Friday 3 January 2014

In Conversation With The Fit Celeb Choreographer Absolutely Charismatic TERENCE LEWIS


Hes choreographed hit Films Like Jhankaar Beats Lagaan Ramleela and Judging the very popular  Dance india Dance ,Nach Baliye 5 Nach Baliye Shrimaan Shrimati.Hes won several several awards and undoubtedly the most stylish person on tv
He runs his 'Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company' in Mumbai, holds dance workshops  both in India and abroad. apart from musicals, stage shows, ads, music videos and national and international dance competitions
Phewwwwwwww Hes charasmatic,Absolutely talented and  currently making people go drooling on tv!!!Terrance lewis One of the Most fittest  n dedicated Talks excusilvely for my blog about his journey from Flab to Eye candy FIT


1.When did u start with fitness journey 
My Transformation took 6 months. I had been to the Gym earlier and spent countless hours of time and money with very poor results. I knew that I had to get serious and that there were no shortcuts. The desire to get lean and ripped was a conscious effort to reach a sport or athletic level of fitness as opposed to the body building type without side effects. I wanted a beach body, the surfers body… it was not about just size increase but functionality. My job requires me to teach, be active and dancing really keeps my energies up, So I just didn’t want to look big like a bouncer or Body builder, I wanted the functional strength of a Wrestler If I wanted extreme results and a perfect lean body, I knew that I wd have to kick off old habits to make room for the new lifestyle. I also like to add here that everyone doesn’t need to get obsessed with fitness like we do in our profession cause it demands it. People with other careers should just eat sensibly, jog, do free hand exercises like pull up s crunches and few stretches and live happily. Our field esp dance and performing arts, good tone and definition adds a lot to appreciating the art form.So Well like everything else in life two things work: Understanding the Science behind muscle/fat- loss/gain and then following a regimen, which means Discipline.The body building, (I prefer calling it Body Sculpting techniques) are available on the internet but the Discipline to achieve your goal is within you. Most importantly you have to want it badly. The question is How hungry are you…How willing are you? Who doesn’t want a good body. Simply wishing wont work. You need to have the right knowledge and understand how the body functions. You should be willing to change your eating habits cause 70 percent of your weight gain or loss comes from what you eat and only 30% is training! But before you get to that, its important to know how your body is functioning internally. Hence the first step is to get a detailed Blood report to know what’s happening inside you!You can get these check ups done and the results delivered to you in a day: Anyways a yearly health check up is mandatory for everyone,so U might as well do one now!
2.What is the secret to your amazing body tell us a bit about your workout regime and Diet that u follow

3 days Cardio and 3 days Weight Training:Yes don’t overdo Weight Training cause you will get poor results!
 I work out 3 days a week in the Gymn for 50 mins.If you train longer there is danger of injury as post 45 mins of intense muscle contractions sends the body in a catabolic state and that’s not a good time to pick weights. So Stayfocussed on time. Gym is not a time to socialize and waste time.

(Max Load Factor: Ex for Biceps: Pick up on the rack the maximum weight which you can lift and complete successfully only one rep with correct form.Now take 80% of this weight and that’s the weight you gotta train with. )

Correct Form is key as sometimes you may be using the wrong muscles to compensate your weakness and this can lead to injury. Getting your muscles to focus with the right breathing technique after an appropriate warm up will ensure you do not have soreness and injuries.
 I will confess, I had three bad injuries, neck, upper back and knees.
Bad technique or bad form were the cause of the neck and back.After I consulted my Physiotherapist and learnt the mechanics of movement, I was back in the gymn wiser. Also I had foolishly picked up weights that were heavier than my capacity and hence compensating strength with other muscles and not the primary muscles that I wanted to develop. I not only didn’t increase in size, but got injured and felt drained.The male ego in a  testosterone driven gym space can  drive Alfa males like me be more ambitious than the body can take. Thanks to the Pilates Reformer I was able to bounce back faster!

Bad Knees: Well Running on treadmill continuously which is a hard surface, placed too much impact on my knees so I prefer jogging as opposed to running on the beach.Skipping and climbing stairs are equally high impact and dangerous for knees if you do it repeatedly.
 Warm up: I cannot stress more on the importance of warm up in Body building.I warm up for 15 mins that includes 7 minutes of cardio and 7 to 8 mins of free hand exercizes. I like to do 10 Suryanamaskar slowly cause it stretches the back and warms up the key muscle areas and then do the superman hold stretch, going to quick plank position hold to awaken the core. 2 sets of Pull Ups and finish with Shoulder rotation and torso- twists!

Any muscle part requires only 3 variations and three set of 12, 10, and 8, reps with increase in weight.
Tip: Before you start your 3 sets, firstset pick 50% less and do 24 reps on it to warm up and send the blood flow to those muscles to avoid cramping and lactic build up. You shouldd finish your 4 sets in 7 to 10 mins  tops



Day 1:  Back and Biceps
Day 2: Chest and Triceps
Day 3:  Legs and Shoulders
 Since weight training seriously reduces flexibility I had to do an extra one hour of ballistic and propioceptive neuromuscular partner stretching to release the tension in da muscles!
I hang upside down On the monkey bars.I do reverse crunches and abdominal twist! This really engages the core! I still love and continue to teach and since at the academy we exclusively only teach the professional diploma students,the routines are demanding and exhausting and the yoga based warm -ups really open up the entire body as else u can become very stiff!

