Actor Kartik Aaryan underwent a remarkable transformation for Chandu Champion, a biopic of Murlikant Petkar, who became India’s first Paralympics gold medalist in 1972. Now, the actor has revealed the steps he took to achieve an athlete’s physique.

How did Kartik Aaryan achieve the physique for Chandu Champion?

Speaking to Screen, Kartik revealed that it took him a lot of time, about 1.5 years, and a lot of hard work to achieve the physique for Chandu Champion. The most important thing that helped him was fixing his sleeping pattern. He started sleeping around 10:30 pm every day. “I was an insomniac before. My sleeping pattern during filming was – I used to go to sleep at 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:30 or 7 am. You need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep [to achieve that body],” he said in the interview.

‘Your abs are built in the kitchen…’

Apart from sleep, he also focused on his diet. “Every person will say this – your body and your abs are built in the kitchen rather than the gym. It [diet] was the most important part of my journey of 1.5 to 2 years, which included cutting out sugar, eating less gluten, consuming bare minimum carbs, and eating more protein,” the actor said.

He added, “My team and I observed all these details on a minute level, and then we followed them diligently. I was like a machine at that point in time. If I was having tomato soup at night, I ate it for a whole year and a half. My life became a little monotonous, but the results were so amazing that it made me feel motivated to achieve my goal.”

Did he have any chat meals during the Chandu Champion?

Kartik revealed he did not have any cheat meals while preparing for Chandu Champion. However, when he is not filming or prepping his body for a role, he likes chole bhature, aloo chaat, street food, and Chinese food. He has a major sweet tooth and enjoys eating ice cream, pastries, and chocolates. The actor also loves Indian food.

Kartik’s advice for a fit body

Kartik advised the audience to follow a diet that suits them. He revealed that because his diet was for a role, his body fat percentage reached almost 7%. But if someone is trying to make changes in their normal life, they should just follow a healthy lifestyle, which involves at least one hour of gym or sports daily, a good diet, and a healthy sleeping pattern.