Bulging biceps and well-built chests are the priorities of the gym-thronging crowd – mostly youth – in Bhubaneswar. However, health consciousness is on the rise across age groups. A report by Himanshu Guru
The gym is where you are likely to find the most number of youngsters any given time of the day sweating it out for that fab look. The health-conscious young crowd in the capital city hits gyms early in the morning. Young professionals manage to carve out some time from an otherwise packed schedule to either tone down flab or build bulging biceps or six-packs. Sunday POST chats with gym rats on the pros and cons of gyming.
Mamata Dash is a dancer cum dance teacher. She is a teacher at St Joseph’s School and YMCA in Bhubaneswar. She started gyming at the Utkal Karate Association initially. “I hit the gym to support my dance. If you are a dancer you need to keep yourself fit and attractive. In Odisssi we tie the waist belt called ‘Bengapatia’ along with other dance gear. This waist belt pushes the lower belly and so accordingly your upper belly comes out even if you have a slight enlarged belly. Hence you need to keep your stomach naturally compressed for a good look. And for this you need gyming.”
Asked about her special and favourite gym category she said, “I work out in the crunch to keep my stomach compressed. Besides I do dumbbell, cattle bell, aerobics, yoga, rope, cone running and free hand exercises.” She also intimated that she lost five kg after joining the gym.
Jhili Sahu, a homemaker, is attending gym since the last six months. She said that she lost seven kg and now she is 65 kg. “I do cone running, treadmill, surya mamaskar, shoulder press and cycling. I also take part in the group activities. I avoid rice and oily and spicy food. I consume ample salad and water throughout the day to keep myself going. Somebody into gyming needs to take food at regular intervals and not much care about physique,” she added.
Priyadarshini Ghatuary, a gym trainer, said, “You can see your whole physique changing. That is the great thing. Besides you will feel energetic and the chronic aches will disappear in no time. One should avoid oily and fast food, milk and white food like rice, curd etc. One should also cut down on the quantity consumed at dinner to keep fit. Coming to non-vegetarian food items you can eat chicken but not mutton because mutton is high in cholesterol and fat.”
Gym hours are also important. Priyadarshini said, “One hour gyming is sufficient to keep your body fit. We allow girls to exercise from 7 to 8 am in the morning and from 6.30 to 7. 30 pm in the evening.”
Hari Patnaik is a well known name in the field of martial arts and power sports in Orissa. He and his training school have produced a number of karateka, wrestlers and body builders of repute. He is the head of the Utkal Karate School. The institute has sufficient infrastructure for training with the arrangements including both manual and the hi-tech multi-gym gear. Hundreds of boys and girls undertake training here under the able guidance of Hari sir who is a pioneer of gym culture as well as martial arts in the state.
Asked about gym culture in the capital city Hari said, “Before 1980 there was no gym culture in the state. Back then there were akhdas. Popular amongst them were the Baulagada akhda and Shaktisangha. I bought a multi-gym and opened it to the public January 7, 1980. I named it ‘Gym Slim’. Back then the akhdas earned next to nothing. Even it was tough for the akhda people to buy incense sticks to worship the Hanuman idol. When I bought the gym my friends discouraged me saying that it was not a profitable business. But they were soon proved wrong. Now there are around 200 gyms in Bhubaneswar and around 40 per cent of the youth population of the city work out in these gyms.”
Hari’s students have achieved success in both national and state-level competitions in categories like power sports, power lifting, weight lifting, arm wrestling and body building. “Gym culture has made people health conscious. Now every youth wants to acquire an attractive physique. But there are certainly some negative points. Like once a boy manages to make his body strong, stout and muscular he becomes fight-friendly. Some of them even turn gundas. But here we take optimum care to provide a disciplined life. You can see black belts bowing before the trainers. We ask them not to get involved in fights.”
When asked what the youth basically come to the gym for he said, “Big biceps and a well-built chest are dream of most of them, for which they come to the gym. Yet, it is not a fact that if you have big biceps and chest you are a stronger man. Here one gets respect as per the size of his muscular body. But it does not imply that people with bigger biceps and chests are stronger than those with comparatively smaller biceps,” he added with a smile.
Shaktiranjan Barik is a master power lifter. Recently, he got the job of a constable thanks to his strongman attitude. He started gyming four years back. About his entrance to gym culture he revealed an interesting tale. He said, “During Ashokastami I watched people with attractive muscles in a body building contest. I got inspired.”
Shaktiranjan is a national champion. About his favourite categories he said, “I work out on building every muscle of the body like biceps, triceps, shoulder, back, leg, calf, hyper extension (waist) and forearms. I work on bench press, dumbbells, calf machines, abdomen crunch and squat at both manual and multi gyms.”
Samarendra Routray started gyming three years back. The job aspirant has won several medals at national and state championships. He said, “You should be dedicated to working out. It will give you self-satisfaction. Forty minutes of proper gyming is enough to keep you fit. But if you want to join a contest you need to sweat more. One needs to take light food at regular intervals.”
What is Samarendra’s memorable moment as a power sportsperson? “Our team visited Kashipur in Uttarakhand where our girls won the championship and the boys’ team came runners up. It was a joyous moment,” he exclaimed.
