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Take your pick. Would you like eight-pack abs and huge shoulders like the ones that Aamir Khan displayed in Ghajini? Or would you prefer Shah Rukh Khan’s leaner and athletic look?
Alternatively, if you’re the keen bodybuilding type, you’ve probably admired Salman Khan’s well muscled chest and back. And, if you are tall and quite well-built, perhaps, you’ve dreamt of achieving Hrithik Roshan’s classic V-taper with broad shoulders moving into a narrow waist. Or John Abraham’s athletic physique, the one he shows off to such devastating effect in Dostana.
Let’s get one thing straight. None of these filmstars were born with these hot bods. Sure they were born with good genetics — the basic structure on which a great physique can be built. But to get the look they exhibit in these movies, they have worked very very hard. They have lifted iron, run tens of kilometres and dieted like a fanatic.
Can everyone and anyone emulate them? The answer is yes and no. Not everyone can have a droolworthy body like Hrithik’s or John’s. If you don’t have John’s genetics, don’t even try to build his sort of body. “If your body type is lean and tall, then go for it but if you are short in height and a little stocky, Salman should be your idol”, said fitness coach Anwar Wahab.
But even here, please remember that Salman probably has the genetics to pack on heavy muscles quickly — you might actually have to work much harder to develop his sort of physique. Having said that, you can really improve your body if you work hard enough and, more importantly, work out properly. Here’s some advice from the trainers who help the stars build up their bodies.
Salman khan
Bollywood hunk Salman Khan’s famous for whipping off his shirt at live performances and showing off his splendid musculature. To get the ‘shirtless’ hero’s sculpted yet beefy look, our fitness coach recommends a two-hour work-out, five days a week — Salman trains for two hours daily — and a protein-rich diet.
Workout schedule
Divide the week into three days each for weight training and cardio vascular exercises. You should do weight training and cardio vascular exercises on alternate days.
WEIGHT TRAINING: Warm up for five minutes with exercises like jumping jacks, squat thrusts and push- ups. Do this on something well cushioned because these are explosive movements that put enormous strain on your joints.
Time to weight train next. Start with dead-lifts for your back and leg muscles. If you are just starting out, you need to begin with light weights. You need to choose a weight with which you can do four to six sets of 10 repetitions or reps each. As your strength grows, you need to increase the weights. Salman, incidentally, picks up 120kg.
Then, for that wide chest and bulging biceps like Salman’s, do the bench press — both flat and incline. Again, beginners start with light weights, and work their way up to 90kg-100kg like Salman. Do four to six sets of 10 reps each.
Next comes the push press for the shoulders. Do six sets of 10 reps each, gradually increasing the weight.
Now, Salman has the perfect flat abs, and for his upcoming film, Veer, he has even acquired the regulation six-packs. So the ab circuit is absolutely crucial. Do crunches, reverse crunches, back extensions and side-planks for 25 times each, one after the other in a circuit. Do three-four circuits. Salman does 1,000 sit-ups in a day. In case you’re wondering: yes, that’s quite tough.
Also, follow the basic weight training routine by working out different body parts each day. For example, on Monday, you could focus on chest and back. On Wednesday, you could do the workouts for your legs and arms. Do squats and lunges for the quadriceps and dead-lifts and leg-curls for the hamstrings. And do barbell curls for biceps and dumbbell extensions for the triceps.
Our coach recommends 10-15 reps for larger muscles like the chest and six reps for smaller muscles like the arms. Do four to six sets of each exercise.
Always end with a 15-minute cool-down session on the treadmill or with stretching exercises.
CARDIO DAYS: Weight training isn’t enough. You must build your cardiovascular fitness too. Go for a vigorous run or work on the treadmill every alternate day for 15 minutes at least. Salman does an hour of cardio during each workout.
And don’t forget to work out your abs three to four times a week.
(Prescribed by fitness coach Anwar Wahab, who trains actor Sameera Reddy and golfer Arjun Atwal, and runs his own fitness studio in Calcutta.)
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Aamir Khan
Even before he started filming Ghajini, Aamir Khan had a clear vision of himself: he wanted to have the “best body possible”. The actor and his trainer Satyajit Chaurasia drew inspiration from none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Encyclopaedia of Modern Body Building.
The idea was to sculpt Aamir’s muscles and get them to the right proportion. Satyajit worked on reducing Aamir’s body fat percentage and building his muscle mass. The results were evident when Aamir flaunted his eight-pack abs on the big screen.
