R Madhavan is a guy nobody can hate, really. The kind of films he has done, the kind of roles he plays and just the overall stand up guy he is, people canât help but shower him with all their love. 

The Jamshedpur-born however managed to create a name for himself in the fitness industry as well when he went through an unbelievable body transformation for his role as Adi Tomar in Saala Khadoos (2016).

The story was essentially about a former boxer who gave up on his career falling prey to politics in his field and eventually going on to coach another athlete and live his dreams through her success. 

Obviously, the man had to look the part, which meant some serious lifestyle changes including following a strict eating cycle and a regulated workout routine. 

Hereâs How R Madhavanâs Body Transformation Took Place:

In one of the press conferences at the time of the filmâs launch, Madhavan, who is a pure vegetarian, said that he didnât make any changes in his diet. He also said that he didnât take any extra supplements during his transformation. 

All he did was make sure that heâd not eat anything after 6 PM and go to bed by 10 every single night. He has also mentioned having at least a five-and-a-half hour long break between meals to give his body an opportunity to digest the food properly.

© Universal Motion Pictures

Having said that, he did make very minor changes to his eating habits like not overindulging in foods like dahi chawal (curd rice) and puri bhaji. 

© Universal Motion Pictures

Madhavan credits his transformation to Alexander Cortes, a personal body trainer. He also went to the United States of America for the training not because he felt the quality of training was better there but because he wanted to put himself in a mental state of being prepared for the long journey, something that he felt he would not have been able to do while at home.

Madhavan also took up boxing to kickstart his workout. Boxing in itself is one of the most effective yet underrated exercises and can be more demanding than it looks. âI realized that if you have to do boxing for even 40 seconds, how much preparation â strength, stamina and energy â you need,â Madhavan said himself in an interview with The Indian Express.

© Universal Motion Pictures

Not in a hurry to see hollow and mere âcosmeticâ results, Madhavan wanted to do it the right way. He focused on having a stronger core and the aesthetics came as a bonus for him.

By the end of his transformation, not only did he look bigger, his muscle mass became so much that he was giving the bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for his money in terms of size.

© Universal Motion Pictures

"Let me just say that Arnold Schwarzenegger had 20-inch biceps when he did his first film, and when I did Saala Khadoos, being a vegetarian I managed 18 and half inches,â said Madhavan.

While people normally talk about how plant-based supplements can take care of a vegetarianâs intake of protein and other macronutrients which are required to make such a body transformation, the fact that Madhavan refrained from taking those and still being able to look this massive, is incredible in itself.

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