The first time anyone who would have seen Shahid Kapoor, in a music album or as a background dancer, must not have thought that this innocent looking guy would make to the top list of Bollywood heartthrob, with his brilliant acting skills and undying charm. Even though his first movie Ishq Vishk was a success, he only managed to get a tag of a chocolate boy in the industry. But, later as he started taking meticulous roles in movies like Kaminey and Haider, he proved his acting mettle with equal aplomb.
His latest outing as a Rajput Maharawal Ratan Singh in Padmavat has left many baffled. He is shining all across the screen with his awestruck physical transformation. His transformation for this peculiar role stands out further, as he is a vegetarian and has only relied on the green sources to fulfil his protein requirements, which is considered essential for bulking up the way he did for this role.
He nailed his fearless and formidable warrior physique to portray Maharawal Ratan Singh, which certainly was not easy for him because his body has always been on a leaner side and it took rigorous training and thorough diet control to achieve this powerful Rajputana rendition.
If reports are to be believed, he worked rigorously for two hours every day and followed an extremely strict diet regimen for 40 days that mostly contained a 50gm portion of brown rice and steam rice throughout the day. To maintain his six-pack abs, he gave up on sugar for 15 days completely as he was to give some close-up bare-chested looks and any type of flab during such shots would have hampered his royal look.
A source close to the Director Sanjay Bhansali mentioned that Sanjay was not keen on showing bare-chested Shahid in the movie, but once he came to know of the hard working Shahid putting in for his role, he changed his mind.
Image Source – Daily Bhaskar
During an interview, Shahid’s trainer Samir Jaura was quoted saying
“It took him about four months to get into the shape he wanted to be in. He was extremely focused, determined and totally fuss-free. Shahid plays a king, so he had to look big and fuller. He doesn’t need to be huge in terms of body-type, but he had to behave in a kingly manner. Shahid looks mind-blowing as the Maharaja and his costumes are extremely elegant.”
No doubt he has put his heart, soul, sweat and blood to achieve this marvellous look.
So, for all those people thinking how exactly Shahid managed to slip into that beefy and chiselled look, here is a run-down of his not-so-royal diet and exercise regimen that helped him look like a true Rajputana Royalty.
Shahid’s Vegetarian Diet for Padmavat
The biggest challenge that Shahid faced while planning his diet plan for his Padmavat look is his strictly vegetarian eating habits. It was difficult for him to match up his daily protein requirements as animal products are the best source to get the right amount of protein. However, he overcame the hurdle by balancing his meals efficiently using beans, rice, spinach, fruits, veggies and other protein supplements.
Image Source – Shutterstock
Once he was quoted saying:
“The biggest challenge in front of me was getting a six-pack with a vegetarian diet. You know how it is. For building up muscles, one needs to have enough supplies of protein. Now, my body does not get animal protein so I have to make up for the loss of it.”
According to a report published in a popular English daily, he maintained a strict diet regimen for almost 40 days that only comprised of brown rice and steamed vegetables that too in a very controlled quantity. He even gave up on sugar and salt completely to achieve the sculpted look.
To ensure that he did not drift away from his diet plan, the Kaminey actor even bought on-board Canadian celebrity chef Kelvin Cheung to chalk out a meal plan for him according to his body and workout requirements.
Throughout his training and preparation for Padmavat he relied on small meals that mostly include sweet nuggets made from coconut or a bowl of freshly cut mangoes at regular intervals to avoid the state of starvation. Greens like kale, spinach and broccoli were the important components of his diet along with grains and legumes to meet his daily protein requirements through his afternoon meals.
He largely followed an Asian diet but was allowed to indulge occasionally to beat the cravings. Mexican wraps with steamed or grilled vegetables made to his favourite cheat meal list.
He also eliminated the three heavy meals in a day from his diet plan and moved to 5 to 6 small portions throughout the day. He maintained focused on eating right, both pre and post-workout to stay energetic in the gym. He believes that the number of meals that we consume in a day is directly proportional to the intensity of the workout that we can indulge in. Thus, having rights kind of foods at the right time and in right quantity was his fitness mantra throughout the training.
