Today we take a look at old school Indian bodybuilders who have some of the best physiques you can build naturally.
Keshub Sen Gupta and Bishnu Charan Ghosh were physical culturists who lived in the 1900’s. They were born and bred in India and made a significant contribution to fitness.
Ghosh and Sen Gupta took the Kolkata region by storm with their stunning physiques.
They used the attention as a force for good to furthered the knowledge and interest of exercise science and physical fitness in India and the world and beyond.
Sen Gupta and Ghosh were two brothers on a mission to make people better. They were committed to strengthening their bodies and pushing the limits on what was achievable naturally.
Through daily practice they built some of the greatest natural bodybuilding physiques the world has ever seen.
Let’s take look at how they did it.
Barbell Exercise and Muscle Control
These Indian brothers coauthored the book “Muscle Control and Barbell Exercises”, which was published in 1930.
The first part of the book shows you how to train to build muscular size and strength. It walks you through the weight lifting exercises to build muscle mass.
The second part teaches you how to – you guessed it – develop muscle control.
Muscle control is a key component to create a stellar physique.
This book is a look into how these Indian pioneers built their impressive physiques. And they did it naturally. Something almost unheard of today.
Barbell Exercises for Natural Trainers
Ghosh and Sen Gupta trained with light weight and did full body workouts.
Each exercise called for 3-4 sets, sometimes more sometimes less. Each set was in the 10-20 rep range. The weight was relatively light. They used a 40-pound barbell for most of the exercises.
All the exercises were conducted with a barbell. The routine included Hindu squats, behind the back tricep extensions, and bicep curls with an Anti-Barbell.
Muscle Control
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to muscle control.
Muscle control is the ability to flex individual muscles. It’s the ability to isolate muscles, all the way down to the individual muscle fibers. It’s the ability to flex one muscle as hard as you possibly can while all the surrounding muscles are completely relaxed.
Muscle control is a skill you must develop if you want a sculpted physique.
Once you master the art of muscle control your physique TAKES OFF TO ANOTHER LEVEL.
Muscle isolation is key to shaping your muscles and creating definition. The book gives you flexing and posing routines to improve muscles control and develop this critical skill.
This take a lot of practice but once you get it your workouts will change for the better forever.
You can try different techniques to hone in your fine motor skills and muscle control but at the end of the day it take a lot of practice and focus and concentration.
It’s easy to overlook flexing and posing. Holding a pose is hard work. It takes time. But contracting your muscles creates muscle density. It’s like packing down dirt. The pressure you put on your muscle fibers makes them more dense over time.
But were they natural?
It’s safe to say these guys were natty. Steroids weren’t around the late 1930’s.
These guys didn’t pin the juice but they did train hard, eat healthy, and practice intermittent fasting which is known to increase testosterone levels naturally.
If these Indian gentlemen were alive today they would be accused of taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.
And it makes sense. Their looks defy convention. They look photoshopped. Their muscular definition and striations are insane. You can see every muscle fiber. Incredible muscle density with deep cuts in thickness. Well shaped, proportioned and balanced. Undoubtably had an incredible dedication to their craft.
Old School Training Philosophy
They trained with intention, intense focus, and consistent effort.
No one can doubt that the brothers’ dedication was off the charts. They had a practical, clam, methodical, intelligent approach to physical development.
Take the patience and mindfulness of yoga and apply it to bodybuilding. Their muscle control was out of this world. They could isolate individual muscle fibers with sheer will and practice and concentration. This was key to them getting jacked, shredded, lean and muscular.
Build muscle first
There’s a reason the exercise portion of the book is in the front. You must build muscle first to get the benefits of muscle control. Build the muscle mass, then focus on muscle control. In that order.
The more muscle mass you have the more you will be able to control it successfully. Focus on strength and mass first then flexing and muscle control to really bring out your muscular definition and give you those deep chiseled fine lines and details of your physique.
They sprinkled a few gems in their book too – Here’s a few.
Cultivate willpower
Don’t rely on alcohol and stimulants. They take away from your willpower and ability to generate motivation internally.
If you use booze and stims too much and start to have a hard time getting anything done.
You lean on them like a crutch and after a while you can’t workout without it. When it’s gone normal regular things feel like too much to bare.
Not a good situation to be in since consistent discomfort and physical extension and mental focus are paramount to your success.
Quality over quantity
A few good reps are better than infinite reps done in a clumsy manner.
Train Solo
Group classes are good for average joes who want average results. But if you want exceptional results you need to train alone. Group trainings are too compromising. You must become a lone wolf. Training is a very personal practice.
Get a training partner or a coach to push you and show you the ropes. They are better than nothing but won’t taking you to the upper escilons of physique dome
Old School Indian Bodybuilder Diet
Eat 3 to 4 meals per day. Eat simple food. Eat to live, don’t live to eat.
Don’t overstuff yourself. Eat until your stomach is 3/4 full, so it doesn’t overtax your system. Eat food that agrees with you and that you can digest easily.
Chew your food thoroughly. This got lost somewhere in history, but all the old school bodybuilders talk about the importance of thorough mastication.
Enjoy your food. Imaging every bite enriching your power and life.This is the metaphysical aspect of bodybuilding that many people don’t seem to grasp.
There’s not much to be found about what old school Indian bodybuilders ate specifically.
The sources are limited, but if I was forced to bet on it I would think chicken, fish, eggs would be protein sources. As well as cheese, milk, yogurt and cream. Lots of vegetable I’m sure and maybe some rice here and there. Butter, ghee, olive oil, nuts, seeds and other grains along with fruit were probably part of their diet as well.
One thing we know for sure is the food was high quality back then. It was fresh and close to the source. Not polluted, processed or factory farmed. No preservatives or artificial ingredients stripping nutrients or bastardizing food.
Bronze Era Supplements
As far as supplements go, it’s hard to say. colostrum. Maybe powdered milk or colostrum is a possibility.
Sleep and rest
Sleep at least 7 hours a night. Rest before and after meals. Put your will force into everything and avoid ‘exciting’ thoughts.
Avoid over exerting yourself. Don’t force yourself to grow at all costs. take your time and go slow to grow. Approach training intelligently. It’s a process and it’s best to take it day by day.
Don’t focus on perfect conditions. Focus on getting to work.
Conclusion
These lads from Calcutta prove you can get shredded as a natural trainer no matter who you are.
Indian guys are notoriously skinny-fat. (Although Americans are catching up fast). Wether due to genetics, diet or both. Ghosh and Sen Gupta looked lean, strong, and healthy.
These old school Indian bodybuilders show that it is possible for not only those with Indian genetics, but any other natural trainer. It’s amazing to see.
Some of the best physiques of the Bronze Era of bodybuilding, and ever in history without a doubt.
You can see a lot of parallels between the old school Indian bodybuilders and the training methods of the 70s bodybuilders.
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