By Aditya Gautam

“I saw Arnold in the movie Terminator and since then I wanted to become as big as him, I wanted to work out and get into bodybuilding.”- Vasim Pathan

The story of a Desi boy winning in a bodybuilding competition in Australia would have been fascinating enough, but to add to it, we had two Desi boys who also happen to be childhood friends from the town of Baroda in Gujarat, both on the podium in the recently held Arnold Classic qualifiers in Gold Coast.

Vasim Pathan won the second spot and Arpan Pandya stood third, the boys looked shiny, perfectly tanned and ripped to the point that they could be confused for carved stone statues.

We met the boys and asked them about their journey:

Let’s start from the beginning shall we?

Arpan Pandya:

In 2005 I came to Queensland, from Baroda- Gujarat.

I studied cooking and now I work as a chef at the Casino in Gold Coast.

I have experience in all sorts of cuisines, worked in Mexican restaurants, Thai restaurants, Asian fusion, currently doing modern Australian cooking.

I Love Queensland, it has the perfect weather, a lot like back in India where I come from.

I’ve lived in a few different places in Australia. Moved to Townsville for a few months, Port Douglas, went all the way up to Darwin for a few years, Canberra for a bit. Also moved to Abu Dabi for a few years. But Gold Coast is my favourite.

Vasim Pathan:

I come from Baroda in Gujarat. Initially studied hospitality and then did my MBA from Griffith University.  I was working in the Casino for a bit and then started working as a correctional officer for the Queensland Government. Being a correctional officer is my full time job now. I also work casually as a marketing manager.

When and why did you start bodybuilding?

Vasim Pathan:

When I was a kid, I saw Arnold in Terminator and that was it, I wanted to get into bodybuilding. I started doing push ups after watching the movie. I wanted to be as big as him. But back then there were not that many gyms or trainers in India. When at the age of 18 I came to Gold Coast, I started working out with a trainer and started seeing some serious changes in my body.

Arpan Pandya:

Back in Baroda when I started going to the gym, there was no direction. I just wanted to have big arms, I thought men should have big arms. So I would just train my arms every single day, no kidding, arms every single day[laughing]. I would eat whatever, there was no discipline. I just ate till I was full and I couldn’t move anymore.

When I came to Australia I started to learn about food, but getting personal trainers and going to the gym was very expensive, I couldn’t do it often. So I just worked out whenever I could. But I kept educating myself about the food and training.

At what point did you start thinking about competing in bodybuilding competitions?

Arpan Pandya:

When I started training seriously I was sure I wanted to compete, I don’t do things half heartedly, so if I do them I go all the way.

Vasim Pathan:

I always fancied being  a fitness model. I lived in Townsville for a bit and there I started training seriously and saw some amazing changes in my body.

After working out for 6 months in Townsville I decided to compete in a fitness model competition and to my surprise I came third. So that was a big shock.

After that I competed at the Arnold classic qualifier in 2013 and I came second. So after that I was like, ya, I want to get bigger and better every year.

Body Building on an Indian diet, what is the good the bad and the spicy:

Vasim Pathan:

Bad for body building: All kinds of street food- the goolgappy and the friend tikkis and the Vada pavs.

Good for body building- Paneer, Lentils.

Final verdict: To be honest I don’t eat Indian food much. But you can compete and have a good physic on Indian food. But you need to understand the food, need to understand your macros and what needs to be the breakdown of those macros. How much carbs (carbohydrates), proteins and fats are in your diet, you need to monitor that.

Arpan Pandya:

The Bad: All the items that are high on dairy and on fat are bad. All sweets are bad, sugar and dairy, that is a absolute no no for a body builder.

The Good: All your lentils are good.

Final verdict: Indian diet is fine, provided you know what you are eating. If you eat 10 chapattis a day, that’s too much carbs. So as long as you are disciplined, Indian diet is fine.

Favourite thing about body building:

Vasim Pathan:

The discipline. Body building has given me a lot of discipline in my life. You have to eat at the right time, sleep at the right time, you have to be disciplined.

Arpan Pandya:

The end result, how I look without a shirt on. I can remove my shirt whenever and wherever without worrying about how I look, I look good. While all my pot belly friends are feeling embarrassed[laughing]. So the end result makes it worth it.

One thing you hate about bodybuilding?

Vasim Pathan:

The injuries. When you are an athlete, you get injured.  Body building is like a sport, so you do get injured.

Arpan Pandya:

Diet and family commitment. Diet is the hardest thing. Your tongue has tasted all sorts of food all your life. Since we were kids we were hard wired to eat certain kinds of food. We see a chocolate and our brain wants it. So it is hard to let go of that.

Okay, you guys look good, but what’s up with all that ‘tan’ when you’re on stage?

Arpan Pandya:

You can’t cheat when you are tanned. Standing under the bright lights, how seriously you have worked on your body shows, if you cheated and drank extra water a day before competition, it will show, because of the tan.

Vasim Pathan:

To make it a level playing field. So that everyone looks similar. If your body is pale, when you are on stage with all the lights on you, you look pale, a tanned skin allows the muscles to be more visible on stage.

How does it feel to qualify for the Arnold classic bodybuilding competition being held in Melbourne next month?

Arpan Pandya:

I am really excited and nervous. The line up for this competition was very impressive, so I was not sure if I will make it, but I had put my hundred percent so I didn’t care too much. Win or lose, if you give your hundred percent, then there is nothing to worry about, because you did everything you could. I’m happy and excited now.

Vasim Pathan:

I did qualify for this competition a few years ago. I had gone to Melbourne and I actually met Arnold, I shook his hands and told him you are my ideal. It was a dream come true.

Advice for people who want to get into bodybuilding?

Vasim Pathan:

Guys don’t use any chemicals. Don’t use any illegal substance to get big, be natural. You just need to work hard and be smart.

Enjoy the process- It is a very hard process if you want to get into pro bodybuilding, so enjoy the hardships.

For  people just looking to be fit- just get out and go to the gym or do any activity really, go for a swim, cycle, play sports, just get out and do something. Start understanding your food, read up on it. Living a healthier life will make you feel good, you will be happier.

Arpan Pandya:

Start cutting out all sugars, start cutting out carbs and dairy. Your body does not need much dairy. In India we have this concept that one needs to drink a lot of milk, it’s a myth.

When you are in front of the food, you know if it is clean food or not, so eat clean food. When you cheat with food, you are cheating yourself.

You might think you will simply walk a little or just run some more to burn the extra calories, it is not that easy to burn calories. It is a lot easier to eat them.

Vasim   Pathan runs a Brisbane Fit Indians community page on Facebook. Give him thumbs up for regular updates on health and fitness. https://www.facebook.com/Brisbane-Fit-Indians-community-1993833554231359/