Abhishek Ganesh, a 27 year-old biotechnology master’s degree holder, has always been on the heavier side, despite his love for sports and outdoor activity. He blames his huge appetite for his massive 52 kg weight increase, from 103 kgs in 2012 to 155 kgs in 2017, in the time he took to complete his bachelors and masters programs. Today, he stands before us a much lighter man of 96 kgs, having lost a whopping 59 kgs. Here is a glimpse into his amazing journey…
What motivated you to transform yourself?
One fine day in 2017, I took my labrador pup for a leisurely walk and found myself gasping for breath. I experienced the same breathless feeling a few more times and decided to check my weight and oh was I shocked! Hitting 155 kgs was one of the scariest moments in my life. I was scared for two reasons in particular. Firstly, despite being a fat kid for the majority of my life, I never had trouble playing outdoor sports, but at 155 kgs the load on my knees and ankles was inhibiting my movement and mobility. Secondly, on both my paternal and maternal side, at least two generations suffer from diabetes and hypertension, and I certainly didn’t want to fall in either of those categories at the age of 24! This was my real motivation to hit the gym and lose some major weight.
What made your transformation a successful one?
It took me around 2 years to achieve the goals I had set out to. During this period, I put my reading on health and fitness and the advice given to me by others who had successfully lost weight to practice. After losing 15 kgs the first month, I hit a weight-loss plateau. Luckily, my first real coach, Mr. Nitin Sharma, helped me identify my body type and created a customized workout for me. I followed my coach’s workout and dietary suggestions religiously, and if I missed anything or cheated I would make sure to tell my coach. One major factor for my success was that I had learnt to be honest with myself, i.e. if I cheated on my diets or workouts, only I would pay the price for that.
Tell us about your fitness regimen and diet that you followed.
I had a very intense fitness regime wherein I would train 6 hours a day (I am not exaggerating even a bit). My morning routine would start with an hour long walk on the beach, before a two hour long weight training session. In the evening, I would go to the gym, do HIIT, abdominal training and end my workout with a 10 km walk on the road.
My weight training schedule changed every 2 or 3 months and so did the diets I followed with them. In two years, I followed two cycles of keto and also fasted intermittently for most of that time. After 1 year of training, I had shed 55 kgs to reach 100 kgs. It was then that I realized that doing three hours of cardio each day was sheer stupidity for me as my goal was strength building and fat loss. I saw my skin sagging and realized I had to start lifting weights. I then decided to get into powerlifting.
What’s your fitness mantra?
My fitness mantra is:
You are your only competition. Break your long term goals into daily goals and try to do better than you did yesterday. If you do better, then you are on the path to success.
It took me time to get comfortable with this mantra. Initially I felt insecure and out of place at the gym and was constantly thinking about how I look and what people might say to me. A lot of people tried to tell me that the only way to reduce my weight and body fat was through surgery and that no matter how much I workout, I wouldn’t be able to reach my target weight. Shockingly, a few of these people were from my own family. One fine day I decided to take things into my own hands and prove the doubters wrong. I pushed my limits and realized that these naysayers would try and do you down whether you were fat or fit. I had decided to stick to my plan and achieve the results I wanted no matter what anyone says or does. I was comfortable with myself, headstrong and had a razor sharp focus on my goals. I was halfway there.
Tell us a bit more about your trainers and mentors. How did they push you along the way?
For the past year, I have been working out at Rhino’s Gym, Malviya Nagar under the expert coaching of Mr. Rajat Goel and mentorship of Ms. Bindiya Sharma.
I still remember the first time I saw these two greats (GOATs as I like to call them) coaching their clients and how I wanted to introduce myself to them but I was just so awestruck that I stood there without uttering a word. Over time, I got to know them better and found them to be very humble and knowledgeable. The one thing that impressed me most about them was their dedication towards their sport that made me realize I made the right choice in joining Team 101 Hardcore. It is truly a joy watching them train everyday like it’s their last day in the gym and this is the same attitude with which they train their clients as well. Rajat and Bindiya’s method is result based coaching and mentorship. With these two it’s not just about gym or transformation or competition, it’s also about finer details wherein they have helped me and other clients stay motivated and focused on living a better life. They treat me like family but do expect my dedication and sincerity in return.
Check out Rajat and Bindya’s Instagram pages for your daily dose of fitness motivation.