“IF you see me anywhere come say Hi, I love meeting new people”
Meet Haresshvar Sakthivelu , Mr Tamil Nadu 2017 and a Fitness Model . He is a happy go lucky guy, who loves to laugh, be at peace and prefers zero drama. And he loves DOGS, CATS , all animals in general.
He has lost 10 kgs in a month . He has lost 55 kgs in 6 months . Can you believe it ?
If you want fitness tips, this is the story you should read and learn how he achieved his dreams. He believes that whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.
Let us go straight to Haresshvar who shares his secrets of body-building !
How was your experience being Mr Tamil Nadu in 2017 ? What changes has the experience bought in your life?
It was the first time for me to be on stage in a state level bodybuilding show. I had done a few shows previously but they were smaller ones. I had a months time between Mr Tamil Nadu and the show before that. I had not placed as expected in the previous competition ,so the month leading up to Mr Tamil Nadu was very intense with workout sessions going upto 6 hours a day.All this preparation and hard work in anticipation of bagging the gold, inevitably made me a little nervous .But once I got to the show and gave my weight , I was a bit more calm and composed. And I was getting more into the right mindset as time passed.I was placed top 5 in the selections , and it gave me peace of mind and also an idea about how my competition was. the rest of the day was spent in full focus on trying to do some last minute conditioning manipulations with water and carb loading to try and gain the edge.And then it was time for the show, I was busy applying tan and pumping when the call came for my category. I was calm as I approached the stage , I kept a very focused state of mind, stood at the designated spot.I took notice of how the lights were placed , where the judges were sitting and how my competition on stage was. I closed my eyes made a mental picture and came up with a plan according to what I discussed with my coach . I adjusted my stance and angle so that the lighting was more favourable and it would give me an edge in the view of the judges.I gave it my best to flex every fiber and muscle I had as each and every pose was called, I didn’t take any chances , nor did I experiment. I stood with what I practiced and hit each pose methodologically and as I was taught.After that when I was standing on stage waiting for the judges announcement , my heart was racing , it was the moment that would decide the 6 year journey I’ve been through. The extreme 30 days of diet and workout , the years of hitting the gym day in and day out , of not socializing, of not eating my favourite foods, all of its fruits would be judged this moment. After the second place was announced , was when I realized I won GOLD. And when they announced my name it was dream come true, The sweet fruit borne of hard labour and years of work.It was a moment I will never forget , and its thanks to my coach Biglee Murali. Winning this Changed my life, I was doing this as a passion as a hobby till then, just to prove to everyone who ever made fun of my body, that I could achieve whatever I wanted to.But winning such a prestigious title , gave me the confidence to step it up,. To actually start writing and sharing my experience and tips with people on social media.Fitness has become an even more core aspect of my life now, and it has become a viable career for me. It has helped me gain confidence that I can go higher and now I am working hard towards winning the next big title and taking my game to the next level.
Talk us through some of your biggest achievements to date. Why were these memorable to you, and how did you achieve them?
My first achievement was loosing 10kgs in a month. I had tried for nearly 3 years to loose weight without any success. But when I started to study in a hostel during my 12th , that’s when I started to hit the gym everyday and started to diet as well. I had no guidance , all I had was the various magazines in the school library about bodybuilding and fitness, I used to follow the various workouts given in them and just basically do whatever I could to loose weight. And when I lost 10kgs that’s when people started to take notice of me and appreciate that I’ve slimmed down. My second achievement is taking a pushup. A single pushup. During the time I was trying to loose weight in the hostel , the fellow students would always say that pushups were the best exercise that one could do. But when ever I tried to do it , all I would achieve was to lie down on the floor flat. I had my friends tie a towel around me and in my hostel room every night after the warden slept, at around 12 , they would help me to try and do pushups. I would lift a few inches and then they would pull me up a bit and help me complete the rep. this went on for a few weeks and one day during my regular night sessions I lay down and tried to do a pushup , and to everyone’s surprise , I was able to do it perfectly without help. My 3rd one would be sticking to my weight loss journey and loosing 55kgs in around 6 months. People would barely be able to recognize me , and my relatives have even looked at me and went by without saying a word to me because they didn’t know that it was me. This was the first time in my life that I actually became interested in buying clothes. My 4th achievement would be that I stopped listening to bullshit that my local trainers said and started to learn things for myself through articles, books, research papers etc. It is what has led me to successfully transform not only myself but also so many other people.My 5th achievement would be getting on stage for the first time at Mr.Chennai 2017. From being an obese kid who never left his house to being someone who placed 5th at Mr. Chennai. it was a major milestone. My 6th and most recent one would be Winning Mr TAMIL NADU , after nearly 11 months of intense training and dieting under the guidance of my coach Mr Biglee Murali.
