Gym Body Vs Akhara Body(Nakli vs Asli Body)

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Ye Gym Waali body nakli hoti hai, asli body banti hai desi akhara mein!!

Ye powder waali nakli body hai!!

Humare zamane mein hoti thi asli body, aajkal to saare nakli hain!!

Akhare mein banti hai permanent body, aur gym mein temporary!!

You would have heard similar statements before. Generally, these statements come from two sources, the middle aged or elderly individuals, or youngsters who are residing in villages.

Not only are these statements completely meaningless, but more often they are to satisfy the empty ego of certain individuals. It makes them feel superior in some way.

However, these thoughts stem from the point of ignorance and lack of knowledge of basic exercise science and nutrition. And the worst, even if you give all the right reasons, these people simply refuse to accept it. They are happy living in their own world of self-made logic & reasoning and false ego.

Let’s clear these misconceptions with proper reasonings.

  1. Gym body vs Akhara body – whether you workout in a gym, in a park, in an akhara, in your house, on your terrace, on top of a mountain, in a desert, in a forest, on a sea beach, or anywhere else in the world; it doesn’t matter in any way.

What matters is the type of exercise you are doing, how you are doing and your aim. Your muscles are blind, they don’t understand the difference in what tool you are using, and where you are using it. Whether it’s body weight, dumbbells, machines, barbells, ropes, kettlebells etc. it doesn’t matter. What matters are variables like intensity, volume, frequency, tempo etc.

Rest depends on the aim of an individual, and the resources available to them. Some people have access to full equipped ultra-luxurious gym, and they can afford to use the facilities. Others may be able to workout in a conventional gym, and yet others may find it difficult to find even a basic gym in their area.

Same is the case with akhara. People in the villages generally have access to akharas, which they have been traditionally using since thousands of years. Though nowadays basic gyms have opened up in many villages, and even the akharas have started using exercise equipment, along with body weight training.

And be it a luxury gym, or a desi akhara, you can build an amazing physique anywhere, if you work in the right direction. And even best of the gyms or akharas, won’t help you, if you aren’t putting in the required effort.

2. Permanent vs Temporary body – there is no permanent or temporary body, or asli or nakli body. Your muscles work on the simple principles of exercise physiology, of which one simple principle is the Principle of Disuse. That is, if you do not use them, you will lose them. And this principle is not based on gym or akhara, but the human body, anywhere on the face of the earth.

Your muscles either hypertrophy (increase in the size of your muscles), or atrophy (degenerate or shrinking of muscles). This principle of Disuse, applies to cardiovascular, strength and other forms of training. It’s not that because someone has been exercising in an akhara, then they will have a permanent size and strength. They will lose their muscle mass & strength in the same way, as any one working out in a gym, if either of them stops exercising, due to any reason.

3. Dabbe Waali Body – another ignorant belief is that if someone is using supplements, then they will have long term problems in the body, and elderly people who are healthy, are so because they never had supplements.

Absolutely false belief. Supplements can never replace whole foods and there is no doubt about this fact. But supplements are excellent addition to food, specially today, when most of the people are nutrition deficient due to various reasons, be it hectic lifestyle, availability of high-quality nutritious food etc.

The word supplement itself means ‘additional to diet’, not instead of it. If you are not getting adequate nutrition from your foods, then supplement are your life savers in the long run.

And your body, doesn’t understand the difference between the food and supplement. It will break down each food or supplement into the most basic absorbable form, and use them where needed. That’s the reason most doctors, and nutrition professionals today are advising different nutritional supplements to everyone from a normal individual, to a professional athlete, to a person suffering from chronic diseases; from a new born to a hundred-year-old, both men and women, all are using supplements, safely.

If you are living in a place, where you have access to nutritious organic food, clean pollution-free air, and a stress-free life, then you are simply lucky. For everyone else, it’s about accepting their own lifestyle and working on improving them, where needed.