There are few things that get Cyrus Broacha’s goat. Mumbai traffic, yoga, and people who while away time at the gym rank somewhere in the top five. “I hate yoga; I don’t like calisthenics. I hate people who come to gyms to just hang around. I hate cardio people, especially men who do cardio. Indian men have skinny arms and skinny legs. Cardio se kya hota hai, they lose more weight in arms and legs. They end up looking like four noodles and one big pizza in the middle,” he says in his inimitable style.
For those who don’t follow him on social media, he posted a black-and-white photo of himself from a shoot, looking fitter and leaner. The perception of the “Bakra guy” was always that of a chubby man. Sharing that he has been a latent gym person all his life, he says that he was never into losing weight. “It’s a wrong assumption that we go to the gym to lose weight. When people say you have lost weight, I get depressed. I love lifting weights. I have no interest in losing weight ever; I want to be as strong and big as possible,” says the 49-year old who works out with squat rack, a bench, 350 pounds of weight and a bar, all of which he setup on his terrace.
The most he has weighed was 96.4kg and now he weighs 91kg. He explains his routine now that he has been working out at home since the pandemic broke: “I was a morning person for a long time and wake up at 4.45am. I walk my dogs at 5am. I have that time to myself and it’s very therapeutic. I come back and take my proteins. I go up at 6am, workout for an hour and walk them again. Then I have my eggs and I am ready to leave by quarter to eight. I hit the bed by 10pm,” he says.
He feels eating is as important as working out and people shouldn’t focus too much on giving up food. “My diet is more in than out. I just keep eating. I take 18-20 eggs and three protein shakes in a day. I have given up alcohol; I was heavy drinker till 2015. I try different diets but I can’t sacrifice the taste of food. I don’t have a cheat day, but I can’t resist potato chips and those rangeen drinks that kids have. I have a six year old’s palate. I can resist cake and all, but I love shrikhand — any malai-based stuff,” he says. Does he like to cook his own meals? He laughs, almost half mocking himself: “I need help with everything; I am of no use to society.”
