Body Language

The competition in Italy,organised by World Physique Federation,France,saw 185 bodybuilders from across the world participating. They were divided into seven groups depending upon their weight and height; each group had around 20-35 contestants. Gaikwad bagged the sixth position in his group that had 36 contestants.

Speaking about his experience,Gaikwad says that more than winning the title,it was important that the platform gave him the exposure to meet the best in the field of bodybuilding from different countries. “The contestants were from places like Belgium,South Africa,USA,France,England,Italy and so on. They are comparatively much heavier and taller than the bodybuilding professionals of India. I got a number of valuable tips from a few of them on eating habits and work-out sessions,” adds 37-year-old Gaikwad whose daily food intake includes 40 eggs,two kgs of chicken and protein shakes.

However,despite the coveted win,Gaikwad plans to bid adieu to bodybuilding because of the struggle he has to go through for sponsorships. “Unlike in India,the contestants from different countries have complete financial support from their respective countries,” he complains. This year,the total expenses for his preparation and participation came to around Rs 12 lakhs and he received sponsorships from Bank of Maharashtra and Kakade Group.

His wife Kalyani Gaikwad says that though everyone in the family wants him to continue his passion,he is the only earning member of the family and thus needs to consider other aspects. After working at Sahyadri Hospital for a period of eight years,Gaikwad has been running an online fitness consultancy service for the past one year. “We have five-year-old twins. Our family of 13 people has to manage monthly expenses with just Rs 20,000,which includes his father’s meagre pension. It becomes extremely difficult sometimes,” says Kalyani.