Showing posts with label Akshay Kumar fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Akshay Kumar fitness. Show all posts
The key is to move, love life, and respect your health-Akshay Kumar
8:36 PM
A bevy of exercise formats are part of his weekly plan, but Kumar says they all have one thing in common — they are routines he thoroughly enjoys adhering to
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; February 1, 2023)
Akshay Kumar’s definition of athleticism is rather simple — learn to lift your own weight before trying to lift external weights. “And that’s why lifting doesn’t give me the same thrill, or [help me acquire] the physique that I aspire to have. Power-lifting is great for some people, but it’s just not my thing,” shares the actor, inarguably among the fittest in the Indian film industry.
Lack of equipment, however, does not imply that Kumar’s routine lacks variety. In fact, within the span of one week alone, the actor, 55, practices a bunch of varied exercise formats. “I like to mix it up — from shadow-boxing, conditioning, yoga, hydrotherapy, climbing, circuit training, and anything that involves fun and movement, I do it all. There is one thing, though — when I [am on the go], I miss my parkour gym, bars and rings, where I happily swing freely.”
When he is away on his shooting schedules, Kumar makes the most of the space available to him. “If there’s a pool, I’m in it; if there’s a garden, I’m on the grass; if there’s a ground, I’ll be playing cricket and flexing for every wicket. I’ve benefited from every fitness format. I’ve thrived off learning anything I could, from sports, martial arts, stuns, and parkour, to gymnastics, and rock-climbing. I’ve tried everything, including trampolining. There’s nothing that I haven’t enjoyed and benefited from. The key is to move, love life, and respect your health.”
While he makes his routines as enjoyable as he can, even Khiladi Kumar needs guidance when it comes to his training. One of his fitness coaches, he says, always accompanies him on outdoor shoots, because “I spend a huge amount of time shooting abroad, and if I didn’t adhere to my routine, I wouldn’t be cast as a hero thereafter”. He also travels with a chef in tow, who prepares “simple, but wholesome meals”.
“There aren’t many dos and don’ts when it comes to my diet. The amount I eat depends on my training. Eating in moderation is key, and my diet is balanced. Too much of anything is bad, and no one becomes fat, or thin, if they eat in moderation. But, refined sugar will kill us all one day.”
Kumar’s Instagram news feed is punctuated with videos of his training routine at his home gym, with daughter Nitara often featuring in them as she tries her hand at his regimen. Kumar admits that when it comes to his children, he wishes to lead by example. “Monkey see, monkey do! I don’t believe in telling my kids that they have to, or need to train. Showing them how I train is enough [to motivate] them. Thankfully, they both love to train with me, or in their own [space],” says the actor, adding that he believes physical fitness should receive prominence in the Indian school curriculum.
“Starting [to train when I was] young was the best thing I could ever have done for myself, and my kids. Learning to fall, fight, and fly has helped me build the foundation to try anything. I believe sports and martial arts should be compulsory, like education is, and at every school and community centre. It is equally important, especially because our bodies need to experience everything when we are young in order to become whatever we desire when we grow older.”
The actor’s latest effort in blending his love for fashion and fitness is his recently released athleisure wear, Force IX, the designs of which draw inspiration from the aesthetics of the armed forces. “I want people to feel comfortable while pursuing their fitness journeys. Not everyone likes to train in skin-tight clothing, so, I wanted to make something that people from all walks of life could enjoy.”
If I ran five kilometres in my early years, now I run 10. You have to keep up with the young boys-Akshay Kumar
3:02 PM
Roshni Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; March 19, 2019)
Ask any budding actor who he aspires to be and in all probability, his reply would be, Akshay Kumar. It’s not just Akshay’s stardom that is so alluring, his journey in Bollywood is also truly inspiring. From starting out as an action hero to becoming the industry’s most bankable actor with a line-up of bigticket films in his kitty, Khiladi Kumar has come a long way. Today, he dabbles in different genres, does four films a year and also manages to strike a good balance between his personal life and work. A mammoth task, it may seem, but not for Akshay, as we learnt during our recent conversation with him ahead of his next release, Kesari. Excerpts...
Kesari is a film close to your heart, and you call it an emotional journey because your father was a soldier, too. How has your dad influenced your life?
