Kartik Aaryan's fitness secret to a killer physique: ‘Your abs are built in the kitchen…’

Kartik Aaryan was praised for his killer physique in Chandu Champion. The actor recently revealed that he achieved it by fixing his sleep cycle and diet.
Kartik Aaryan underwent a remarkable transformation for his film Chandu Champion. It was a biopic based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, who became India’s first Paralympic gold medalist in 1972. Now, the actor has revealed the steps he took to achieve an athlete's physique for the film. Know all his fitness secrets here.
How did Kartik Aaryan achieve the physique for Chandu Champion?
Speaking to Screen, Kartik revealed that it took him a lot of time, about 1.5 years, and a lot of hard work to achieve the physique for Chandu Champion. The most important thing that helped him was fixing his sleeping pattern. He started sleeping around 10:30 pm every day. “I was an insomniac before. My sleeping pattern during filming was - I used to go to sleep at 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:30 or 7 am. You need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep [to achieve that body],” he said in the interview.
‘Your abs are built in the kitchen…’
Apart from sleep, he also focused on his diet. “Every person will say this - your body and your abs are built in the kitchen rather than the gym. It [diet] was the most important part of my journey of 1.5 to 2 years, which included cutting out sugar, eating less gluten, consuming bare minimum carbs, and eating more protein,” the actor said.
He added, “My team and I observed all these details on a minute level, and then we followed them diligently. I was like a machine at that point in time. If I was having tomato soup at night, I ate it for a whole year and a half. My life became a little monotonous, but the results were so amazing that it made me feel motivated to achieve my goal.”
Did he have any chat meals during the Chandu Champion?
Kartik revealed he did not have any cheat meals while preparing for Chandu Champion. However, when he is not filming or prepping his body for a role, he likes chole bhature, aloo chaat, street food, and Chinese food. He has a major sweet tooth and enjoys eating ice cream, pastries, and chocolates. The actor also loves Indian food.
Kartik's advice for a fit body
Kartik advised the audience to follow a diet that suits them. He revealed that because his diet was for a role, his body fat percentage reached almost 7%. But if someone is trying to make changes in their normal life, they should just follow a healthy lifestyle, which involves at least one hour of gym or sports daily, a good diet, and a healthy sleeping pattern.
ABOUT THE AUTHORKrishna Pallavi PriyaKrishna Priya Pallavi is a journalist with over 9 years of experience, covering health, fashion, pop culture, travel, wellness, entertainment, festivals, mental health, art, decor, fitness, and sex and relationships. She is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, and holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. Her strong academic foundation informs her analytical and detail-oriented approach to storytelling, helping her uncover stories where none seem to exist. Before joining Hindustan Times, Pallavi worked with some of India’s leading media organisations. She spent close to three years at India Today, where she honed her newsroom skills and developed a sharp editorial sensibility. She also worked for over a year and a half at Vagabomb, ScoopWhoop’s feminist digital platform, where she explored stories through a gender-sensitive, socially aware lens. Pallavi has a deep interest in global fashion trends and international fashion seasons, and enjoys interviewing celebrities and tracking pop culture movements—interests that frequently translate into engaging, reader-friendly stories. Alongside lifestyle and entertainment, she has a keen eye for impactful health and wellness journalism, regularly interacting with doctors, designers, and digital content creators to bring nuance and credibility to her work. Born and raised in Haryana, Pallavi remains deeply connected to her ancestral roots in Odisha. Her ability to spot fresh angles brings curiosity and depth to stories she pursues. When not chasing deadlines, she enjoys spending time with her dog, planning her next vacation, reading, running new trails, and discovering new destinations.Read More
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