The other three days is Cardio.
Cool down stretches are the best part and this prevents lactic acid muscle soreness or stiffness. 

Your diet -A Regular Day:
6.00 am :I prefer jogging on Juhu  beach or Carters early morning(before the sun hits u up Directly).I consume 1 banana and nariyalpani with 3 amino gel capsules, before the run for energy,
After I finish the cardio for 40 mins, I stretch for 15 mins and cool down

7.30 am : 1 bowl of slim dahi with uncooked oats half an apple or banana or pomegranate  with a dash of honey
42 gms of Protein shake in water
10.30 am 4 egg whites and 2 full boiled or scrambled with baked beans for taste 1 brown toast lightly coated with a slim cheese spread
1.30 : Lunch : 6 Egg whites,I katori dal,2 sweet potatoes, I katori Spinach
4pm: 42 gms protein shake , 2 bananas
7.00pm : Dinner: Tofu 100 gms or 6 egg whites (bhurgi style or grilled with some fat free dressing, one portion of fresh salad; lots of greens
8.00: gymn workout on Alternate days  ( Ifim tired by the end of the day I have a pre-workout like Assault to wake me up and kick  in mental alertness before my workout)
9.30 pm: 42 gms Protein shake  with a dash of Glutamine and just before sleeping 2 multivitamin pills, 4 Fish oil Gels (omega 3 fatty acids)!
10 pm: Sometimes I bowl of Pink Berry Yogurt:
 Following a diet that is nutritious is essential.I have more complex carbs and increased the protein intake for muscle development! Since I'm vegetarian I used to eat 16 to 18  boiled egg whites a day spread over 5 meals! My Cook has been seriously bored and underworked cause its either boiled or grilled food.If you are non Vegetarian you can eat Grilled Chicken Turkey and fish. Avoid Oily Gravy rich food and if you have to eat riceorchappati, keep it minimum. Its better you eat more eggs or chicken and fill up with it than carbs like rice and rotis.Keep them to a minimum.
Avoid  alcohol for the first three months and the next 3 months u can drink moderately without adding juices or aerated drinks. If you have an active social life just make sure your belly is packed in with dinner by 8 pm and avoid snacks at these parties. Saying NO to overzealous friends who wanna feed you, is powerful…try itThe body need 6 to 8 hrs of undisturbed sleep to help muscles and the entire body systems to function optimallyWater consumption should be atleast 3 litres and make sure you drink I litre before your workout as water in the body helps for nutrients to reach easily into the cells for better performance.
To combat stress in a craze competitive space like Mumbai, I have certain spiritual practices that help me handle stress at work and life. I have been initiated in theShambhaviMahamudra Meditation Technique by Sadhguruwhich is only 21 minsand I find it really works as its technique especially the breathing  technique completely balances my Prana (life energies connected to breath)

3.Who is your role model
No one specific. But in the gym  several people who are  lean ripped and proportionate and i dont know their names...they are ordinary people with extra ordinary bodies. Amongst celebs a recent pic of Arjun Ramphal, left me speechless. The best definition i have seen so far

4.Tell us what you love eating
I love eating good food... im not into quantity but tasty nutitious food with the right spices flavours textures and presentation...i dont like heavy food cause it slows me down and makes me sleepy. I do like Pani poori a lot. Wish we could get baked pooris, vada pav with gun powder. 


5-Which is your fav workout/exercise/activity
I love to stretch after my workout, it really takes away all the pain and stress. Love doing monkey bar tricks on the pull up road


6-Tell us about your Style and clothes you sport while working out
Im not comfortable in short shorts, track pants, loose airy singlets and cotton lycra tees

7-Tell us about your Amazing new look which has gone VIRAL worldwide
its just that im a creative person and i love experimenting. ive always tried new styles in clothes and hairstyles.You see i was spending a lot of time in goa and abroad so naturally i didnt have to shave and look good and then i got a lot of attention for my facial hair from women especially and so i decided to give it a certain style and maintain it besides ive had that good boy image abnd look a tad too long on indian tv. I like to reinvent myself so this comes naturally to me. People say that i have an instant instinct for style and details.


8-Tell us your fav dessert
pink berry yogurt ice cream with fresh fruit toppings.


9-What motivates you?
Result oriented [rocess,great bodies, great minds too and most importantly good music.

10-Tell us how you relax/unwind after a hectic day 
i do my Shambhavi maha mudra that i got initiated thru Sadhguru.Its a meditative technique and it takes care of yuor body and mind and most important Balances your Prana Shakti.I use music therapy too and love to read and watch movies every day especially foreign films

11-Would you like to say a word or 2 about me in terms of fitness 
Yes its great to see you in the gym.BhumiCka you have a great body, its curvyy, feminine and decently strong. I like your stretches cause u make them look sexy and then us boys loose our concentration...back handed compliment...But most of all i like your positive aura...your smile is warm and infectious  

12-You are a Role model for so many people give our readers tip or advice to help them be fit n healthy
Not every body needs to have a six pack body...If your profession doesnt demand it its better you focus on excelling in your work. Being fit and having enough stamina and increasing ur immunity to illness is achieved by simple exercize programs and healthy eating habbits. Learn to say No to things that are not good for you. be convincing and firm else your family and friends will ask again.