‘Not a transformation for film. This is me trying to find the lifestyle I can maintain for the rest of my life’: Hrithik Roshan

Take a look.

 

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A post shared by Hrithik Roshan (@hrithikroshan)

Even his fitness trainer Kris Gethin took to the comments section and revealed that these pictures were taken eight weeks into Hrithik’s 12-weeks muscle building training programme. “Shredded in 8 weeks. This is just the beginning,” he said.

Talking about completing the programme, Roshan shared in a YouTube video interaction with Gethin, “It doesn’t feel like 12 weeks. Its been so engaging and entertaining. I have enjoyed this process so much. I have been visualising this day for the past 3-4 years. I knew there will be a point in my life when I will need this transformation once again because I was all over the place. I was resting on past glory.”

Stressing that celebs don’t have it easy, Gethin recalled previously training with Roshan in 2013. “People think that celebs have it easy. But they really don’t. I remember working with Hrithik back in 2013 and he didn’t take a day off like in seven months. Sometimes there were hours starting at 4am and finishing at 7pm. It is an exhausting job. But he would always hit his targets — eat his meals, go to bed early. Sometimes, he used to struggle with night shifts but he would always work it out. This guy deals with a lot of injuries since he’s been a teenager,” he said in the introduction to the podcast.

Revealing that his 2019-film War, co-starring Tiger Shroff, was an “eye-opener” that showed him his true physical capabilities, Roshan expressed how it made him aware of “a lot of things I was taking for granted in my life”.

 

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“May be, age was one of those factors. Having said that, I know it wasn’t age. It all boiled down to me not living the kind of life I should have — health wise, body wise. Somewhere along the way, I started feeling that it is okay to relax. I have to remember that even when I am playing characters like a visually-impaired man (in Kaabil), or a school teacher (Super 30), I cannot no longer let go off the lifestyle I have. This is not a transformation for the film. This is me trying to find the lifestyle that I maintain for the rest of my life. It is for longevity,” added Roshan, who is a father to two teenage boys.

“I feel as light and as fast as our last transformation. I thought I was dying when I was doing War. I wasn’t prepared for the film and I was up against a really big challenge. I was trying to achieve perfection for which I wasn’t ready. After the film, I went into adrenaline fatigue. For 3-4 months, I couldn’t train, wasn’t feeling good. I was almost on the verge of depression,” he further shared.

Addressing how he has seen changes in “spiritual, mental and physical space” post this transformation, Roshan — who says he sleeps by midnight on most days — said that it is all about “short-term vs long-term gratification“. “Short term is good but long-term gratification is where happiness lies. That takes visualisation, imagination, and patience,” he said.

Sharing about his journey, the Vikram Vedha actor said “getting Covid-19 right in the middle of our muscle building phase was very disheartening”. “I thought its all gone to the dogs now. But even through that I got to learn that the body is stronger than I thought. When I got Covid the last time, it took me two months to recover and get back in the gym. But this time, we were back in the gym in 15 days. I could relax through my Covid-19. I have to start and do that for myself now,” he mentioned.

How did the transformation actually happen?

Revealing that he suffered his first muscle spasm at the age of 13 years, Roshan, who was never really into sports, shared that doctors diagnosed it as sclerosis — a condition in which the tissues around joints become stiff, and reduce the range of movement of joints. “In the beginning, I was so scared to squat that weight. I wasn’t sure if my body would take it. But because there was no inflammation, no sugar in my diet, my food was so clean, my sleep was great, I didn’t suffer those pains. Ever since, I have been pain-free,” he added.

 

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A post shared by Hrithik Roshan (@hrithikroshan)

Gethin listed that cutting off sugar, getting sleep, not cutting anti-inflammatory foods, resistance training, hydration, no refined vegetable oils have helped Roshan transform.

In an exclusive interview with indianexpress.com, Gethin had previously revealed that Roshan trains for three days regularly and then takes one day off. The duration of his workout session is almost an hour for each workout session. Then, he does a steady-state cardio workout every day for about 20 minutes.

“Hrithik is eating six meals a day and is currently consuming about 4,000 calories per day. He is eating a lot of food right now, as we are building muscles at this point in time. The majority of his meals are made up of protein. The sources of protein are poultry, fish, egg whites, protein powder, etc and, then, there are carbohydrates which are coming from potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and oats. He’s eating a little bit of roti as well along with vegetables and some healthy fats like nuts, egg yolks, and some olive oil. Then, finally, he is consuming a protein shake. So, at this juncture, his diet mostly consists of six meals a day along with one protein shake,” he said.

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