Bodybuilding champion and figure athlete share their fitness mantras

Deepika Choudhury Breaking stereotypes Getting into fitness and figure athletics I began when I was 28 years Before that I had never dreamt of this It was an accident I was under lot of stress at home My husband suggested that I should join the gym But when I did that I could not understand what the trainer was asking me to do I didnt like it I wanted to learn about the exercises and then do it So I signed up for a personal trainer course and got hooked onto it Next I came across an event called Sheru Classic where I met the famous athlete Shannon Dey who explained what bodybuilding is and its different divisions When I watched international athletes for the first time I was sure that this is what I want to doInternational figure athlete Deepika ChoudhuryFigure athlete hero My first hero was Shannon Dey who has an amazing physique When I began to understand the sport I came across fourtime Figure Miss Olympia Nicole Wilkins I aspire to be like herBalancing family work and fitness I have competed four times in the US and I have won all four competitions The balancing act happens gradually You make mistakes you have to beg your family to understand and you need to make time for yourself I wake up at 4 am and sleep by 1130 pm But I cannot call it a sacrifice because I love to do it If you love what you do you you learn to balance your family your job and your sport and all eventually falls into placeInternational figure athlete Deepika ChoudhuryWorkout routine I spend nearly three hours in the gym mdash an hour of cardio in the morning and about an hourandahalf or two in the evening My routine changes depending on offseason or inseason She prefers not to share it as it might not work for others Your training plan should be tailored according to your condition your clinical issues and your goals However fitness enthusiasts should focus on compound movements where you involve different body joints like dead lift lunges pullups and even Olympic lifts But these are technical so you have to learn them The remaining time should be focused on isolation movements and triceps extensions Cardio is crucial too Maintain a balance between weight training cardio and your diet to see resultsOther physical activities Training is too demanding that you cannot get involved in anything else However when I find time I like to go hiking with my familyAdvice for first timers Be patient Growth is timedependent Your idol be it an national or international champion would have between 1015 years doing this to create their current appearance Donrsquot expect to look like them in a year or two Be consistent and be honest with whatever you are doing As for women athletes they should understand that their bodies are different Their physiology and the hormones are different So educate yourself as knowledge is power Donrsquot play with your bodies Have specific goals and go about it Women need not gain 10 and 20 kgs because they need to increase their muscle mass What happens in such cases is that excess of fat and less muscle is created because our hormones are designed in such a way Gaining or losing the dynamics is different for womenIndian women and fitness Fitness is important irrespective of gender Indian women are more under stress because they manage their job their children and joint families If they are not fit itrsquos going to affect their stamina Forget about the body shape irrespective of your body shape you are beautiful But you need to work on your fitness to gain stamina Fitness is about endurance and your muscular skeletal structure Follow any activity that makes you happy It will not only keep you fit but also alive and refreshed and give you a break from your daily routineDiscrimination against women figure athletes There have been certain instances when I felt discrimination But I am not a special case it happens with all women who have stepped into a maledominated field be it fitness film direction or sports All of this makes one strong Take it in a positive way and as part of your learning curveA good trainer Be it bodybuilding or having a good body composition hire a trainer who is certified from a recognised academy The person should be qualified and familiar with the exercises clinical issues and how to tackle it If you follow a sport chose a trainer who has the required expertise in that particular fieldA word of caution I would never hire a trainer who trains male bodybuilders because he wouldnrsquot be familiar with how a figure athletersquos appearance His advice can actually ruin my goal Fortunately I was blessed to find a wellqualified trainerWhatrsquos on Deepikarsquos plateI eat between 68 meals a day I ensure I consume 15 grams of protein per kilo of my body weight These sources come from egg chicken and fish Carbohydrates sources would be sweet potatoes or beans Fat content would be from almonds walnuts olive oil or coconut oil All of it is well measured so it would add up to a 5040 ratio This depends on whether there is a show and the season But any normal person can follow the 68 meals mantra The concept is if to provide your body the fuel you require to run itSangram Chougule Seven and countingSeventime national champion body builder Sangram Chougule Becoming a bodybuilder I am an engineer by profession I started bodybuilding professionally when I was 22 My father introduced me to it He always wanted me to become a bodybuilder and later even I was drawn towards it So since I took it up I have been working towards getting better Itrsquos my dream to be a popular bodybuilderFitness hero Arnold Schwarzenegger Irsquom crazy about his movies I have always followed his work as a child I love how he focuses on different fieldsSeventime national bodybuilding champion Sangram Chougule flexes his muscles at the sixth World Body Building and Physique Sports Championship 2014 held at the Mumbai Exhibition Centre in Goregaon E PicAshish RaneWorkout routine I travel a lot so my workout routine keeps changing and adapting according to it During offseason I need to bulk up on muscle at such times I work out for three hours In season I work out for about 45 hours Itrsquos a combination of strength and cardio combination to build muscle and to avoid fat Consistency is the key Bodybuilding mantra The key I feel is restraint Secondly you need to monitor and control your diet closely If you have restraint and focus itrsquos possible to ease the complicationsOther physical activities I love to run I also do aerobics and I have recently joined dance classesYour slogan lsquoDonrsquot Stop Believingrsquo It is connected with my life I have had three injuries After each injuries people tend to doubt themselves with thoughts like lsquoIt will get tough or impossiblersquo and lsquohow will I do thisrsquo But my motto in life is to never stop believing I won two championships after three injuries It helps me keep at it and not lose concentration on my goalAdvice for first timers Train at a recognised certified gym sign up with a qualified trainer and follow the correct routine that has been recommended by the experttrainerWhatrsquos on Sangrams plateI consume water and fresh fruits throughout the day I eat six meals a day Twice each for chicken and rice read meat and protein shakes Everybody should have a diet that suits their body requirements The key is to eat healthy I love to eat muesli as it does not need much preparation I also like to cook In fact I have created a dish that is made with egg whites olive oil onions tomato oats and muesliSTATSWeight 94kgHeight 5rsquo8rdquoChest 46rdquoWaist 32rdquoHip 38rdquoBicep 20 flexForearm 17rdquoThigh 28rdquoCalve 17rdquoNeck 17rdquo