A popular name in showbiz with over a million followers on social media, actor Karan Tacker is quite the heartthrob. While he’s made his presence felt in myriad roles, his physique and fitness regime have also been an inspiration to many. And even though gyms were shut during the pandemic-induced lockdown, his resolve for fitness didn’t change.
“I was fit like never before during quarantine,” says Tacker, who brought home bars and dumbbells before the lockdown. “Now, too, I’m using the same methods, even though gyms are open. Usually, one feels you need a gym to stay fit. My finding of fitness was that you don’t have to do much to actually stay fit and active,” he adds.
Talking about his daily regime, the actor says “If I’m in the gym for an hour, I make sure it is an intense session and my heart rate is 130bm minimum. That keeps your body engaged, burns fat and helps build muscles. A goodbody is the side effect of exercise, so the idea of fitness is to stay fit. Usme agar acchi body ban gayi, toh ban gayi.” But, he changes his workout every two-and-a-half weeks. “The idea is to be functionally fit. If a director tells you to run up and down 10 times to get the shot right, you should be fit enough to do that. Even if you have to throw punches and kicks, you have to be fit and should not be panting and dying,” he laughs.
Workout aside, he also advocates a healthy diet. For the past three to four years, he’s been following the same diet — high protein, moderate fat and low carbs — but changes it according to the kind of body he’s aiming for. “I’m trying to get leaner, so I’ve cut down carbs and upped healthy fats such as ghee and white butter, as being a Punjabi, it’s always in our kitchen. Ghee is my weakness,” says Tacker, who cooks his own meals.
So what’s his schedule like? “I start with a litre of water and then a cup of cappuccino. For breakfast, I have four whole eggs and three whites with oats. I also have a handful of almonds which my mother soaks overnight and peels in the morning. Then, I work out after having a protein shake. But, I want to tell people that supplements don’t help make your body, it’s only to aid nutrition. Don’t rely on it,” he stresses.
For lunch and dinner, he has 120g of cooked chicken with sauteed vegetables sprinkled with olive oil, and in the evenings, opts for an egg preparation or a protein smoothie.