The lean muscle look is in and Amit Sadh has sort of nailed it. No beefy, hunky avatar for him. He was able to achieve that with minimum efforts because he’s always had an athletic body and agility comes naturally to him. More so because he was inclined towards sports since childhood. 

“I used to play football for my school team. Then, I have grown up in hilly Manali and I can still do a 14-kilometre trek quite easily. I used to cycle as a child too,” he says crediting his stamina to growing up against an outdoorsy landscape. 

BALANCE IS THE KEY

He points out that once he grew up, he concentrated on correct workout techniques and chose healthy dieting options to enhance his body. He maintains proper eating is as important as doing bench press or any other exercise accurately.  He believes in holistic health – attaining a mind-and-body equilibrium. “Your diet, sleep cycles and workout routines should all be evenhanded. I eat balanced meals and also meditate every day. If you’re fit inside only then will you appear fit outside. Today’s generation works hard on the body but doesn’t pay attention to internal fitness,” he states.

TRAINER TALK

Being open to the right advice at the right time is also a key for overall fitness. He met his trainer Viraj Sarmalkar 12 years ago and thanks his stars for that. He adds that Viraj has stuck with him through thick and thin and has kept motivating him. “There were times when I could not pay his remuneration but he didn’t mind. He understands my physicality inside out and can transform my body within weeks,” he gushes. 

Viraj first made him lose six kilos in order to look like a 25-year-old for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming gangster film Yaara. Then, his trainer helped him gain 22 kilos to look like a 45-year-old for the same flick. He was depressed by the weight gain and adds that putting on weight is a more difficult process than losing it. “Thankfully, 
I play a footballer in the upcoming Saat Kadam. So, I lost all that weight while training in football for the film. And though Sultan is a film based on wrestling, I didn’t have to put on weight,” he says of his appearance in it.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

He does weight training thrice a week and during the rest of the days practises yoga, cardio, kickboxing and Pilates in his two-hour regime. He never misses going to the gym because of the discipline inculcated in him by his father, an army man. “Our life was disciplined,” he recalls.  “I studied in a boarding school and even during vacations, my father used to wake me up at 5 am and take me for a run. 

I hated it then. But today I thank him for inculcating this sense of self-regulation.” In fact, Amit makes it a point to exercise even after two back-to-back shifts. That makes it 16 hours a day. “Working out is relaxing after a hectic day,” he quips.

FOOD RULES

The actor makes sure his meals are high in protein and low in carbohydrates.  His goal is to take a minimum of 150 grams of protein daily. “Most days, I eat oats and eggs for breakfast, fish and rice for lunch, tuna salad as the evening snack and chicken salad for dinner,” he shares. Chicken is sometimes substituted by fish during lunch.  He avoids spicy vegetables, rotis and milk, as he believes it causes bloating. The actor was a coffee addict once but now has limited himself to just one cup of black coffee every day. He eats moderately and doesn’t get tempted by delicacies. “I can eat bland food my whole life,” he asserts. He doesn’t mind cheating once in a while though. “I party once in 15 days. That’s when I relish my favourite dish, mutton biryani and carrot cake. A cheat diet is essential. It shocks the body,” he reasons. 

SULTAN OF FITNESS

Recently, Amit was shooting with Salman Khan for Sultan and was awed by the awesome fitness levels displayed by the superstar. “We were shooting in Muraina in Madhya Pradesh. There was no gym there. Bhai made me work out for an hour in the garden and goaded me to do 500 sit ups and 1000 push-ups. My body was aching the next day,” he grins. He says, according to Salman, one should not depend on machines and do free-hand exercises. “Bhai told me to include more push-ups, chin-ups and parallel bar kind of exercises in my routine. He believes one benefits more if we work out using our own weight.” 

Amit reveals Salman is naturally active and doesn’t rest between shots. He adds that one advantage of working with Salman is that everyone is treated to an awesome spread. “We used to eat a lot of mutton during the shooting in Karjat. I ate mango custard too. I didn’t worry about putting on weight because I knew working out with Bhai would melt the extra pounds away.” 

FACTS VS FADS

He mentions one can never go wrong eating seasonal fruits as they provide the necessary nutrition. “I eat two mangoes every day during the summer. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are beneficial for one’s health.” He’s bemused by the detox trend, which is in vogue right now.He mentions there is absolutely no need to do so, as the body has its own system in place. “All one needs to do is to go easy on oil, masalas, salt and sugar. One should eat right and at the right time. The body naturally detoxifies itself.”

Given a choice, he would like nothing more than to take his mountain bike up on the hills and just explore the trails all day. The lure of the rough terrain is something that is in his veins. “Even today, I head to Manali when the mood takes me and indulge in a bit of cycling, trekking and camping out in the open. It rejuvenates me,” he claims. Adds the mountain man, “My dream is to climb the Mount Everest with my partner.” Well, that would mean romance reaching a new height.

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