Beef steak and sweet potatoes for breakfast. Chappati, boiled chicken and vegetables for lunch. Grilled chicken for dinner. Until June, this will be Chacko Tharakan’s meal plan. That’s not all. Chacko is also putting in two hours of weight training twice a day and workouts: hybrid kalari, a mix of yoga, kalari, ju jitsu, karate and callisthenics in the morning and afternoon. Acrobatics on Cherai beach helps break the monotony.
Wondering what all this is about? This is Chacko’s preparation for the Mr Universe pageant to be held in Bangkok in June.
Last year two events propelled Chacko towards his goal of winning the title. One was participating and getting to know the ropes of the
“I dreamt of representing India in sport, of raising the tricolour and bringing it home, but could not do so while in school,” says Chacko studied at St Joseph’s in Coonoor. Later he worked in a pharma company in Chennai before relocating to his hometown Kochi.
Training in a gym was a habit he developed in school, he says, adding that he had wanted a good physique even as a youngster. His trainer MS Arvind suggested he participate in competitions to become “serious” about body building. Chacko took the plunge in 2017 and won his first district competition, Mr Ernakulam that year and the next. A disciplined routine that combined fitness , training and diet helped. “There were no cheat meals.” In 2018 he came fourth in the Mr Kerala competition. “Body building is not like football; when a goal is scored you win. Here the judges have discretionary power,” he says. The competition results led to controversy and he changed his federation.
As a result he could not participate in the National championships that year but, in 2018, he entered Mr India competition and won the title in the Beach Body category. This was followed by two more titles that allowed him to represent India at Mr. Universe title in South Korea. “Though I finished 10th, it taught me many lessons.”
His entry earned him a Pro Card, a license to represent India in the professional league for Mr Universe making him the first from Kerala to get a Pro Card.
One of the lessons he learnt was about body proportion. Being six foot tall, he was better off entering the competition in the Beach Body Model category. “A Beach Body model has a leaner physique with big shoulders and comparatively smaller arms. It is a V-shaped torso. At the competition, I realised the areas in which I should improve . I am concentrating on bulking up and, as I go forward, I will cut down on fat to get leaner,” says the 29-year-old.
Kalari has helped change his body language. “It gives confidence, even confidence to dance,” says Chacko who is also trying to find a foothold in the film industry.
“There’s a lot of sacrifice to do. Body building has taught me patience. One of the side effects of a sugar-free diet is mood swings but Body Building has made me Zen. I am peaceful,” says Chacko, dreaming once again of holding the tricolour on the podium at Bangkok.
