My Transformation Story
Exactly one year ago, I was down with a slight fever. What I thought would be a few days affair turned out to be so severe (Leptospirosis) that I had to be hospitalized for an entire month.
I suffered through 20 days of 104°C fever along with constant chills, shivers and body pains. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time, couldn’t eat more than a few spoons.
Once I got discharged, It took me a week to get back on my own feet.
My weight was 65 kgs soaking wet and this was how I looked.
Also, I lost all my strength and stamina. I still remember the first day I tried to workout. Doing just 9 pushups, a pull up and a few crunches left me gasping for air.
Then and there I realized, to change this, I had a long way to go.
So I came up with a plan that focused only on the basics and got after it for the next 12 months.
This is me now at 75 kg .
I feel the strongest I’ve ever been in my life. This is despite the fact that i had to start from scratch just a year ago.
Looking back at what I learned from this journey, I could identify 7 simple time tested steps I took that helped me go from skinny to buff in 12 months.
Anybody can follow these 7 simple steps and achieve more than they thought possible in such a short time.
So here they are,
7 Steps to go from Skinny to Buff
1.The Workout split
I did a 7 day workout split that looked like this
Mon – Squat
Tues – Push
Wed – Pull
Thu – Lift
Friday – Cardio/Conditioning
Saturday – Lower body(light)
Sunday – Upper body (light)
So it’s basically a movement based split with a bit of easy work thrown in the weekend and cardio/conditioning on Fridays.
At the end of every workout, I worked abs and some cardio/conditioning work.
You hit each muscle group at least twice a week.
2. The Exercises
Compound exercises (that target multiple muscle groups) were the main focus of my workouts i.e anything that’s tough and involves free weights, barbells, dumbbells and your own body weight.
I did do a few isolation exercises here and there but nothing significant i.e machines, cables, and arms/calves etc.
Here are the set of exercises I did each day.
Squat – Back Squats, Front Squats, Bodyweight Squat variations
Push – Weighted dips, Dips, Push up variations
Pull – Weighted pull ups, Pullup variations, Rows
Lift – Military presses, Deadlifts
Cardio/Conditioning – Treadmill Runs, Bodyweight circuits, Burpees, basically anything that gets your heart rate up
Lower Body – Squats/Leg presses , Hamstring curls, Lunges, Calf raises
Upper body – Bench press variations, Chest flyes, Row variations, Bicep curls and Tricep pushdowns
Abs – Crunches, V ups, Leg raises
If you can’t do the exercises with proper form, don’t do them. You WILL get injured. Seek guidance.
3. Cardio
Don’t skip cardio day.
This is the most boring part for me but it is important as it ensures you have a decent body composition i.e don’t get too fat while bulking.
Have fun with this day instead, try running, bodyweight circuits, sled pulls, battle ropes, elliptical etc whatever catches your fancy.
Don’t go too hard, just enough to break a sweat.
Also add a little bit of cardio/conditioning to the end of your daily workouts. Use burpees, they are quick and brutal.
4. Progression
There’s a reason I didn’t mention the exact number sets and reps for each day.
Choose the right split and the right exercises, and you can make any set/rep scheme work.
One condition though, You HAVE to note down whatever you did today and do more in the next workout i.e more reps/sets/weight, less rest periods etc ( Use a workout tracking app )
And every month increase the difficulty of your workout, more volume, tougher exercises, more intensity etc
That’s it!!! Remember your body adapts to whatever you do . So don’t let it get comfortable.
5. Diet & Supplements
“ You can’t out – train a bad diet “ – Unknown source
Being a Foodie, this was the toughest part for me . To get buffed and not get too fat at the same time . You have to eat a lot of the right foods.
If you’re not really into calorie counting , ensure you get at least 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day, have healthy fats and complex carbohydrates along with it every meal.
Adjust carbs and fats based on how you look week after week. It helps to track your measurements and body fat percentage
If you didn’t gain any lean weight, add 100 – 200 calories next week. If you gained too much fat reduce 100 – 200 calories next week. And repeat.
My Sample Diet
Breakfast
Protein Smoothie ( A Quick Breakfast Recipe )
Lunch
Rice , Eggs, Dal, Veg curry
Evening snack ( Pre Workout)
Fruits /Nuts /1 scoop mass gainer
Post workout
1 scoop whey protein +1 scoop mass gainer mixed with water
Dinner
Rice, Chicken breast , Veg curry
This gives me around 175 g protein and 2500 clean calories a day.
You can adjust the meals as per your convenience but the carb / protein / fat breakdown of each meal must be similar.
What not to eat? We all know this already.
No processed foods
No sugar. Period
Supplements
A good whey protein is all you need, I used a unflavored whey protein for convenience but even that can be replaced with real food.
Unless fitness is a profession for you, you don’t need all the other stuff.
6. Recovery/Rest
When you exercise you are actually breaking your muscle tissue and it’s when you rest that the actual muscle growth happens.
I didn’t take any planned off-days. The split is programed in such a way that every muscle group gets 2 days rest before it’s hit again.
Also life will make you miss at least 4-5 workouts a month, that’s plenty of rest for me.
Apart from this, ensure you get 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night.
7. Mindset
All of this feels too much ? Is there an easier way?
Don’t feel like getting after it today? Do this
So follow these 7 time tested steps and watch your wardrobe’s sizes increase in a good way
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