Akash Agarwal’s Drastic Transformation Leaves You with NO EXCUSES!

Professionally, I am an entrepreneur and we run a retail chain of food and beverage supply in the IT Industry (Bangalore).

I was an obese kid. Binge eating was in my DNA and being lazy was a terrible mindset I got accustomed to. Due to my appearance, I had terrible experiences during school & college days. I was often made fun of and called by many names. It was traumatic. I was often low on confidence and drowning in self-pity. Talking to a girl was a dream and if I ever did, I would mess it up due to my nervousness and in-ability to handle the conversation. I had very few friends and I often resorted to staying inside my comfort zone, my home.

Today, I am aware of what food is being consumed by my body. I prepare my meals in advance and carry them everywhere I go. I have learnt to invest in eating the right food and consuming the best supplements available in the market.

I also plan the workout regime for the week in advance and stay accountable to the goals set by executing them no matter what.

I am now confident of how I look and very happy to talk to people now. I also get an opportunity to guide many who approach me for guidance.

Throughout my transformation journey, I faced the following challenges which might echo a chord with most of the people trying to be fitter and healthier:

• Inconsistency was my biggest drawback. In the past, I would complete a transformation program and throw the results away immediately thinking it is over forever. By doing this I have gone back to square oneseveral times.
• Being LAZY was my forte. I would just slack in everything I do - my studies, running errands, going for a walk, etc. Basically, running away from work.
• Binge Eating: This was the toughest demon to deal with. I preferred staying at home most of the time. With very few people around me, food was my only faithful companion. I absolutely had no control over my food intake and ate everything that was available around me. Getting over this habit was nerve-wreaking.
• Injuries: I had got into a lifting accident in 2014 where I ended up with Double Disc Herniation. My surgeon informed me that my L4 & L5 had developed cracks and I could no longer lift weights. If I did, then I would end with a possible slip disc or partial paralysis. I put aside everything and did nothing, again.

How I began my journey is a story in itself. I was still recovering from my back injury that had occurred in 2014. I had gained immense weight and had not trained for nearly 6 months.

In early 2015, I went down to Mumbai to see Kris Gethin(My Inspiration) at a Fitness Expo. While waiting in the line, I was feeling pretty disgusted and ashamed of myself for the shape I was in.

While feeling hopeless, it then occurred to me that if I can’t get out of this rut then probably I won’t be able to get out of any other difficult situation in my life. I finally met Kris and informed him about what had happened and decided to take up a transformation challenge by staying accountable to him. He happily agreed and I took off my shirt in front of 100s(who probably thought I was stupid) and clicked a BEFORE photo. I promised him that he will see a new transformed me next year when we meet.

That’s how and where it all began.

Basic Workout Schedule

In my understanding, one should not weight train more than 4-5 days a week. Rest days in between for a day or at the end of the week is very essential. One can train 2 days on and 1 day off or 5 days on and 2 days off. It completely depends on an individual. A sample weekly training plan would look like this.

Day 1: Legs & Abs

• Leg Press: 3-4 Warm Up sets of 10-15 reps. 3 Working sets of 10-12 reps
• Leg Extension: 2 Warm Up sets of 15 reps. 3 Working sets of 15-20 reps
• Lying /Seated Leg Curls: 2 Warm Up sets of 15 reps. 3 Working sets of 15-20 reps
• Hack Squat: 2 Warm Up sets of 15-20 reps, 3 Working sets of 20-30 reps
• Seated Calf Press: 2 Warm up Sets 15-20 reps, 3 Working sets of 15-20 reps to failure.
• Hanging Leg Raise: 4 Sets
• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes (Post Weight Training only).

(By Failure I mean one cannot do one extra rep even if he or she wanted to. It’s important to choose the right weight to fail with-in the guided rep range to get best output of your training).

Day 2: Chest & Back

• Dumb-bell Chest Press: 3 warm up sets of 6-10 reps. 2 Working sets of 6-8 Reps
• Incline Chest Press: 2 Working sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Fly: 3 Working sets of 10-15 Reps
• Reverse Grip Pull Downs: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 8-10 reps
• Bent over Dumbbell Row: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 8-10 reps
• Hyper-Extensions: 3 Working sets of 10-20 reps
• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes (Post Weight Training only).

Day 3: Active rest day

• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes.

Day 4: Arms

• Barbell Curls: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 8-10 reps
• EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 8-10 reps
• Cable Triceps Push-down: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 10-12 reps
• Cable Rope Triceps Push-down: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of 10-12 reps
• Cable Triceps Over Head Extension: 1-2 Warm Up Sets of 8-10 reps, 3 working sets of -12-15 reps
• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes (Post Weight Training only).

Day 5: Shoulders, Calves & Abs

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2 Warm Up sets of 6-8 Reps, 3 working sets of 6-8 reps
• Standing Side Raises: 1 warm up set of 10-12 reps, 3 working sets of 12-15 reps
• Upright Barbell Row: 3 Working sets of 15-20 reps
• Reverse Flyes: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
• Standing Calf Raises: 2 Warm up Sets 15-20 reps, 3 Working sets of 20 reps
• Weighted Sit ups: 4 Sets of 15 reps
• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes (Post Weight Training only).

Day 6: Active rest day

• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes.

Day 7: Active rest day

• Steady State Cardio: 20-25 minutes.

Basic Diet

My main focus was to make sure I consumed clean calories only. Every meal had 3 portions measuring one’s fist size. One portion Protein + One Portion Carbs + One Portion Fibre. Primarily, the diet was High Protein, Moderate to Low Carbs & Low-Fat Diet. 5-7 meals a day.

A sample one-day meal plan would look like this:

• Meal 1: Whey Protein (Re-kaged) + Rolled Oats in a shaker
• Meal 2: 4 Egg whites + 2 Chapattis + 100 ml curry + salad
• Meal 3: 200gms of Cooked Pulses (Dal) + 1 Portion of Brown rice + Salad
• Meal 4: 200gms of Bean Curry + 1 Portion of Brown Rice + Salad
• Meal 5: 200gms of Chickpea Salad/ Sprout Salad
• Meal 6: 200gms of Low Fat Paneer + 2 Chapattis + Salad
• Meal 7: 1 Scoop of Kaged Muscle’s Kasein.

No Cheat meals and that means No Fried, No Sugar & No Alcohol.

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