Maniesh Paul bulks up, here's why

Maniesh Paul is raring to go — he’s prepping for an upcoming world tour, with Salman Khan, no less. It was when he was hosting Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa last year that he got a call to host Khan’s Da Bangg show.

Me, too!

At that time, Maniesh’s hand was fractured, and he was using a sling. “Naturally, I panicked when I got the call. I told them about my condition and they said, ‘Don’t worry, this will happen next year’. I was overjoyed and decided that if I have to go with Salman Sir, I have to not only be as fit as him, but also build my physique in such a way that I should be able to go on stage shirtless like him!” It was left to Maniesh’s personal trainer Pravin Nair to get him back in shape. “I didn’t realise how fat I had become, because in the five months that I was wearing a sling, I hadn’t worked out. I would take 20 minutes just to wear a shirt and get into a suit! So, I was really worried,” recalls Maniesh.

The regime

The trainer then concentrated on helping him regain strength in his shoulder and becoming fit within three months. The focus was on cardio and endurance-based weight training, with minimum stress on shoulders. Once that was achieved, Maniesh started bulking up. “Now, I do weight training four times and isolation and twice a week I focus on crossfit and high intensity interval training. As for diet, I have about six solid meals, one protein shake post workout. I take multivitamins and essential fats in the form of supplements. I drink a lot of water as my diet is on high protein and fibre. Based on my shoot dates, I arrange my intake of carbohydrates,” he elaborates.

Nobody like Salman

And, of course, Salman is a major inspiration for Maniesh, who recalls an incident that happened when he had gone to meet the superstar on the sets of Bigg Boss. “That day, I had missed out on my workout and when I mentioned that to Salman Sir, he immediately told me to use the gym in his chalet. He even gave me tips on which part to concentrate on and work out. I share a good rapport with him. He has a great sense of humour and is one of the finest hosts we have. The way he hosts Bigg Boss, without a teleprompter, I don’t think anybody can do it,” gushes Maniesh. Besides hosting he will also be performing the opening act. He has written a rap portion to introduce those performing on tour.