My father raised me with a lot of discipline and that’s ingrained in me now. I remember by 8.30 or 9 pm, the lights would go off and we would have to go to bed. In the morning, my dad and I would go for a run. Later, he would jog in the garden while I would practise Kung Fu. I wasn’t very interested in school and my father realised that his son was allergic to books. He knew that I was interested in sports, whether it was volleyball, cricket or martial arts; I just loved anything where I had to run, jump or leap. He was someone who understood that if your child is inclined towards something, you must give him the support and encouragement he requires. Sometimes, parents tend to force their kids to do things that they are not really interested in doing, or don’t have the potential for. We didn’t have a lot of money, but my father knew that I wanted to pursue martial arts. He somehow managed to send me to Bangkok, where I started working as a waiter and practised martial arts day and night. I am what I am today because my father encouraged me to do what I wanted to. So yes, Kesari, which is about the Battle of Saragarhi, has been an emotional journey for me. This film is about courage and valour. It’s a true story, which was not part of my history books. It’s such an important story; the world has recognised it, but we didn’t. If you search online for the five biggest battles in the world, the Battle of Saragarhi ranks second. I am happy that we made it into a film. I even appeal to parents to show it to their children, so that they know how these 21 soldiers fought bravely. They knew that there were 10,000 people outside and they had the opportunity to run, but they chose to stay back, fight them and how!
Along with your film Kesari, there were some other films, too, being made on the same subject. Was there any concern about a possible clash?
Nahin yaar. Karan (Johar) and I had decided that we would just keep shooting. Agar hamari pehle aayi toh theek hai, nahin toh koi baat nahin. The story that we had and the way writer-director Anurag (Singh) has written it, is very good. I know that others were making it, too, but we kept shooting our film.
You started as an action hero and even today, you have some interesting action films lined up. Over the years, what is the change that you have seen in yourself?
The only difference is my age and the fact that I used to practise lesser than what I do today. For instance, if I ran five kilometres in my early years, now I run 10. If I used to practise 100 kicks then, now it’s 200 kicks… you have to keep up with the young boys, who have just come in. The audience is not going to say that he is older, so we should understand that his speed is less. So, the difference between then and now is that I have to be more disciplined.
You recently said that you would do action films only for another four-five years because there’s something called age. But they say 50 is the new 40...
Yes 50 is the new 40. For that matter, 50 can be the new 20 because it’s all in your mind. But you have to be practical. There’s something called bones, muscles, there’s something called age. Bones are brittle. Yes, I can try and you never know, after five years, I might say that I am ready for another five years. It’s just that I think one should be realistic. A lot of people tell me, ‘Why do you reveal your age? If someone asks you, you don’t have to tell them’. I fail to understand why people need to hide their age. What is there to hide in it? If I have white hair, that’s fine. Why can’t it be like it’s in Hollywood? They don’t hide their age, they are what they are.
How tough was it for you to break free from the action genre during the initial years of your career, a time when you were offered only such films? What was the turning point?
I was only getting action films and I really wanted to try different genres and roles. Then things slowly changed; I was offered Hera Pheri by Priyadarshan and I also did films like Sangharsh, Jaanwar, Ek Rishta and Dhadkan, which helped me change my image. Now, I’m doing social films, there’s a horror comedy in the pipeline, there’s Sooryavanshi, Prithviraj Chauhan and Mission Mangal, where I play a scientist. I’ll keep jumping from one genre to the other; I enjoy doing that.
Apart from being considered as one of the most bankable actors, you are a producer, too. Talking about the choices you make, could you say that at this point, you have got the pulse of the audience right?
Nobody can get the pulse of the audience. It is luck as well as your discipline. It makes a huge difference when you finish a film early, when you are a producer’s actor and you do things within the budget. It’s the budget that makes a film flop. If the budget is right, even if a film is so-so, the producer never loses money. All you need to do is ensure that your producer never loses money so that he comes back to you the second time. There was a time when I had 16 back-to-back flops, but I still had four films lined up. Everyone thought that my career was over and somewhere, even I felt that nothing was happening. But it’s only because of my discipline that I had the other four films and fortunately after that, things started going right for me. I would like to tell all the newcomers who may be reading this interview that they should be disciplined, be a producer’s actor and things will move in the right direction. You just need to be patient. This has been my experience... I may be wrong.
