparagus. My workout involves exercising different parts of the body on the specific day of the week. I do cardio every day for 25 minutes.

VARINDER SINGH GHUMAN

Varinder Singh Ghuman started off as a cricketer, but bodybuilding won him over. In 2009, Ghuman won the Mr India title and he became the first Asian to get to the top line of Arnold Classic Europe, an international championship of bodybuilding. He even clinched the brand ambassadorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature gyms and food supplements.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Ghuman is a vegetarian and colostrum, the first milk produced by mammals after childbirth forms a significant part of his nutrient profile. Colostrum is a rich source of high-quality proteins and growth hormones. His vegetarian bodybuilding diet consists of yellow dal, chapattis, green salad, curd and lassi. As part of his bodybuilding workout, he uses each day of the week to exercise a specific body part. Weekends are dedicated to cardio sessions.

HIRA LAL DHILLAN

8-times Punjab champion, Hira Lal Dhillan won the Mr Universe crown in 2011 at the 65^th World Bodybuilding Championship, Mumbai, after a gap of 23 years. Last Prem Chand Degra won it. Hira Lal has won Mr Punjab, Mr India and Mr Asia titles.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Hira Lal did not start out as a vegetarian but shunned eating meat in 1997 due to spiritual reasons. After leaving meat he was able to gain weight by 10 kg. His diet consists primarily of soya beans, dal, lassi and curd.

RAJENDRAN MANI

He belongs from Chennai won the fifth World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships held at Budaors, Hungary in 2013, in 90kg weight category. Rajendran Mani took to bodybuilding late in life. Before becoming a bodybuilder, he was a soldier with the Indian Air Force. Mani won Mr India title several times for the country, the last being World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships held at Budaors, Hungary in 90kg weight category in November 2013. Recently, he launched Slam Fitness Studio in Chennai. 

WORKOUT AND DIET PLAN

Bodybuilding requires phenomenal discipline and investment, particularly on diet and supplements. Mani’s fitness regimen includes working out at a gym for almost six hours every day. He takes six protein and vitamin-rich meals in a day and tries to maintain a proper schedule.

 YATINDER SINGH

Yatinder Singh, a bodybuilder from Saharanpur is a living example of winning against odds through hard work and dedication. Twice Mr UP title winner, Yatinder Singh made the country proud by winning Silver Medal in 7th World Bodybuilding Championship 2015 at Thailand.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Yatinder works out twice a day in which he exercises different parts of the body. His diet is measured and it includes 5oog chicken, 500g fruits, 10egg whites, a bowl of white rice, four rotis and supplements, such as BCAA, Glutamine, fat burner, pre-workout drink, casein protein supplement and whey protein.

ANKUR SHARMA

Indian bodybuilder Ankur Sharma has won the bronze medal at the Arnold Classic 2016, held in Melbourne, in the Men’s Bodybuilding under 90kg category. Ankur’s earlier achievements include winning the titles of Mr India 2012 and getting the second position in Mr India 2013. He is considered as one of the most gifted Indian bodybuilders of the younger generation.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Like others, Ankur also works out his different body parts on weekdays. His diet focusses on proteins, fruits, veggies and high-quality supplements.

MURALI KUMAR

Murali Kumar, a sailor in Indian Navy is a relatively late entrant in bodybuilding. He started bodybuilding at 25, but his good genetics immediately shot him up in the bodybuilding scene. Twice winner of Mr. India title, Murali has climbed higher on the ladder, owing to his sheer hard work and carved and near-perfect physique. He also won Mr. Asia title in 2013, but in 2015, the young lad from Maharashtra, Sangram Chougule, stole the title of Mr. India of 2015 from him, rewriting history and making amends of his 2013 loss. Incidentally, in 2013 Murali Kumar had won Mr. India title and Sangram Chougule was the first runner up.

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Murali kumar follows a strict routine, 10 PM to bed and waking up at 5 AM. He is also particular about his gyms schedule and always makes time for it from his day time job. He says that following your schedule is very important as bodybuilding is all about being consistent and dedication. Murali Kumar believes that diet is a very important part of bodybuilding. His diet includes at least 50 egg whites and lots of green leafy vegetables. As per his diet plan, Murali takes a meal after every two and half hours. He also takes protein supplement shakes after his workout.

SUHAS KHAMKAR

Bodybuilding runs in the genes of Suhas Khamkar, an elite bodybuilder from Kolhapur. During his growing years, fitness and bodybuilding formed a major chunk of his environment. He was deeply inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger and began to build his body under his teacher and mentor Bibhishan Patil. An employee of Central Railway of India, Suhas Khamkar became the first person to win a national level gold medal in the Railways national competitions. Suhas has won Mr. India title 9 times. He is the first Indian bodybuilder to Become Mr. Asia in 2010. He is also Mr. Olympia amateur title winner.  Suhas is also an entrepreneur and runs Khamkar’s Total Fitness. Suhas has several wins to his credit,

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

Suhas works out 6-7 hours in a day. His daily diet consists of the following, with minor variation.

• 20 eggs
• 1.5kg chicken
• 500g fish
• 2kg apples
• Protein supplements

Also Read: Eating Whey Protein Supplements on Daily Basis Could Help Stop Diabetes

PRASHANT SALUNKHE

Prashant Salunkhe is climbing the ladder quite quickly these days. In 2015, Sulunkhe defeated 8-times champion Suhas Khamkar to win Mr. India 2015 titles. A t the start of 2016, Salunkhe also won the highly competitive Mumbai Shree and Jerai Classic.

WORKOUT AND DIET PLAN

Bodybuilding requires a lot of hard work. Salunkhe follows the principle and he works out two hours in the morning and two in the evening, which include heavyweight training, cardio. My focus lies in building my strength without increasing my weight or getting injured in the process. I watch whatever I eat. My meals include 20 eggs in a day, half a kilogram of chicken and rice. Besides a kilo of apples every day, I eat other fruits as well.

SANGRAM CHOUGULE

An electrical engineer by education and a bodybuilder by passion and profession, the journey of Sangram Chougule, recently announced as the ‘BodyBuilder of the Decade’ by Indian Body Builders Federation has not been easy. 7 times National Champion and 2 times Mr. Universe title winner, Sangram Chougule story is an inspiration and an ideal for many budding bodybuilders across the country. 

DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN

For Sangram, exercise, diet and supplements go hand in hand while building a body. In fact, abs get built in the kitchen. While work out is critical to stress the muscle tissues, in Sangram Chougule’s diet chart supplements are equally important to build muscles.  After waking up, Sangram takes a fat burner and a scoop of amino acid. 15 minutes later, his session of cardio lasts for 20 minutes (6 days in a week) and he follows it up with a protein shake.