Relin Raj talks about his experiences
Photo by Albin Mathew
By Shevlin Sebastian
Weightlifter Relinraj, 27, has a fixed daily routine. At 6 a.m., he has four glasses of water. Then at 7 a.m., he has some pomegranates, which helps in digestion. At 8 a.m., it is a breakfast of ten egg whites including two yolks. “The yolks have amino acids which are good for the body's recovery after exercise,” he says. Thereafter, he has a glass of oats.
Then at 9.15 a.m., he has a bit of seed potato, to generate carbohydrates. And finally, at 10 a.m., he is ready to do his 90-minute workout. That's because, from early morning onwards, he is working as a trainer in Gold's Gym, one of Kochi's leading fitness centres. And most of the clients leave by 9.30 a.m.
Relin starts with the Foam Rumble Roller. “This helps the muscles to become relaxed,” he says. “Then when we do weight training, our mobility and flexibility are far better.”
In weight training, he does the bench press, the lift and the squat. At other times, he exercises his leg muscles to make them stronger. Or he does chest exercises. When it is over, he feels light-hearted. “The best part about weightlifting is that my stress levels go down a lot,” says Relin. “I feel a sense of relaxation. Then you get a lot of renewed energy. Weightlifting helps remove back pain because it strengthens the back muscles. It also reduces a lot of fat, so, your lean muscles become more pronounced and it increases your metabolism.”
Very soon after the completion of the workout. Relin has a scoop of protein supplement powder, called Optimum Nutrition. Each scoop is about 24 grams. “It is necessary to have supplements because we burn a lot of calories during weight training,” he says. “You can get it naturally through egg whites and sprouts but I need more. That's why I use it.”
Fitness trainer Shibin PV agrees. “Suppose you need 100 grams of protein, you will only get 2 or 3 grams from an egg white,” he says. “So, you need to eat at least 50 eggs. The calculation is 1 gram of protein for every kilo of body weight but for sports people, especially powerlifters, it is 2 grams per kilo. An ordinary person needs at least 50 grams. But for a sportsman, it is 100 grams. If you are doing strenuous sports, like weightlifting, then you have to take food supplements.”
In weightlifting, he says, you need the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins. “That will reduce the chance of an injury,” says Shibin. “Otherwise, your muscles will tear, and so will your ligaments.”.
Some of the well-known companies which supply protein supplements include Optimum Nutrition, Muscle Tech, and Dymatize Nutrition.
But Shibin is frank enough to say that if you don't use supplements in the prescribed manner, the lifter could suffer from side-effects. “The liver gets damaged most of the time,” he says. “There is also a rise in uric acid and kidney stones. But only about 30 per cent of the weightlifters have any problems.”
As for injuries that weightlifters suffer from, Dr Anoob RC, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Sangeeth Hospital at Mattancherry, says, “They usually have muscle tears in the rotator cuff of the shoulders and ligament injury in their legs. There is a lot of pressure put on the shoulders and leg muscles. That is why these injuries happen. They have to undergo key-hole surgery and rest for a few weeks.”
But another method which damages their bodies is the use of anabolic steroid injections. “They take this to speed up their muscle build-up. “But it can have side-effects,” he says. “There is a chance to get tendinitis. Then you can develop female characteristics, like males can get breasts – gynaecomastia.”
As for Renil, his passion for weightlifting began when he saw photos of former Mr Universe and Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger in a magazine. “I wanted to have a body like Arnold,” he says. So, in his hometown of Thiruvananthapuram, the 18-year-old joined a local gym.
“Very soon I noticed changes in my body,” he says. “When I began, I weighed 46 kgs, but in one year I reached 55 kgs. I felt so much stronger and enjoyed every moment of training.”
Meanwhile, when asked the difference between people who do weight-lifting and those who do not, Renil says, “Those who don't exercise become a bit lazy. They have low energy. Their posture is rarely ramrod straight. They are mostly negative-minded and lack confidence in facing challenges.”