You love stunts, but how does your wife Twinkle (Khanna) take your daredevilry? Recently, you performed a fire stunt at an event and she wasn’t aware of it. Later, she tweeted about it in her own humorous way. So, everyone’s eager to know what happened when you reached home...
(Smiles) Nothing happened, she was fine. Yes, she wasn’t aware of it and when she saw it, she tweeted about it. I’m passionate about action and she knows that. Woh kahawat hai na, bandar chahe kitna bhi boodha ho jaye, woh kalabaazi karne se baaz nahin aayega. Woh kalabaazi karega hi karega. Maine toh karna hi hai. I am going to do it.
Twinkle and you are very different as people, but you share a beautiful bond. What’s the secret behind this? Is it that you both agree to disagree?
We live and let live. We are two different people, but that’s fine. We also have a lot of things in common — we love watching movies together, like sleeping early and waking up early, going on picnics and trekking. Two people can’t be the same, otherwise woh bhaibehen ban jayenge!
But given that you are diplomatic, are there times when it gets difficult because of her outspoken nature?
Yes I am diplomatic, while she is not. We all know how bold she is, and she speaks her mind. I can’t be like that, but I can’t stop her and why should I?
She continues to be your biggest critic?
Yes, she has a sharp tongue (laughs!). I have no choice but to listen when she says, ‘What the hell have you done? What is this?’ If you want to have a good family life, be a good listener. Just listen!
Social media has brought actors closer to the audience, but there are also trolls that one has to deal with. How do you manage that?
I don’t pay attention to it. When you can’t tell your wife what to say, how can you tell trolls what to say? They also want to say something and they have got a platform now. So, let them say. What can you do? If you say anything, then some 30,000 people will jump on you. So here too, be a good reader and let it pass.
Parineeti Chopra, who’s your co-star in Kesari, recently said that you always try and make your set a happy place...
Your workplace should be a very happy place. You don’t want a sad boss or a sad hero. You would want someone who laughs, makes you laugh and has lunch with you... If your workplace sucks, you’ve had it, because then, you wouldn’t feel like waking up the next morning and going to work.
Are you always this happy and positive, or are there times when you need to motivate yourself given the amount of work you are doing?
For me, work is a holiday because I love what I do. People ask me how I finish four films in a year. I don’t think it’s that much. I would say 98 per cent of Indians work much harder than me. I have seen my father work much harder than me. We might not have had that much money, but I know the amount of work he put in to make a living.
Recently when somebody said, ‘Move over Khans, 2019 is Akshay Kumar’s year’, you didn’t quite like it. Why?
I don’t like all this. Such unnecessary comments spread negativity. They are all my colleagues and we are all one family.
Do you plan to enter politics at some point in the future?
A lot of people think I’m looking at getting into politics, perhaps because of the kind of films I have made. But no, I am not entering politics, I’m very happy in my space. I want to make cinema that affects people’s lives.
You come across as a very calm and composed person, but do you have any hidden fear in you?
I have just one fear, which surfaces each time I have a film releasing. It starts from Friday, then continues until Saturday and Sunday, and after that, on Monday, I am back to normal. If I have given a hit, I am very happy. If not, I am very sad. I'll be sad until Sunday night, but the next morning, I start thinking about my next film for which I have to work really hard. So, right now, the fear I have is about March 21, when Kesari will release and that will continue until Sunday.
After 32 years of working out, I still don't have more than 6 packs-Akshay Kumar
8:00 AM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 25, 2014)
Akshay Kumar, 47, is by far
the fittest man in the film industry. He leads an extremely disciplined
life and is a fitness freak. Yet, after working out for the past 32
years, he admits that he still does not have more than 4-6 abs. And that
is because he has never resorted to any shortcuts for building his
body, as he believes in building a strong healthy, long-term body. While
many stars flaunt their bodies and show off not just their 6, but even 8
and 10 packs now, for the very first time a fitness superstar breaks
the myths behind building a body the wrong way. I would urge all
young people, who believe in fitness, to read this story carefully.
