Tiger Shroff is synonymous with a chiseled physique, breathtaking stunts, and unparalleled agility. His dedication to fitness is legendary in Bollywood, inspiring millions to pursue a healthier lifestyle. For his upcoming film Baaghi 4, Shroff has once again pushed the boundaries, transforming his body to meet the demanding action sequences, showcasing a journey from a softer physique to ripped muscles and washboard abs.
A Hybrid Approach to Fitness: Martial Arts, Strength, and Cardio
Tiger Shroff’s fitness philosophy is a comprehensive blend of various disciplines, emphasizing discipline, variety, and balance. His routine is not merely about aesthetics; it’s about building functional strength, agility, and explosive power for his action-heavy roles.
The Morning Ritual: Cardio and Martial Arts
Shroff typically kickstarts his day with 45 minutes of cardio, often choosing between running on a treadmill or high-energy dancing. This session warms up his body and gets his blood flowing, preparing him for the intense training that follows. Dancing, for Shroff, is a fun and effective form of cardiovascular exercise, helping him burn calories and even lose water weight (up to 1-1.5 kg) during a session.
Following his cardio, he delves into martial arts or gymnastics training. Shroff began martial arts at the age of four, mastering forms like Wushu, Taekwondo, and Kung Fu, and holds a fifth-degree black belt in Taekwondo. These disciplines are crucial for his agility, balance, control, and the ability to perform his own high-risk stunts, including powerful airborne kicks and backflips.
Afternoon Intensity: Targeted Strength Training
After lunch, Tiger shifts his focus to targeted strength training at the gym. His workout plan varies daily, with a focus on different muscle groups to ensure a balanced physique and prevent overtraining. Shroff’s trainer emphasizes building strength as the primary goal, with aesthetics being a byproduct.
His go-to power moves, which he integrates into his routine, include deadlifts, free-weight squats, and bench presses. He’s known for impressive lifts, with reports of him deadlifting 200 kg and squatting 180 kg.
A typical weekly breakdown of his weight training might look like this:
- Monday: Chest
- Flat bench press, incline bench press, dumbbell press, chest flyes.
- Tuesday: Back
- Pull-ups, lateral machine pull-downs, low and one-arm dumbbell rows.
- Wednesday: Legs
- Squats (with up to 190 kg on shoulders), hamstring curls (with 90 kg), step-ups (with 90 kg), barbells, and free squats. He also focuses on single-leg exercises for balance and stability.
- Thursday: Arms
- Olympic barbell curls (with 60 kg), dumbbell curls (with 32 kg), reverse curls (with 30 kg), close grip barbell presses, press downs, and skull crushers (with 68 kg).
- Friday: Shoulders
- Knee and shoulder press, military press, lateral raises with dumbbells.
- Saturday: Functional Training/Mixed
- Deadlifts (up to 250 kg), squats, kneel and press, plyometric push-ups. He also incorporates functional exercises and core training, emphasizing agility through disciplines like Wushu and Taekwondo.
- Sunday: Abs and Calves
- Crunches, hanging reverse crunches, weight-loaded reverse crunches, standing and seated calf presses. His abs are sculpted with crunches, hanging leg lifts, and cable exercises for a lean, dynamic build.
Baaghi 4 Specific Training
For Baaghi 4, Tiger Shroff underwent a significant body transformation, moving from a “softer physique to ripped muscles and washboard abs”. His training focused on intensifying his strength work, with social media posts showing him doing bench presses with 60 kg dumbbells in each hand, alongside his signature airborne kicks. The film’s action sequences were designed to be at an international level, involving Thai choreographers, and Shroff practiced each stunt extensively to ensure safety and precision. He credits losing weight through dance-based cardio before “bulking up” with strength training to achieve his action-ready, muscular look.
Fueling the Machine: Tiger Shroff’s Disciplined Diet Plan
Tiger Shroff’s remarkable physique is equally a testament to his strict and disciplined diet. He follows a clean eating philosophy, carefully managing his carbohydrate and protein intake. He adheres to a routine of six meals per day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks in between.
Key Dietary Principles:
- High Protein Intake: His diet is rich in protein from natural sources and whey protein powder to support muscle building and maintenance. He consumes protein-rich foods like chicken, fish, and eggs.
- Complex Carbohydrates: For sustained energy, he includes complex carbs such as oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes.
- Healthy Fats: Nuts, seeds, and avocado are part of his diet to maintain hormone levels and promote healthy skin and hair.
- Abstinence from Unhealthy Choices: Shroff strictly avoids smoking, drinking, sugary drinks, and processed foods.
- Carb Cut-off: He typically avoids carbohydrate-containing foods after 5 PM, a key strategy for maintaining a lean physique. He often emphasizes that “abs are made in the kitchen”.
A Typical Day’s Meals:
- Breakfast: Often consists of oatmeal, poached eggs (sometimes eight egg whites), and fruit.
- Lunch: A balanced meal usually featuring grilled chicken or fish with brown rice and a side of boiled vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, or green beans.
- Pre-workout Snack: Often a whey protein shake.
- Post-workout Snack: Could be a chicken salad, or fish/chicken with boiled vegetables, along with a protein shake to aid recovery and prevent muscle breakdown.
- Dinner: Lean proteins like fish or turkey, accompanied by a side salad or various green vegetables such as broccoli and green beans, keeping the meal light before bedtime.
- Throughout the Day: He also snacks on dry fruits and seeds.
The Role of Supplements
While Tiger Shroff primarily focuses on natural foods, he does incorporate supplements into his regimen to support his rigorous training and recovery. These typically include:
- Whey Protein: An excellent source of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), essential for optimal muscle growth and recovery.
- BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids): Essential nutrients (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that aid in muscle building and can be beneficial for those aiming for weight loss.
- Other Supplements: His regimen might also include pre-workout boosters, post-workout recovery formulas, and protein blends, alongside vitamins and minerals for overall well-being and to aid digestion and immunity. However, some sources also state he abstains from artificial enhancements.
Tiger Shroff’s fitness routine for Baaghi 4 exemplifies his unwavering commitment to his craft. By blending intense martial arts training, a structured weightlifting program, and a meticulously planned diet, he consistently delivers performances that are as physically demanding as they are visually spectacular.