International Spotlight Trainer of the Month
Vishwanthar Ramaiah
Bangalore, India

Wow! What a wonderful, staggering, pleasurably painful journey it has been! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vishwanthar, and I am a personal trainer proudly certified by the International Sports Sciences Association. I own and operate a small fitness facility in my home town of Bangalore in India. Before proceeding further, I would like to offer my gratitude to Todd Reinhard, Nick Vitani, Mike Tanis, and Patrick Gamboa for assisting me in my efforts of emerging from the ongoing rut in which I had found myself. I have been lifting weights since I was a seven year old, but I would often feel sick when I looked at myself in the mirror. I had known that I looked muscular and powerful when I was fully garbed, but deep down, beneath all the clothing and disguise, I felt helpless—for I was hauling around a portly 35 inch waist. On September 25, 2005, the day of my first formal bodybuilding competition, my waist size was at an all-time low of 28 inches! Never would I have thought this to be possible! In November of 2004, I opened my own gym, The Iron Cult. I had earned a descent reputation for myself amongst some of my peers to whom I regularly provide training tips, but for some reason, I just could not seem to put together a structured program for myself. I wanted optimum returns on my training time, but I came across so many different training philosophies and nutritional tidbits that I got lost in the muddle. My goals became murky, and I felt directionless. I yearned for structure. Todd Reinhard provided me with this basic structure by developing a serious hard-core fat loss regime based largely upon the training practices of boxers and martial artists. That is when I shredded myself out of the rut. I can now boast of my dream—a washboard midsection!

The ISSA course, the myriad of fitness books, the hundreds of body building web sites and articles in which I absorbed myself—everything emphasized that in order to shed body fat, one must achieve a negative calorie balance. That is the general rule that holds true in all cases, and I myself cannot emphasize it enough. In order to achieve this negative calorie balance in an optimal manner, one must be willing to partake in regular cardiovascular training and resistance training. When it comes to cardio, everything will work. Although some argue that HIIT is superior to long slow distance endurance training, and others argue the exact opposite, the point is mute. Let me repeat. It all works! The crux is that we thrive on VARIETY in training! Without VARIETY, we come face to face with that big, bad, burly, butt-kicking beast we dejectedly refer to as the PLATEAU! But what a beauty this beast can be when it enters unbidden into our expedition! For without the PLATEAU, how could one know that it is time to turn things up a notch, to push harder, to tear down the walls, to break the jinx? The PLATEAU forces us to dig deep within ourselves, expose the problem, and overcome it.

The answer always comes in the form of the adventure of change—change in routines. (I have been using low impact aerobics—well, time for HIIT! I have been using high reps—well, time for low reps. Ah, I got it! Time for some drop sets! And how about some burns and giant sets! The fun never ends!) Truthfully, nearly everything will work to some degree at various points in time, but I have found that in the main, compound moves are the most consistently reliable in achieving optimal results. Movements like clean and presses, squats, dead lifts, bench presses, and chin-ups are difficult to beat because they work so many areas simultaneously. They are very efficient movements. Concerning cardio, I found that doing two sessions per day kept my metabolism thoroughly revved. When it came to my fueling needs, I simply opted to reduce my caloric intake by approximately 500 per day. Whole grains, although nutritious, are also calorie dense, and many people are inclined to overindulge. I found that consuming large amounts of vegetables was an effective means of keeping my appetite in check and foregoing those high carbohydrate cheat binges. In addition, I increased the duration and intensity of my training. The decreased caloric consumption, coupled with the increased amount of exercise, assured that I would achieve the required deficit while maintaining as much lean body mass as possible.

When I began my fat loss odyssey, I weighed in at a hefty 15 percent body fat. I entered the September 25 bodybuilding contest at an all-time low of around 6.5 percent body fat. I had lost nearly 30 pounds of fat! Ah yes! Well-defined abs, striated thighs, ripped up arms! What more could I want? If a long-time pessimist like myself can accomplish such feats, I tell you ANYBODY can! My next goal is to bulk up, but I do not intend to regain all the fat that I have worked so hard to lose. I will strive for gains in quality lean body mass, while keeping fat gain to a minimum. Prior to my next competition, I will shred again. Ultimately, I aspire to enter the next show at the same overall bodyweight, but with more lean body mass and even less body fat! It sounds fantastic, and I know that I will again be venturing into unknown territory…Difficult, yes…yet fun and rewarding! I must have patience in abundance! Optimal results do not occur overnight! The odyssey continues!