Excerpts from a conversation with Akshay, where he gives out his fitness
mantra for the first time.
I DON'T TAKE ENHANCERS, STEROIDS, POWDERS OR SHAKES
Today, it has become a joke to take enhancers, powders, shakes or steroids. What about those days when you used to have whole milk, vegetables, sweet potatoes and brown rice and eat meat if you were a non-vegetarian? The muscles used to build up and be there forever. When you eat these artificial enhancers, your muscles will die within a month of not exercising. What is the point? There are actors who I know who are writing their regime, basis how many pills and what protein shake to take. You cannot. I remember a lot of people in the earlier days would eat natural food and yet their body was solid. They would take a bath in chilled water, children could take a bath with cold water and nothing used to affect them. Their whole body temperature was so good. Their immune system was so good and they would die at 90-95, unless they met with an accident. Now it is not there. Get out of eating that processed food. Don't fall prey to American marketing. Whatever your mother makes at home is the best. I usually don't go to a gym unless I am travelling and I have to, and I see how you can sell anything to a bodybuilder. Tell him that you eat this hanky and teri body ban jayegi and he will have it. Nobody is thinking. There is no science.
I DON'T EAT AFTER 6.30-7 PM IN THE EVENING
The important thing is, control your diet and food. 6.30-7 pm should be your last meal of the day. I am a Punjabi and love sweets, but after my evening meal, I don't touch sweets. Your body gets used to it. It's also written in our shastras that we should not be eating at night. And there is a scientific reason for it. We need 3-4 hours to digest what we eat. So if we eat late at night, all your body parts go to sleep, except for your stomach, that needs to keep working to digest the food that you have eaten. As a result, while your body gets rest, your poor stomach does not get as much rest as when you get up, you again need to eat. And we all know that all our problems start from our stomach. You need to ideally eat by 7 pm, so that you have given the body four hours to digest so that the stomach gets complete time to rest along with the body when you sleep. Even if you can't exercise, walk everyday and eat by 7 pm and see how it will change your life. If you feel hungry after 7 pm, eat an egg white scrambled or omelette or carrot or soup as that is easier to digest. If I have to go out for dinner, I eat only proteins, no carbs. It may sound stupid, but being a Punjabi, I have a sweet tooth so after I eat my food, I quickly go and brush. One, it is a good habit but more importantly, that little bit of sweet toothpaste gives me that little satisfaction of feeling that I have had a sweet at night.
THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO BUILDING YOUR BODY
Despite practising all my life for 32 years, I still don't have more than 6 pack abs. You need to be patient, you need to experience your muscle growth. Now they just want to pump up their muscles in three months. That cannot be done without resorting to many artificial and harmful things. If your forearms are growing, experience it grow slowly, slowly, slowly. How can your body come up like a balloon in three months? I am happy that I never got tempted, as I know it is unreal. Honestly, I don't even take allopathy, not that it is bad. I prefer to take herbs or ayurvedic. I take what my mother gives me, be it haldi with milk or gargle with hot water if I have a bad throat or eat gud if I am going into a dusty terrain. When you resort to artificial means to pump up, your hormones change, you become hot-tempered, you lose your mental balance and it will also reduce your semen power, so your sex life will go for a toss.
PICK UP YOUR OWN BODY WEIGHT OVER WEIGHTS IN THE GYM
I don't pick up weights at all. At the same time, picking up weights is not bad. It is good, but I have always believed in picking up my own body weight. I believe in picking up myself, in swinging and climbing trees, just as we did when we were children. However, people who believe in body building, it is not bad, but don't eat powders and shakes. Also, be careful of what kind of weight and how much weight you are picking up, so that it does not harm your back. You need a proper instructor to guide you. Don't mess with God's created body.
TAKE A PROTEIN BAR OR SHAKE ONLY UNDER EMERGENCY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO NATURAL PROTEIN
Everybody requires a certain amount of protein. For instance, I am 80 kilos and require 80 grams of protein. One egg can give me only 3 grams of protein. So I have to eat 10-15 eggs and chicken and other foods to consume the protein I need. I eat every three hours and I try and consume, but sometimes I don't succeed. And while I do not ever take a protein shake, if sometimes you have to take a protein bar or shake, take it, but only once in a while, not everyday. And that too, only when you actually cannot find something natural. Don't make it a habit. Don't go for shortcuts. Don't be lazy.