Judging by your popularity, you have a physique that is in demand. How do you work on improving it? Describe your current training program.
Right now my goal is to become more conditioned , in bodybuilding there is always room for improvement. Right now I’m trying to increase the muscle I have in right proportions around my torso and also increase the dryness and conditioning of my legs. Even though many people may see my body as perfect , I am the one who knows it best including its flaws. My goal is to slowly work towards improving on them and become ever closer to the illusive goal of perfection.My current training program is a mix of High Volume and High intensity work for muscles combined with an intense hour of cardio to help with the conditioning , I am getting ready for a few major contests that are happening in March and June this year. Fingers crossed.
The fact you trained through all this pain is inspirational. Do you consider yourself strong-minded? How does this mindset influence your life?
I was one of the laziest persons you could see. Though I’ve always had the character to do something no matter whatever it takes when I fix my mind on it , I rarely used to fix my mind on anything. I used to prefer a peaceful life away from any kind of discomfort.
But as I progressed in my journey , I understood that the mental discipline it takes to not eat tasty foods when someone is eating it by your side and offers you some , or when relatives come over during festivals and ask you eat sweets is huge.Situations where the mind used to come up with excuses to avoid gym or to eat junk were many in the beginning and I used to suffer from a lot of sweet cravings too. But every time these thoughts came up all I would do was to remember why I started and how much I had progressed. I started all this to prove to everyone who bullied and insulted me during my entire childhood for my obesity that I too can build a fit body. So the thought of gaining weight again and having to face all those people kept me going and kept the fire in my heart raging.
All this has helped me mold my mind and heart. I no longer am tempted when people come up and shake a piece of pastry in front of me or when I am tired and don’t want to go to gym. I understand my mind better , so whenever it plays tricks on me I know that its only a trick and I shouldn’t be fooled by it.
For me now eating healthy and working out is my lifestyle. I changed my lifestyle to change my body. So , yes I do feel that the mindset and the way we see the tiny victories , the failures , the slip ups influence the success of any fitness journey.
Motivational speaking is becoming big. What messages would you hope to impart to your audience?
I started this page with one aim, that is to share my story and give hope to those like me that if I could do it then they too could.
I know how hard it is to be shamed because of your body , or be rejected cos your fat. My message is stop whining , stop complaining , giving excuses or saying bull shit like Its in my genes , its my situation , I’ve tried but I never can.
NO EXCUSES EVER.
They will never get you to your goal. You have been given a body by god, and that is the body you have ,so is the life that you have a result of the choices you have made.
Every choice counts, and you live this life only once. Make it such that its an interesting one. If you want something you are the only one that can make it happen. You have a functioning brain , use it. Learn about stuff you don’t know, ask questions, reach out to other people like you. Put in the effort , do whatever it takes, focus on what can be done instead of the things that cant be changed.
Someone might be able to eat junk and still be thin.
Guess what your not that someone, stop comparing your body or situations with that of others. Focus on what you have and come up with a solution to make the changes to your life that will get you to your goal.
You are YOU. Do What YOU need. FOCUS ON YOU. You will succeed.
Also read “ He Decided To Build A Scene In The City So That The Art Will Spread And There Will Be More Comics In The City – Meet The Stand Up Comedian Of Nagpur Komedians , Yash Choudhary!”
If you were in the Mr Tamil Nadu contest would you give yourself the award and because of what qualities?
Tricky question. I would give the award to the best physique on stage. Whom ever it maybe. As for qualities its simple, the body will reflect all that we have done , so the one with the best body deserves it.
In bodybuilding do you think most of the pros get along and do you see pro bodybuilding like one big family? Or do you see a lot of bad blood in the sport of bodybuilding among the pros?
Most pros on the international stage do get along, its one of those rare sports where even today the spirit of sportsmanship is still seen on stage. But the same cannot be said for our local level bodybuilders or shows. We have a long long way to go, The situation is complex as ever, and there are a few feuds at the top, but at the end of the day the pros respect one another and know how much work it takes to get on stage.