ChristMasti! X-mas fun in Mahabalipuram...

my brother took us to a beach-facing hotel in Mahabalipuram to celebrate Christmas.

we hit the bottle at 11AM, and only stopped at 7PM!  man, we had a great time!  as always, we ended up on the beach, and in the water... we had so much fun, we never felt time go by...

as many of you know, the last few years were very trying for me and my family.  however, after a long time, i'm having a good time.

instead of a Santa suit, my brother wore a Superman outfit... maybe he really is a Superman, cause he actually lifted me on his shoulders!  and don't forget, i'm over 105 kilograms in just body-weight...

we were joined by 2 of my brother's colleagues, and they were a lot of fun too.  check out the photos, and you'll see what i mean!

peace on Earth, and goodwill to men... Merry Christmas, everybody!

HAT-TRICK! 3 Competitions & 3 Wins!! Amazing!!!

i guess the headline gives it away... yes guys, i bagged the Bronze in today's Bodybuilding Championship!

i'm so excited, i don't know what to say!  when i saw the other participants, i was filled with doubt.  many of them were in peak physical condition... besides, a lot of them were very experienced bodybuilders.  i'm relatively a fresher on the scene, and i never really expected to win a medal in today's extraordinary competition...

i guess fate had other plans for me.  thanks to my Trainers, Friends and Brothers for instilling me with tons of confidence and for being so supportive.

i couldn't have done this without them!

i have a lot of photos of this competition uploaded to Picasa online.  you will surely love them!

click here to see today's competition photos.  click here to see the entire album.

after this, i'm going to take a well-deserved break.  i'm exhausted from all the competing, and the strain of my stringent diet.  my brother has a lot planned for Christmas and the New Year... can't wait to join the fun!

Remember : No Pain No Gain!

Unbelieveable... I won again! Silver Medal in the University Championship!!

as conceited as it may sound, it suddenly feels like i've always been winning these competitions!  my second competition, and i bagged Silver, again in the heaviest weight category...

click here for the pix...

looks like the winds are suddenly favorable for me.  i'm glad i decided to get back into serious competitive bodybuilding.  these two competitions have been a true trial by fire for my mind, more than my body.  the toughest challenge is yet to come.

tomorrow will be the toughest competition ever.  the Muscle Maker's gym is organizing a Chennai Vs. Kancheepuram bodybuilding championship that sees hundreds of participants annually.  in association with Atelier's Fitness, they are a serious crows-puller... it seems actor Sarath Kumar will be at the venue too!

all-in-all, i'm really happy about my 2 consecutive wins.  it suddenly doesn't matter if i don't get a medal or a trophy tomorrow.  i just want to kick back and get some much needed rest and rejuvenation!

for now, that still remains a far away dream... i've forgotten what fresh cool drinking water tastes like, and i yearn for a decent serving of rice and meat!

wish me luck.  i'll need every bit i can get.

Another Competition Coming Up...

on the 11th of December, i'll be participating in the University Championship.  there won't be multiple rounds, and the session should be over pretty quick.  all the participants will be college students under the aegis of the University, so it shouldn't be too tough...

i've still got my fingers crossed.

WINNER!!! Mr Chennai 2009 - Bronze Medalist!

i won!  i won!!  i won!!!

my first competition in years, and i won the Bronze Medal in the heaviest weight category (90+ kilograms).

with almost 100% of my body-water drained, just standing up was an impossible task.  despite the poor tanning job, i still stood apart in the crowd, and many people came over to appreciate my physique.

my trainers, Dinesh & Rajesh, were not very impressed... just like the stereotypical coach!  they believe i could have done better.  for that matter, even i know i can do so much more.

but, hey!  it is my first competition, and i'm so glad i won.

check out the pictures on my Web Album by clicking here.  don't forget to leave your feedback.

enjoy!

 

Left > Right : Dinesh, Karthik, Me & Rajesh 

Dinesh and Rajesh are my Coaches, and the owners of Jungle Gym in Madipakkam.

First-show Jitters...

as much as i hate to admit it, i'm nervous.

i have my first competition on the 6th!  it's the Bob's Classic Mr. Chennai 2009 and it's supposed to be a hard crowd to please.  i've completely cut my water in-take from this morning (that's how we get our ripped definition on the day of the competition) and i'm feeling faint already.  damn.

wish me luck!

Pictures Speak A Thosand Words...

i've always found the concept of "online albums" very tedious and impersonal.

but now that i've finally figured out how to upload my own pictures to the Internet, i'm unable to find fault with it!  uploading the pictures to Picasa web-albums was a breeze, and it even retained the picture quality too.  the pictures are even geo-tagged, so you can see where i was when the picture was shot.  that's more, it automatically recognized faces and did the name-tagging en-mass... that's pretty amazing!

two popular misconceptions that people have are 1) bodybuilders are always in ripped physical appearance, and 2) gym-rats, like us, have no life outside our heavy work-out schedules!

contrary to what you may have heard, bodybuilders have the "ripped look" only during the competitive season, which is usually twice or thrice a year.  seasoned bodybuilders do maintain a semi-ripped look through the year, but that comes with age!  (if they look so great off-season, imagine how awesome they'll look when they're competing...)  i'm only 21 years of age, and haven't been bodybuilding for long... during the off-season, i retain water like a blue-whale, and get that chubby appearance that makes me so adorable! 

we bodybuilders also know how to have fun... we're not always stuck in the gym, though we'd like everyone to think we do!  during the off-season, i have a great time with my family and friends.  i'm surrounded by people who love me, and life is just great...

my first album has a ton of pictures of myself during the off-season.  click here to view it.

(don't forget to rate or 'like' the pictures, and leave a comment to tell me what you think!)

Welcome to my world.

i sincerely believe bodybuilding is for everyone.  many people confuse bodybuilding with competitions and steroid-abuse.  that's not true.  anyone can participate in any sport, without needing to make a professional commitment.  haven't you ever enjoyed a great game of cricket or football?

true bodybuilding is all about realizing that the greatest instrument you could ever have is already with you: your own God-given body.  the vast majority of people look down and are ashamed by what they see.  don't be.  it's yours, and you have the right to use it anyway you find pleasurable or useful.  a bodybuilder's vision of himself is exactly that: the aim to have the most massive, most spectacular, most ripped and most defined structure.

bodybuilding is a triumph over our so-called "natural limits".  who defined these ridiculous limitations?  i know i don't conform to them.  i know my body is capable of so much more, just as i am.

Rule No.1 of bodybuilding: No Pain = No Gain.

the best things in life are rarely free!  dump those stupid gadgets that claim to do wonders for you... your body is your temple.  it deserves to be taken of.  it deserves nothing but the best.  it deserves worship.

in the days to come, i'll show you the incredible things my body is capable of... your body is capable of.  after years of personal turmoil and great trials in my private life, i'm now confident of putting it all behind me.  i will be competing this month, and aggressively too.

i promise you i will win.  i will be champion.