I DON'T EAT THINGS MADE IN A LAB
Eat brown rice. It is so good for muscles as it is good carb. Eat walnuts, cranberries, almond, milk, meat. Avoid processed foods. I eat anything that is produced on earth.
IF YOU SMOKE, YOU CANNOT BUILD YOUR BODY
If you smoke, your lungs go for a toss. What do you require in a workout? You require stamina. And if you smoke, you will not have stamina as well as you destroy your lungs forever. I get shocked when I see bodybuilders who are smokers. It tells me what a shortcut body they have made and how they have made it. I have never smoked in my life.
TO BUILD 8 PACK ABS, I WOULD NEED TO LEAVE WORK FOR THREE YEARS AND DO JUST THAT, OTHERWISE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE
If I need to build 8 packs, I will need to leave my job and concentrate on only building my body and work out for four hours everyday for three years and controlling my diet, otherwise it is not possible. If you have 8 packs any other way, it means that you have taken shit in your body, be it through supplements, muscle enhancers, recovery shakes or growth hormone shots. It means that you have become bigger, stronger, faster in the most harmful way imaginable. I repeat, it is going to harm a lot of people. I hope people read this, trust it and go the natural way. I have never had more than 6 packs. I don't get them. I know training is hard, muscles hurt and goals take longer to reach, but when you are training naturally that is the best way. You have to understand that. What people are doing is cheating and getting you sucked into a multi-billion dollar franchise where they are teaching you how to build a fake body. I have friends and people in my industry, who are going crazy and people following them, as it is the easy way out. But there is no substitute for hard work.
Watch the 'Lazar Novovic Dear Hard Work' video on YouTube to see the principle Akshay Kumar has followed all his life. Talking about Lazar, Akshay says, “He only picks up his own body weight. You will see that after doing so much, he has just 6 abs and not more. I challenge anyone who has 8 packs with steroids, to do what Lazar is doing in this video.“
I DON'T TAKE ENHANCERS, STEROIDS, POWDERS OR SHAKES
Today, it has become a joke to take enhancers, powders, shakes or steroids. What about those days when you used to have whole milk, vegetables, sweet potatoes and brown rice and eat meat if you were a non-vegetarian? The muscles used to build up and be there forever. When you eat these artificial enhancers, your muscles will die within a month of not exercising. What is the point? There are actors who I know who are writing their regime, basis how many pills and what protein shake to take. You cannot. I remember a lot of people in the earlier days would eat natural food and yet their body was solid. They would take a bath in chilled water, children could take a bath with cold water and nothing used to affect them. Their whole body temperature was so good. Their immune system was so good and they would die at 90-95, unless they met with an accident. Now it is not there. Get out of eating that processed food. Don't fall prey to American marketing. Whatever your mother makes at home is the best. I usually don't go to a gym unless I am travelling and I have to, and I see how you can sell anything to a bodybuilder. Tell him that you eat this hanky and teri body ban jayegi and he will have it. Nobody is thinking. There is no science.
I DON'T EAT AFTER 6.30-7 PM IN THE EVENING
The important thing is, control your diet and food. 6.30-7 pm should be your last meal of the day. I am a Punjabi and love sweets, but after my evening meal, I don't touch sweets. Your body gets used to it. It's also written in our shastras that we should not be eating at night. And there is a scientific reason for it. We need 3-4 hours to digest what we eat. So if we eat late at night, all your body parts go to sleep, except for your stomach, that needs to keep working to digest the food that you have eaten. As a result, while your body gets rest, your poor stomach does not get as much rest as when you get up, you again need to eat. And we all know that all our problems start from our stomach. You need to ideally eat by 7 pm, so that you have given the body four hours to digest so that the stomach gets complete time to rest along with the body when you sleep. Even if you can't exercise, walk everyday and eat by 7 pm and see how it will change your life. If you feel hungry after 7 pm, eat an egg white scrambled or omelette or carrot or soup as that is easier to digest. If I have to go out for dinner, I eat only proteins, no carbs. It may sound stupid, but being a Punjabi, I have a sweet tooth so after I eat my food, I quickly go and brush. One, it is a good habit but more importantly, that little bit of sweet toothpaste gives me that little satisfaction of feeling that I have had a sweet at night.
THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO BUILDING YOUR BODY
Despite practising all my life for 32 years, I still don't have more than 6 pack abs. You need to be patient, you need to experience your muscle growth. Now they just want to pump up their muscles in three months. That cannot be done without resorting to many artificial and harmful things. If your forearms are growing, experience it grow slowly, slowly, slowly. How can your body come up like a balloon in three months? I am happy that I never got tempted, as I know it is unreal. Honestly, I don't even take allopathy, not that it is bad. I prefer to take herbs or ayurvedic. I take what my mother gives me, be it haldi with milk or gargle with hot water if I have a bad throat or eat gud if I am going into a dusty terrain. When you resort to artificial means to pump up, your hormones change, you become hot-tempered, you lose your mental balance and it will also reduce your semen power, so your sex life will go for a toss.
PICK UP YOUR OWN BODY WEIGHT OVER WEIGHTS IN THE GYM
I don't pick up weights at all. At the same time, picking up weights is not bad. It is good, but I have always believed in picking up my own body weight. I believe in picking up myself, in swinging and climbing trees, just as we did when we were children. However, people who believe in body building, it is not bad, but don't eat powders and shakes. Also, be careful of what kind of weight and how much weight you are picking up, so that it does not harm your back. You need a proper instructor to guide you. Don't mess with God's created body.
TAKE A PROTEIN BAR OR SHAKE ONLY UNDER EMERGENCY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO NATURAL PROTEIN
Everybody requires a certain amount of protein. For instance, I am 80 kilos and require 80 grams of protein. One egg can give me only 3 grams of protein. So I have to eat 10-15 eggs and chicken and other foods to consume the protein I need. I eat every three hours and I try and consume, but sometimes I don't succeed. And while I do not ever take a protein shake, if sometimes you have to take a protein bar or shake, take it, but only once in a while, not everyday. And that too, only when you actually cannot find something natural. Don't make it a habit. Don't go for shortcuts. Don't be lazy.
I DON'T EAT THINGS MADE IN A LAB
Eat brown rice. It is so good for muscles as it is good carb. Eat walnuts, cranberries, almond, milk, meat. Avoid processed foods. I eat anything that is produced on earth.
IF YOU SMOKE, YOU CANNOT BUILD YOUR BODY
If you smoke, your lungs go for a toss. What do you require in a workout? You require stamina. And if you smoke, you will not have stamina as well as you destroy your lungs forever. I get shocked when I see bodybuilders who are smokers. It tells me what a shortcut body they have made and how they have made it. I have never smoked in my life.
TO BUILD 8 PACK ABS, I WOULD NEED TO LEAVE WORK FOR THREE YEARS AND DO JUST THAT, OTHERWISE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE
If I need to build 8 packs, I will need to leave my job and concentrate on only building my body and work out for four hours everyday for three years and controlling my diet, otherwise it is not possible. If you have 8 packs any other way, it means that you have taken shit in your body, be it through supplements, muscle enhancers, recovery shakes or growth hormone shots. It means that you have become bigger, stronger, faster in the most harmful way imaginable. I repeat, it is going to harm a lot of people. I hope people read this, trust it and go the natural way. I have never had more than 6 packs. I don't get them. I know training is hard, muscles hurt and goals take longer to reach, but when you are training naturally that is the best way. You have to understand that. What people are doing is cheating and getting you sucked into a multi-billion dollar franchise where they are teaching you how to build a fake body. I have friends and people in my industry, who are going crazy and people following them, as it is the easy way out. But there is no substitute for hard work.
Watch the 'Lazar Novovic Dear Hard Work' video on YouTube to see the principle Akshay Kumar has followed all his life. Talking about Lazar, Akshay says, “He only picks up his own body weight. You will see that after doing so much, he has just 6 abs and not more. I challenge anyone who has 8 packs with steroids, to do what Lazar is doing in this video.“
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