By Shevlin Sebastian
Weightlifter Relinraj, 27, has a fixed daily routine. At 6 a.m., he has four glasses of water. Then at 7 a.m., he has some pomegranates, which helps in digestion. At 8 a.m., it is a breakfast of ten egg whites including two yolks. “The yolks have amino acids which are good for the body's recovery after exercise,” he says. Thereafter, he has a glass of oats.
Then at 9.15 a.m., he has a bit of seed potato, to generate carbohydrates. And finally, at 10 a.m., he is ready to do his 90-minute workout. That's because, from early morning onwards, he is working as a trainer in Gold's Gym, one of Kochi's leading fitness centres. And most of the clients leave by 9.30 a.m.
Relin starts with the Foam Rumble Roller. “This helps the muscles to become relaxed,” he says. “Then when we do weight training, our mobility and flexibility are far better.”
In weight training, he does the bench press, the lift and the squat. At other times, he exercises his leg muscles to make them stronger. Or he does chest exercises. When it is over, he feels light-hearted. “The best part about weightlifting is that my stress levels go down a lot,” says Relin. “I feel a sense of relaxation. Then you get a lot of renewed energy. Weightlifting helps remove back pain because it strengthens the back muscles. It also reduces a lot of fat, so, your lean muscles become more pronounced and it increases your metabolism.”
Very soon after the completion of the workout. Relin has a scoop of protein supplement powder, called Optimum Nutrition. Each scoop is about 24 grams. “It is necessary to have supplements because we burn a lot of calories during weight training,” he says. “You can get it naturally through egg whites and sprouts but I need more. That's why I use it.”
Fitness trainer Shibin PV agrees. “Suppose you need 100 grams of protein, you will only get 2 or 3 grams from an egg white,” he says. “So, you need to eat at least 50 eggs. The calculation is 1 gram of protein for every kilo of body weight but for sports people, especially powerlifters, it is 2 grams per kilo. An ordinary person needs at least 50 grams. But for a sportsman, it is 100 grams. If you are doing strenuous sports, like weightlifting, then you have to take food supplements.”
In weightlifting, he says, you need the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins. “That will reduce the chance of an injury,” says Shibin. “Otherwise, your muscles will tear, and so will your ligaments.”.
Some of the well-known companies which supply protein supplements include Optimum Nutrition, Muscle Tech, and Dymatize Nutrition.
But Shibin is frank enough to say that if you don't use supplements in the prescribed manner, the lifter could suffer from side-effects. “The liver gets damaged most of the time,” he says. “There is also a rise in uric acid and kidney stones. But only about 30 per cent of the weightlifters have any problems.”
As for injuries that weightlifters suffer from, Dr Anoob RC, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Sangeeth Hospital at Mattancherry, says, “They usually have muscle tears in the rotator cuff of the shoulders and ligament injury in their legs. There is a lot of pressure put on the shoulders and leg muscles. That is why these injuries happen. They have to undergo key-hole surgery and rest for a few weeks.”
But another method which damages their bodies is the use of anabolic steroid injections. “They take this to speed up their muscle build-up. “But it can have side-effects,” he says. “There is a chance to get tendinitis. Then you can develop female characteristics, like males can get breasts – gynaecomastia.”
As for Renil, his passion for weightlifting began when he saw photos of former Mr Universe and Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger in a magazine. “I wanted to have a body like Arnold,” he says. So, in his hometown of Thiruvananthapuram, the 18-year-old joined a local gym.
“Very soon I noticed changes in my body,” he says. “When I began, I weighed 46 kgs, but in one year I reached 55 kgs. I felt so much stronger and enjoyed every moment of training.”
Meanwhile, when asked the difference between people who do weight-lifting and those who do not, Renil says, “Those who don't exercise become a bit lazy. They have low energy. Their posture is rarely ramrod straight. They are mostly negative-minded and lack confidence in facing challenges.”
(An
input for a cover story in Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express,
South India and Delhi)
http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/1826897/The-Sunday-Standard-Magazine/23-09-2018#page/1/1
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