đź‘‹ Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hi, my name is Lingaraj Mathi. I am currently 30 years old and from India. I moved to Saudi Arabia for work and then started my training.
I have been in the fitness industry for quite some time and have been working out seriously for the past 2 years.
I am just a beginner and I have been training hard to be fit. In just 2 years I seen lot of difference in my fitness which motivates me to work out more.
Once you see changes in your body, you will be motivated to train harder and harder day by day.
I am working as a software developer, so I got ample time every day to train myself at least an hour.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
I strictly do free weights only, no machines.
I train 5 days a week. One hour per workout, hitting two body parts per workout.
I trained with mass intensity, never took steroids or any other enhancement drugs. I have remained natural my entire career. I just take whey protein (GNC PRO Performance AMP) post my workout and follow my diet.
I train in my hotel gym which is not a professional gym. You don’t need a professional gym to build your body. All you need is the dedication and motivation.
More over there is no trainer for me to build my body, it’s all self-trained.
I learnt Training via the Fitness and Bodybuilding app by iCare Fit Studio which is very useful on how to do your workout.
I strictly do free weights only, no machines. This allows me to really work the muscles in the old school manner that I love.
I focus on the pump rather than focus on the movement. 3 weeks in a month I focus on pumping and 1 week I focus on movement.
I try to be as natural as possible and by using free weights, I am able to do so without being restricted by machines. It’s also harder because I have to balance which is great therapy for me.
I’ve always believed in weight training more than cardio. As I said before I work out 1 hour a day, out of which I do 10 min cardio after heavy lifting which helps burn fat quicker.
I don’t do more cardio because when you build muscle, you automatically lose fat and when it’s done naturally, it could be a beautiful thing.
Warm up for at least 10 min is a must if you want to grow your muscle and be flexible enough to lift heavy weights.
Do not ever skip warm up before lifting weights, it is also one of the keys to building and maintaining your muscle.
At least work out 4 times a week to see some quick changes in your muscle.
Finally, I also believe in training with a workout partner who is as motivated as you. When you train together, you feed off each other’s positive energy. Just make sure your training partner is positive and not negative.
đź‘Š How do you keep going and push harder?
I can’t go back to that low energy and tiredness.
My main reason for pushing harder and keep going is that I don’t want to feel and look the way I did when I didn’t work out.
I can’t go back to that low energy and tiredness. I can’t go back to where my joints were hurting and I had a double chin.
I very much believe that those who have intrinsic motivation continue to adhere to the fitness regime.
They know that what they were will be faced by some consequences in the future. That’s why they keep training and never go back.
Those who just join a fitness club or gym because they saw an actor, or an athlete, or even their colleague, tend to lose the interest much faster than those who had intrinsic motivation.
I fall in the first category because I know I have to do something to keep going further, to do daily activities with ease.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I am still working harder and harder day by day in order to get lean muscle. I also follow a strict diet and eat 4 to 5 meals a day.
There is nothing I would change in my program even if I were to start from the moment I was a beginner.
However, I hope that within 5 years my workout partner and I will be in a position to compete in the local bodybuilding contests. To achieve this, we always try to beat our own personal records and set new ones.
We also hope that one day it will be our main career and even have a fitness oriented business, preferably a gym.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
I understand that injuries are very common with weight lifting.
To prevent them, I always avoid lifting very heavy weights without first warming up using a jump rope. I also try to always use proper form when doing any exercise.
In case I get an injury, I usually take some time off the gym until I recover from it.
If the injury is very severe I take a complete rest without any workout. If it’s not severe, I do some less weighted exercise.
After sessions, I eat lots of carbohydrates because it is one of the important sources to build your muscle, protein alone is not important. My carbs are usually some amount of rice.
I also eat lots of proteins and sleep for approximately 8 hours to help me recover.
I never use any recovery supplements or tools. In case I have any travel plans or anything that will greatly affect my training schedule, I consider that as an offseason.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
I usually eat 4 to 5 meals a day:
- Morning – Oats with Protein shake
- Before lunch – some vegetable and fruits with yogurt
- Lunch – Chicken breast/Tuna with vegetable salad
- Evening snacks – dry fruits and protein shake post workout
- Night – 5 egg white along with fruit salad
Concerning supplements, I take only 3 scoop of whey protein (GNC brand) a day apart from all the natural food. 1 scoop of whey protein in the morning and 2 scoop post workout.
When I go out and have to eat outside, I consider it as a cheat day. This happens mostly once a week. I try to contain myself in choosing something that doesn’t hurt too much or that can affect my training!
I try to maintain a low fat mass because I tend to very easily get dirty a lot! However, I also try to maintain a good volume!
When cutting, I lower carbohydrates and do cardio daily (running on the treadmill). My workouts are imposed with short recovery.
I don’t use any fitness tracker to track my meals and intake. Just enjoy your meal and work hard.
đź‘Ť What has inspired and motivated you?
One of my friends is my motivator and I follow him for the diet and fitness training.
The best advice I’ve ever received is to not let other’s opinion of you affect what you want to do. No one has the right to judge you and if they do, ignore them and or prove them wrong and yourself right.
I never listen music during my training hours. I feel music is like a distraction.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
If you are a new bodybuilder, the focus on eating more protein to build your muscle. Things like lean red meat, eggs, chicken and salmon are great choices.
Then carbs like oatmeal, potatoes, rice and fruits. Finally, the fats from the protein in addition to peanut butter and healthy oils will ensure optimal hormone levels.
For the advanced trainees, just focus on weaknesses. Eliminating wasteful junk food or drinks.
Train with exercises to fill in your physique gaps and use intensity techniques like drop sets, rest pauses and negatives to make more progress.
Also, when it comes to finding balance in life, I say don’t stress out. If you can’t make the gym at a specific time, get it in when you can.
If you have a competition coming up, hanging out with friends or family may take a temporary hit.
Balance is more long term than short term so enjoy your current activities and don’t worry to keep cortisol and blood pressure low.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I do provide some fitness advice to my friends and strangers who approaches me. I am also ready to provide free tips and tricks to anyone who are interested to build their muscle and remain fit.
đź“ť Where can we learn more about you?
You can contact me for free advice and tips to build. Ready to help people train online without any cost. Email me at [email protected]
Instagram: @lingarajmk
Facebook: @mkLingaraj
