Those who know him, cannot believe the transformation he has had. From a tall and lanky teenager, South Extension resident Ankush Verma has metamorphosed into a robust and strong man.
And the man who had no fitness goals till some years back is eyeing Mr Olympia today. “But that’s still some distance away, my immediate goals are winning the Mr Delhi and then Mr India titles,” says Verma, who bagged the silver medal in the Mr & Miss Diamond competition held in Jaipur on December 22.
Earlier this month, he won the Musclemania Mumbai 2019 (held on December 8) and was also declared the ‘overall winner’ of the YMCA Bodybuilding Championship (held on December 1 in Delhi).
A B.Tech graduate from IP University, Delhi, Verma did his schooling from DAV where he was always bullied for being ‘thin’. “Kuch lete kyon nahin,” was a refrain he heard often.
“The thinness was pronounced since I am 6’1. After completing my class 12 I had even joined a gym for some time but it didn’t help,” he says. And since he was an active player who regularly indulged in badminton, cycling and table tennis, he didn’t know what else should be done to look strong. It was only after he completed his college that he got serious about his body and joined a local gym, training for four hours every day, two in the morning before office and two at night after office. Perhaps fed up of his lanky physique, he wanted to sculpt himself into a muscular masterpiece. As he delved deeper into fitness and body building, he got interested in competitions. He realised that the gym is his temple and working out his prayer.
“I realised the importance of weight training and began doing it. Now, apart from the regular sports like cycling, badminton and table tennis, which I play weekly, I do four hours of weight training at gym,” he says.
Last month he participated in Boss Classic Bodybuilding & Physique Championship and though he didn’t win it, Verma came in the top 15. Motivated, he participated in the YMCA Bodybuilding Championship and therein began his winning streak.
Diet matters
Verma is very strict when it comes to food. For the last two years, he has been eating only boiled chicken, eggs, fish and rice. He gives all the credit of his success to his mother who takes care of what he eats. “What we eat is very important. No matter how hard I work out in the gym, it’s my mom because of whom I have reached this far. She very effectively takes care of my diet which is equally or rather more important than work outs. She makes sure that my food contains no oil or spices,” he says.
Modelling & Bollywood- the natural corollary?
Verma is now preparing for the title of Mr Delhi, slated to be held on January 8, 2020. “After that I want to bag the title of Mr India, as soon as possible,” he says, adding that modelling and Bollywood may happen after that, though he is as yet undecided on that.“As of now, my idea is to motivate other people towards setting their fitness goals, and achieving them. If I can, so can anyone else,” he says, adding that it is important to include some form of physical activity in your daily routine, no matter how busy you are.
Other loves
A huge fan of Hollywood actor Will Smith, Verma loves theatrical movies and comedy shows, and watches these whenever he can take some time off. As far as fitness stars are concerned, he draws
inspiration from Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder Chris Bumstead.