Bollywood transformations are more hype & buzz than science & mathematics.
Use of both is good enough to understand any bollywood transformation including the two which garnered maximum virality in Bollywood History – Aamir’s Dangal & Hrithik’s War transformation.
But the idea of this article is to help you understand the science behind these transformations & how you can apply the same science to create your own transformation rather than searching for aamir khan diet & workout plan all across the internet assuming that by following the same you will get a body like Aamir Khan.
So let’s get to the basics of fat-to-fit transformations first before decoding both stories.
Basics of Fat to fit transformations
Our body weight consists of fat mass & fat-free mass or lean mass. Fat mass is the weight of fat & lean mass includes muscles, bones, organs, water etc.
Body weight = Fat Mass + Fat-Free Mass (Muscles + Bones + Organs + Tendons + Water)
And a fat-to-fit transformation means two things –
1. Losing body fat or fat mass
2. Retaining muscle mass (lean mass)
Meaning, in any such transformation video you see, the person has lost body fat & retained as much muscle as possible. It doesn’t mean the person has built all that muscle right from scratch in the transformation period. He/she just lost fat & saved his muscle. Because building new muscle takes years of work.
Achieving such fat-to-fit transformation is very much possible with proper training, calorie deficit nutrition, optimal protein, hydration & rest.
Let’s understand this in a little more detail with Aamir’s Dangal Transformation.
1. Aamir’s Dangal Transformation
Aamir went from 97 kg body weight & 38% body fat to 68 kg weight & 10% body fat in 5 months or 22 weeks.
So starting body fat was 38% of 97 i.e. 37 kg. Meaning out of 97 kg total weight, 37 kg was fat weight.
If we subtract the two, we will get lean mass.
Body Weight – Fat Weight = Total Lean Mass = 97-37 = 60 kg
Aamir’s starting lean mass was 60 kg.
Fast forward 5 months, the new weight is 68 kg with 10% body fat, meaning 7 kg fat mass.
How much of the lean mass is left now, 68-7=61 kg.
So if you see, the before & after lean mass stayed almost the same in Aamir. So what changed?
Fat Mass. From 37 kg to 7 Kg.
In a nutshell, Aamir lost 30 kg of body fat in this transformation and retained his muscle.
Meaning, Aamir did not build this muscle in 6 months. That took over 15 years. If I remember, Ghajini was his first movie, we saw Aamir pack a lot of muscle.
That said, the fat loss was very drastic considering the timeline. One should not attempt such extreme fat loss in real life. Any fat loss journey should be gradual.
How can you do your transformation? Let me get to that in a while after discussing Hrithik’s transformation.
2. Hrithik’s War Transformation
Other than the transformation time period, no other details such as body weight, and body fat % were available on the internet about Hrithik’s transformation.
However, what can be deduced just by looking at the images/videos is that Hrithik went from around 25-30% body fat to 10% body fat in 6 months.
Again, like Aamir, Hrithik also lost body fat & retained his muscle. In fact, Hrithik gained all this muscle in 22+ years.
How to transform your body using this knowledge?
Calculate your body fat percentage using this US army body fat calculator. Read measuring instructions carefully before you input the numbers in the calculator.
10-20% body fat in men and 20-30% in women is considered a healthy range. Find what percentage you want to get to. Here’s a chart for your reference.
Now, find your maintenance calories using this calculator. Remember this is just an estimate. After a week of experimentation, you’ll know what works for you.
After calculating this, start consuming 200-300 calories less than maintenance. Since you will be eating less consume enough fiber-rich foods in each meal. This will keep you full. Also, keep protein intake between 1.5g-2g per kg of body weight. Other than satiety protein will help retain muscle. Keep yourself hydrated.
For weight training, if you’re a beginner, you have an opportunity to build muscle & lose fat at the same time. Just train at least 3-4 times per week.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced lifter, train 5-6 times in week hitting each muscle group at least twice.
Be consistent and you’ll start to see progress. Remember to measure your weight daily & body fat levels once per week to stay on track.
Conclusion
Proper training, calorie deficit nutrition, optimal protein, hydration, and rest – That’s all it takes to get a transformation like this. No magic bullet here. Consistency will bring results. Nothing else will.
Hope it helps.
References used –
Hrithik’s transformation video – YouTube (HRX Brand)
Aamir’s Transformation video – YouTube (UTV Motion Pictures)
Arner P. Fat Tissue Growth and Development in Humans. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2018;89:37-45. doi: 10.1159/000486491. Epub 2018 Jul 10. PMID: 29991030.
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