Do you really need whey protein to build muscle? Experts weigh in
Abbas Ali, a fitness trainer who has trained Shilpa Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha, and Shahid Kapoor in the past, remembers the whey supplements of the early 2000s. “Strawberry was the tastiest flavour; chocolate was the worst, but on the whole, they all tasted bad,” he says, of the days when a box of 42 sachets would cost ₹7,000 to ₹12,000.
“If you were having two or three a day, you were really wealthy.” Those were the nascent days of gym training, when fitness instructors, most often high school graduates, advised their clients on supplements. Their inspiration: beefed up Bollywood men.
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If I had a rupee for every time I was told (surprisingly, by so-called fitness trainers) not to weight train (or train with super-light weights if I must) since I commenced on my long and arduous fitness journey in my twenties, I’d probably have enough money to start my own gym today. Fortunately, with the pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns and gym shutdowns all through 2020, I was able to put this theory to the test. It suffices to say I’ve not bulked up, not even close.
Over the last seven months, I have been weight training thrice a week for 30 minutes under the virtual supervision of professionals. At the age of 45, I now finally have my own little home squat rack with dumbbells and kettlebells, ranging from two to seven kilos, in addition to a variety of resistance bands and the like. The results have been astounding for someone who has as many misconceptions as I do. While the scale has not shown the kind of downward shift I’ve wanted to see, I’ve lost in