Thread by @theBuoyantMan

If you want to get in shape, there's only two programs you could consider and you won't need anything else, you could ignore every other fitness advice out there.

1. Stronglifts 5x5 - stronglifts.com/5x5/

Hands down the best program available for free, that actually works!

Stronglifts website has a nutrition section that is actually very helpful. You won't need to pay attention to any other advice out there. Strictly follow the rules they have laid out and you should be able to see drastic results in as little as 3-4 months.

2. Convict Conditioning - amazon.in/Convict-Condit…

- Calisthenics
- No need to go to gym
- Can work out from home/anywhere
- Get jacked with just the body weight
- Similar to how Navy Seals train

If you're in trading, business, or even a desk job that's highly stressful, you definitely need to wind down, generate happy hormones, and reduce your stress.

This is possible with an intense sweaty workout.

Done consistently on a daily basis, this beats everything else.

Throw in 15-30 mins of meditation / walking amidst nature / sitting in silence, you have a potent combination for keeping your body and mind fit to take on the vagaries of the daily life's stressors.

Goodluck with the effort. Take it one day at a time.

Just to show you it can be done.

This was in 2015 September. I'd joined PayPal in 2015 July, 2 months of staying in a star hotel (IBIS Novotel) and gorging on all the delicacies fattened me up.

Combined with no workout (due to 8am-8pm training), and all the chocolates, ice creams, cookies, and butter naan's had showed their effect.

At my heaviest, I weighed 84 kgs.

After I left IBIS at the end of bootcamp, I realised it was very unhealthy staying in that shape and decided to cut down. That's when I came across this Stronglifts 5x5 program.

Started going to office gym daily, from Sep 12th, 2015.

Also went back home, started eating low-carb, high protein diet. Mostly roti, sabji, channa, rajma, peanuts, peanut butter, etc and some brown rice (if sambar/curd).

I lifted weights every day, followed the 5x5 program, kept incrementally increasing 5-rep max weight.

After 3 months, I could lift 80kgs in deadlift, 60kgs in squat, 35-40 kgs in overhead, 80kgs in barbell row, and 50kgs in bench press.

By December 2015, this is how I looked.

I eventually maxed out my lifting stats at 130kgs of deadlift, 100kgs squat, 50-55kgs overhead, 100kgs barbell row, 75kgs bench press.

Then, a health issue brought my weightlifting to a stop. Also, office people weren't kind enough to overlook me going to gym for an hour.

This was me at my peak bulk. (Note: I didn't take supplements, protein powder, or any other products. My food was all natural, I cut down on anything junk, so my development was completely natural).

Once I stopped going to gym, I couldn't avoid working out. So I started adopting the workouts in "Convict conditioning" to worked out every day morning before going to work.

At my peak - i was doing variations of 300 push ups, 300 squats, 100 pull ups, 300 dips.

This photo was taken after 6 months of doing that.

I got a little bit leaner, shed a little bit of fat, and was able to maintain muscle mass while keeping up with food requirements.

Around this time, I had given up milk, tea, coffee, most refined food items, and had gone clean. But I was still eating a lot, keeping up with the workout requirement, still doing that peak level workout.

The one problem I had was I was eating a lot, feeling full all the time.

The last two photos were around 2017-18.

From 2019, I was working on factory setup and scaling, so I couldn't spend nuanced time and effort on food. I started looking into intermittent fasting. Eventually refined my intermittent fasting to an agreeable level by 2020 march.

I did lose some muscle mass along with weight this year.

At my heaviest in 2015 - 84 kgs
At my bulkiest with whatever muscle I had in 2017 - 75kgs
After convict conditioning - 2017-18 - 72kgs
After IF in 2019/20 - 66-67kgs now.

This is how I look now:

I feel lighter, more agile and energetic throughout the day after getting into IF.

Only drawback is I miss the muscle mass and being able to lift really heavy things.

To eat <= 2 meals and still get all your protein requirements within vegetarian diet is hard. Not impossible.

Check out @LifeMathMoney's post on how to increase protein consumption within Indian vegetarian diet:

lifemathmoney.com/how-to-increas…

This is somewhat what I am trying to incorporate too.

The important thing to note here is that, once you make it a habit to work out and build your body, you get the ability to mould your body however, whatever way you want.

Want to increase muscle - you can do it.
Want to bulk up - you can do it.
Want to cut down - you name it!

The process of working out and achieving the desired shape is 90% mental and only 10% physical.

Doing it inculcates immense discipline, that translates directly into your trading and investing journey.

Lifting weights hardens you mentally, gives you a flair for pain.

Working out on a daily basis and seeing results compound in health - you will start to understand how it affects your entire life.

For me,
- Mental fog cleared up
- I used to get ill (common cold/flu, etc) every 3 months, now it happens once a year or so.
- High agility

Working out and keeping in shape has also helped me intellectually because I am able to feel fresh for longer amounts of time, without feeling bloated or lazy under the carb-crash effect.

I have shared my physical fitness journey here.

It's not extraordinary. I didn't prioritize for a six pack or vascularity (veins popping out).

Those are harder to sustain and unrealistic. Without a coach, nutrition expert, medic guiding you, those aren't possible sustainbly.

I am not in professional bodybuilding. I am into an intellectual line of work.

So, I prioritize eating natural foods, cut out processed/refined junk (i indulge once or twice a month these days), working out naturally and intensely.

That should be enough to be fit and healthy.

Based on your priorities (strength, agility, fitness/health, etc.,) you decide how you should craft your physical fitness journey.

After I worked out for 2 years, the following was the result of my full body check up.

I had the lowest cholesterol in the entire floor (of ~120 people). Most people working with me (even those in their 20s) had 190+, a lot of senior people were around 230+, with sugar bordering on diabetes level.

All other vitals were normal, well around the best numbers.

I am yet to do an updated health check up, kept getting postponed. But, I am positive that the numbers have only stayed consistent to the report in 2017 (or gotten better).

It's important to get yourself a full body check up done every year at least once (if you're below 40) and at least twice a year (if you're above 40) to make sure your health is on track with your goals, that you're exactly where you want to be.

I wanted to share these things today because I see a lot of people squandering their 20s physically, and having to work unnecessarily hard in their 30s to try to get to better health.

If you make fitness a priority in your 20s, it's easy to carry that into your 30s and onward.

Take a moment today.

Write down what's your

- Ideal desired weight
- Ideal body (image is better)
- desirable fitness routine
- desirable sustainable diet
- body vitals in number format

and start taking small steps every day towards those goals.

Goodluck. :)