Aamir attained his goal in 13 months flat because of his “strong mind and perfect determination”, says Satyajit.
Workout schedule
Aamir worked relentlessly for three-and-a-half-hours a day, six days a week in the months leading up to the movie to reduce his body fat so that his ab muscles could be shown to the best effect. Satyajit suggests you begin with a warm-up session of stretching exercises or walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes.
Follow this with an abdominal workout. Start with hanging leg raises and crunches alternately of 25 reps each — Aamir used to do 100 crunches and 50 leg raises.
Then, work on your core muscles with the bridge and side bridge exercises. Do two sets of two reps each.
Next, start weight training. Work any two body parts everyday like the chest and back on day one and shoulders and legs on day two.
Start with low weights before graduating to medium and heavy weights, says Satyajit. Aamir, for instance, began with 20kg weights and gradually increased it to 120kg after 10 months. Aamir’s weight training focused on his stomach, chest, shoulder and back.
After weight-training, it’s time for cardio. Satyajit recommends cardio five days a week.
Wind up with five minutes of pranayam and stretching exercises, says Satyajit.
(Prescribed by fitness expert Satyajit Chaurasia, who owns the Barbarian power gym in Mumbai and who has trained Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Rani Mukerji.)
Shah Rukh Khan
He may be the man-next-door in his recent hit Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. But who can forget the flutter Shah Rukh Khan created with his six-pack abs and lean, hard body in Om Shanti Om (OSO). Unlike Aamir’s eight-pack in Ghajini, though, SRK’s six-pack was set in a slimmer frame with smaller muscle groups on show.
SRK achieved his OSO look in four months flat. Now, if you want the Dard-e-Disco look too, strap up for four months of rigorous exercises four times a week for one-and-a-half hours daily along with a strict diet, advises our coach.
Workout schedule
Warm up with five to 10 minutes of side bends, hip rotations, scissors, free lunges and twists, or even cycling or jogging.
Then, begin weight training. Our coach suggests that you work out your upper body and lower body on alternate days and then take a day off. Choose two exercises for each body part a day. Do each exercise for three to four sets of 10 to 15 reps each. That means 18 to 24 sets each day.
Here’s the coach’s prescription. Choose any two exercises for each body part:
Back: Chin ups, seated rows, bent-over rows and one-arm rows. Upper body and chest: Bench press, push-ups, chest flys and cable crossovers.
Shoulders: Clean and press, military press, overhead dumbbell press and upright rows.
Lower body: Do four exercises each over two days. Choose from dumbbell squats, barbell squats, front squats, lunges, dead lifts, step-ups, leg press and hack squats.
After weight training, work on your abs. Do three sets of 15 reps each of planks, lateral planks with rotation and rotatory lunges. If your body fat isn’t too high, do abs three days a week.
Also, do at least 15 to 20 minutes of cardio every alternate day. If you need to lose weight, do cardio daily.
(Prescribed by coach Ranadeep Moitra, a fitness consultant to gyms like Solace, Addlife, Oceo, and trainer to the Bengal junior cricket team.)
JOHN ABRAHAM
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| Anurag demonstrates a lateral plank; (below) coach Wahab does a push-up |
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Enough has been written about his cute butt in Dostana. But really, John Abraham has had women swooning over his toned, body since the Dhoom days.
Sure, he has worked hard at it. During Dostana, his coach put him through the ‘old school’ body-building routine of lifting heavy weights. The idea was to isolate every muscle, work it to exhaustion, give it time to recover and then return to it after a few days.
To get a body like John’s, work out for 45 minutes five days a week, says our coach.
Workout schedule
The coach recommends that you do nine per cent of cardio and 91 per cent of weight training. Warm up with stretching exercises. Then, start the weight training with the bench press. Do three sets of 10 reps each. Now, go for some tricep push-downs with a rope on a cable machine. Do three sets of 10 reps each.
Move on to crunches on an exercise ball, doing three sets of 15 reps each. Then do two sets of 20 push-ups each before moving to the shoulder press machine for three sets of 10 reps each.
Now, go for some toe-touchers — do three sets of 35 reps each. Then take a cardio break: Run for 20 seconds, doing four bouts with 10-second breaks.
Head back to the bench press for three sets of 10 reps each before doing three sets of 20 reps each on the crunch machine.