According to him:
“I think a demanding training must be accompanied by a nutritional diet to get a good body. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats should be as ingredients in your daily diet accurately. I make sure to have a good breakfast. I avoid fried foods and soft drinks too. I try not to eat fatty foods too often. I have a high protein diet which is low in carbohydrates and fat.”
His Dependence On Protein Supplements
Being a hardcore vegetarian was a huge disadvantage for him as he was consuming only fruits, vegetables and beans to meet his protein requirements for the desired body. He needed ample amount of protein every day to keep up with his heavyweight routine, else he would have faced fatigue and muscle soreness. He has even gone through severe muscle tearing phases during his weight training sessions due to low protein levels that added to the complexity of the situation. In order to get over this, he started relying on protein supplements to fulfil his protein requirements and get on his weight training schedules without any hurdles.
Image Source – www.india.com
Shahid Kapoor’s Padmavat Workout
To nail his 13th century Rajput King look, Shahid went through a rigorous training module despite having a tight working schedule and back to back shooting. He ensures to spend at least two hours in gym daily that included a boot camp regimen under the guidance of his trainer Samir Jaura to get his physique in the right shape. The regime that followed was comprised of cross fit, functional training and training with ropes, tyres, ladders and even sandbags.
In addition to the gym, he involved himself in sword fighting and Mardani Khel (Weapon based martial art) like intense physical activities. Respiratory mask workout is something he tried for the first time to boost his lung capacity and stamina as they were shooting under tough humid conditions in Rajasthan with heavy costumes. The respiratory mask workout is usually followed by sportspersons to increase their ability to be on the field for a longer duration.
Shahid, being a fitness enthusiast believes that it is important for every person to have great endurance and good stamina instead of focusing only on having cuts and six-pack abs. If you are indulging in energy consuming jobs that keep you on your toes all the time you must have good stamina to carry out the job with energy. Thus, he ensured that his workout should focus more on developing stamina and endurance along with the focus on having a strong core.
He says:
“My main aim was to build stamina and the eight-packs or six-packs are really a by-product. The aim should never be the cuts, but endurance and fitness.”
He never missed a workout and followed a six-day or a week workout plan. He took a break of only one day to let his muscles recuperate. Whether he is in the city or shooting far away from his place, he would not take an excuse for not working out even on the single day. Also, on the day when he could not make to the gym, he would ensure to workout at home to stay on the schedule and maintain his high spirited motivation.
On his dedication he once mentioned:
“To achieve an enviable physique, it is extremely important that you include exercise in your daily routines.”
As he understands his persona of a role model for the younger generation, he never fell prey to the trends. He gives credit to his instructor Abbas Ali for giving him the physique that he sports today. He said that he has always followed the routine that has suited his body type and has focused on dividing his workouts to give equal emphasis to each and every part of his body.
On regular basis, apart from being a gym addict, Shahid indulges himself in other activities like swimming, running and even yoga to keep his senses calm. He also lays great emphasis on having a good sleeping pattern as it helps in the growth of the muscles.
Shahid’s Focus and Dedication
Anyone who even thinks of having a body like Shahid must take a note that it requires a lot of dedication and motivation. You have to be extremely stern in your food habits and need to maintain distance with all the delicious and fattening food that you will find around the house. A lot of travelling and strict time schedules can also deter many from their strict diet goals, but that was certainly not the case with Shahid. His strict timetable and oodles of motivation helped him achieve his goal.
Image Source – The Fitness Road
His trainer, Samir Jaura, who guided Shahid for his fitness and diet regime for Padmavati, was quoted as saying:
“The aim was to lose some body fat and gain lean muscles. The training and diet plan intensified 40 days before he began shooting in November with him going off salt and sugar for 15 days when close-ups were taken. Now they are shooting portions of him in royal costumes and since he needs to look bigger, we’ve added more carbs.”
So, don’t you feel elated and all charged up after reading how involved and dedicated Shahid was to get in his royal look? His diet and workout regimen is sure to give vegetarian bodybuilders a new perspective to look at their goals and also achieve them with utter motivation. We hope his inspiring transformation will help millions out there to achieve their fitness goals.
