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Gama Pehlwan’s Diet And Fitness Secrets: A Recipe for Greatness
Here are notable facts about Gama Pehlwan’s diet and exercise routine — takes notes from the life of the greatest wrestler from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.
Taking a leap back into history and learning about the old ways of bodybuilding through food and drill, one is always reminded about the famous South-Asian wrestler — Gama Pehlwan. Gama Pehlwan’s diet and his physical training were deeply rooted in Indian culture and tradition during the late 1900’s. Known by his ring name, the Great Gama, he had an exemplary career in wrestling. His grit towards his sport made him unbeatable by national and international players alike, for decades. The secret behind his game was his tactics and his strength which is attributed to his enormous daily diet and extensive workout-based training.
Speaking of the importance of customized diets for wrestlers, our contributor Mary Sabat, RDN, LD, and Ace Certified Trainer, says, “Wrestlers often require a specialized diet to support their strength and performance. Their dietary needs typically focus on optimizing muscle mass, maintaining weight for their specific weight class, and ensuring sustained energy throughout training and competition. A balanced diet rich in lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats is essential, and wrestlers may utilize weight-cutting strategies closer to competition while working with nutritionists to maintain proper nutrition and hydration.” 
While his diet might be revered as outdated and unachievable in today’s wellness culture, it most certainly worked for him and is worth a read.
Who Was Gama Pehlwan And Why Is He Famous?
The Great Gama Pehlwan in #Karachi pic.twitter.com/1GWVxam8RJ
— Shiraz Hassan (@ShirazHassan) March 6, 2023
The legendary colonial-Indian wrestler Gama Pehlwan was born in 1879 as Ghulam Mohammed Baksh Butt. He belonged to a Kashmiri Muslim family and grew up in the village of Jabbowal, Punjab which was a part of undivided India, under British rule. Being around fellow wrestlers and akhadas (wrestling ground) he was naturally fascinated with the sport and picked it up when he turned 15. His glorious career spanned over five decades and brought him numerous accolades. Gama boasts two of the most prestigious titles to his name — Rustam-e-Hind (Champion of India) and Rustam-e-Zamana (Champion of the World). His commendable skill of pinning the greatest opponents including Raheem Bakhsh Sultani Wala and Pandit Biddu within minutes and being able to lift the heaviest weights garnered him immense recognition, globally. This was possible due to his discipline in diet consumption and drilling workouts.
Gama was also conferred as a hero for saving the lives of many Hindus during the time of partition riots in 1947, being a Muslim himself. He died at the age of 82 years in the city of Lahore. His name is eternally etched in the hearts of Indians and Pakistanis for his illustrious career, especially among wrestlers and modern-day fighters. Even Bruce Lee is known to be an admirer of Gama and he tries to inculcate the Pehlwan’s daily training and dieting aspects into his lifestyle. When the Prince of Wales visited India, he honored Gama for his mighty strength and international recognition. Here are some key takeaways from Gama’s routine.
What Was Gama Pehlwan's Diet?
The Great Gama Pehlwan(1878-1960)Rustam e Zeman had defeated all Indian wrestlers and world champions like Stanislaus Zbyszko, Frank Gotch, and Benjamin Roller. #Heritage #History #Culture #Pakistan #Balochistan #Lahore #Karachi #Islamabad #Peshawar #Rawalpindi #Multan #Sialkot pic.twitter.com/MrWMFqJVY8
— Tariq Ajaz Qazi (@tariqajazqazi1) June 3, 2023
Coming to the most essential part of Gama’s daily regimen — his extraordinary diet was nothing short of a sublime meal, brimful of strength-building ingredients, fully sourced in the purest form from his region. His daily diet compulsorily included two gallons of milk, six desi chickens, and a pound of crushed almond paste. All these superfoods are chock full of nutrients and highly recommended for athletes (1), (2). For a perfectly toned body, and moreover, for unbendable inner strength, Gama’s diet was inclusive of the following:
- Tens of liters of milk
- Half a kg of pure ghee
- Liters of butter
- 4 kg of fruits
- Fruit juice
- Loads of yakhni pulao
Did Gama Pehlwan Follow Any Specific Workout Routine or Training Regimen?
How this Indian wrestler used calisthenics to become one of the best wrestler’s in the world...
The story of THE GREAT GAMA
Ghulam Muhammad, aka The Great Gama, was a pehlwan (wrestler) and strongman from India.
He remained undefeated for over 50 years and is widely considered… pic.twitter.com/Yw6Y26MLX5Advertisement— Travis | Fit Tech Bro (@the_travisday) May 17, 2023
Gama fairly complemented his diet with a sublime workout plan. At the age of ten, he would perform 500 lunges and 500 pushups. This number increased to almost ten multifold during his prime to 5,000 squats and 3,000 push-ups every day. He diligently focused on muscle building, targeting his lower body and upper body. He always strived to add more weights to his repetitions and make the most of his workout sessions. Gama is known to have fought approximately 40 wrestlers in a day as a part of hardcore training.
Gama Pehlwan’s Mental Conditioning Practise
something like a mix of Malik Ata Muhammad Khan the tent pegging master and Gama Pehlwan the greatest wrestler of his time would be a good idea. Also Rustam is a persian name. Try local names like Saarang , Jasrath, Jeeve or Arbaaz pic.twitter.com/zaBkoDr14z
— ZORAIZ (@AliZoraiz142) July 18, 2023
Endurance training and cardiovascular exercises like running also made it to his exercise roster, which helped him become an agile and quick-responsive wrestler. However, Gama’s drill was not limited to physical conditioning only. He extended his practice to mental conditioning as well. Pehlwan’s principles were based on challenging himself to achieve more, for both physical and psychological strength conditioning. He is reported to have exercised for 15 hours daily.
Sharing her take on Gama’s workout time, our contributor Mary Sabat says, “Fifteen hours of daily exercise is extremely uncommon and goes beyond the typical training regimen for even elite athletes. This level of exercise intensity and duration can have significant impacts on an athlete's body. While it may lead to improved physical performance and conditioning in some cases, it also carries a heightened risk of overtraining, physical exhaustion, injuries, and psychological burnout. It is crucial to emphasize that such an extreme training routine is not common and should only be undertaken with careful planning, monitoring, and consideration of an athlete's individual needs and goals.”
Conclusion
The great Gama Pehlwan played more than 5,000 bouts in his career and remained the undefeated wrestling champion for five decades. A splendid wrestling career like this is built with innate determination and discipline which is proved evident through Gama Pehlwan's diet and his extensive training. Gama is known to lift and carry a 1200 kg stone once and is consistently conferred for numerous such stories, singing about his glorifying accolades, titles, and wins. From his diet structure and workout routine, there are a lot of takeaways for anyone looking to physically train and challenge themselves. From a high-protein and nutrient-rich diet to diligent drilling, Gama invested 15 hours every day in his training to achieve what he did at the time. This goes to show that only consistent hard work and trusting the process is the key to working on yourself and striving for your best and fittest version.
Contributor: Mary Sabat, RDN, LD, Ace Certified Trainer - Body Designs Ltd.
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