It’s time now for three sets of chest flys. Wind up the session with side lateral raises and hanging leg raises (three sets each) to strengthen the abs. For those legs, do lunges, dumbell lunges, stiff-legged deadlift, barbell squats for 10 reps, 4 sets. Finally, cool down with five minutes of stretching.
(Recommended by fitness coach Anwar Wahab)
hrithik roshan
Now, who hasn’t admired this stunner’s hot bod, which experts say is the most sculpted body in Bollywood? Certainly, Hrithik Roshan is a self-avowed fitness freak. Our coach suggests that you put in one-and-a-half hours, six days a week, if you want a body like Hrithik’s.
Workout schedule
Warm up with 15 minutes of stretching exercises before your weight training. Take weights suited to your body strength, though Hrithik exercises with upto 100kg.
Here’s our coach’s weight training schedule:
Monday: Work out your chest and back. Do the bench press, inclined dumbbell press, cable crossover pulley and pull-overs for the chest.
For the back, do the lateral pull-down, dumbbell rows, barbell rows and chin-ups.
Tuesday: Work on your biceps with dumbbells, barbell curls, concentration curls and preacher curls. Then, exercise the triceps with pulley push-downs, lying and overhead tricep extensions, and tricep kickbacks.
Wednesday: Exercise the shoulder muscles with side laterals, cable pulley side laterals, the shoulder dumbbell press and shrugs.
Thursday: Work out your legs with squats, leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises and straight dead-lifts.
Friday: Work out chest and back again.
Saturday: Work out the arms once more.
Do three sets of 10, 12 or 15 reps each for each exercise.
After weight training, do 100 crunches and leg raises daily for a washboard tummy. Do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio thrice a week.
(Recommended by Satyajit Chaurasia and Jason Martin, a YMCA certified fitness coach from UK, who trains the national weightlifters.)
Diet Chart
To show that extreme definition with visible six packs or eight packs and to ensure low body fat you need to go on a high-protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet. Typically, experts advise you to eat small meals every two hours though there may be individual variations in their suggestions. Here are the diets followed by the stars:
SALMAN KHAN
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Protein-rich, 2500-3000 cal diet
Pre-workout Protein shake, 2 egg whites with amino acid tablets
Post-workout Breakfast: Bowl of oats, 3 egg whites
Mid Morning snack: 10 almonds, protein shake with glutamine
Lunch: Dal, green veggies, 3-6 rotis
Evening snack: Some nuts, protein shake
Dinner: 200gm grilled fish/ chicken, veg soup, 2 egg whites
Protein shake before going to bed
AAMIR KHAN
2500 cal diet with 2 egg whites and a toast every 2 hours for sustained energy levels (even if lunch was skipped).
Pre-workout 1 banana
Post-workout Protein shake with glutamine
Breakfast: 2 egg whites, a toast, milk, cereal and fruit
Lunch: 2 rotis, dal, veggies
Evening snack: Protein shake
Dinner: 250gm grilled/ barbecued chicken with toast (dinner before 9 pm)
SHAH RUKH KHAN
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2500 cal diet
Breakfast: Oats or muesli with skimmed milk, 3-4 egg white omelettes, 2 slices of multi-grain bread, tea/coffee without sugar, fruit
Snack: Protein shake, 4 almonds, 1 walnut
Lunch: Sautéed vegetables, 2 pieces of grilled fish/ chicken/ lean mutton
Evening snack: 2 idlis with sambhar/ grilled paneer rolls/ grilled chicken sandwich
Dinner: Clear soup, steamed vegetables, grilled fish, salad
Dessert: Skimmed milk with protein powder or fruit
JOHN ABRAHAM
Vegetarian diet, meal every 2 hours
Breakfast: Fruit juice, 2 egg whites, 3 whole wheat slices with peanut butter, 10 almonds, 1 cup of black tea
Pre-workout Protein shake with glutamine and multi-vitamin
Lunch: 2-3 rotis, yellow dal, stir-fried spinach
Evening snack: Protein shake, 2 egg whites
Dinner: Soup, sautéed veggies
HRITHIK ROSHAN
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Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal, 3 egg whites, 1 peach, 2 amino acid tablets, 2 scoops of whey protein
Lunch: Chicken breast salad, boiled veggies, dry fruits — small bowl, 1 multi vitamin tablet
Pre-workout 3 egg whites, slice of brown bread, 1 banana, scoop of whey protein, 2 amino acid tablets tablets
Dinner: 2 scoops of whey protein, 2 grilled chicken breasts, boiled veggies
2 more scoops of whey protein at bed time
