Hockey star Manpreet Singh loses six kilos, develops six packs to prolong career

For a decade-and-a-half, since debuting in 2011, he’s witnessed the insecurities that creep into a players’ psyche, the pitfalls of living in denial of their fading superpowers, and the endless chatter over their relevance. “I didn’t want people to think that I am taking it easy; that I have become slow…” the former captain, 32, says.

Last September, he had his first brush with reality. India ended the international season with the Asian Champions Trophy title, a month after the Paris Olympics bronze medal, and Manpreet — though overjoyed — experienced an unfamiliar feeling.

During the tournament, he felt his feet dragging, reflexes slowing down and huffing and puffing almost every time he had to chase the ball. “I felt heavy,” he says. When he stepped on the weighing scale, the needle stopped at 73 kg. “It was the heaviest I had ever been!”

The weight gain, albeit just 3 kilos, was a direct consequence of the extravagant celebrations after returning from Paris, which he laughs were ‘a bit too much’. “We thought sab kuch chalta hai (everything is fine). There was no control over diet. Sweets, this, that…”

He could have brushed it off and enjoyed a peaceful off-season after a super-stressful year. But Manpreet returned home to Jalandhar and chose to address the issue head-on. The result of that is a leaner, quicker and sharper midfielder. Six kilos lighter, and six-packs to show off.

Manpreet laughs about having to get his ‘wife’s permission’ before posting the picture of his chiselled body on social media. Some of his teammates, not the ones to let an opportunity slip, couldn’t stop pulling his leg. “They were all like, budha hogaya hai, kya karna chahta hai? (you are old now, what are you trying to do?)” His reply was straightforward: “Prolonging my career.”

’Budha’ in sporting parlance is the early 30s. When most people get started in their lives, an athlete enters the professional twilight. Manpreet is conscious of that reality and has set himself short-term goals, the World Cup and Asian Games next year. Based on his performances there, he’ll decide the long-term target — the Los Angeles Olympics.

FILE: Manpreet Singh was part of the Indian team which won bronze medal at the Paris Olympics (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)

He is six matches short of becoming only the second Indian after Dilip Tirkey to reach the 400-match milestone, and is itching to lay his hands on the World Cup next year — India’s only title came in 1975. Then, far into the horizon is the Los Angeles Olympics. By the time the Games come, Manpreet will be on the wrong side of 30s.

“I read about Michael Phelps and how he changed his mindset for the next Olympics after winning medals in one. So, if I have to perform well in 2028, I’ll have to start now; not a few months before the Games,” Manpreet says. “Plenty of good youngsters are coming through the ranks; they are fit… so if I have to compete with them, if I want to play good hockey for the next 2-4 years, then I have to reduce my body weight and stay fit.”

When he entered the team as a sparkling 19-year-old in 2011, Manpreet along with the likes of Sardar Singh ushered a new era in Indian hockey where fitness was as revered a concept as the skills that the yesteryear stars worshipped.

Now the senior-most figure in Indian men’s hockey, a role model for many young players, is once again setting the example by laying extra emphasis on fitness.

A Cristiano Ronaldo diehard, Manpreet borrowed a thing or two from the Portuguese superstar’s playbook. “His mindset is unique. His body fat has always been around 7-8 per cent. Whenever I see his photos and videos, I always was awestruck at how well he maintained himself even at this age. At 40, he continues playing well.”

Manpreet cut sugar completely from his diet. He got nerdy about calorie intake (I had to consume 2,000 calories per day), was picky about what he ate (oatmeals and eggs for breakfast; chicken, greens and rice for lunch; chicken salad at 7.30 pm and milk at night); punished his body the whole week with a rigorous workout routine (focussing a lot on lower body and core strength) and rewarded himself with a hearty cheat meal every Sunday. “Either pizza or biryani… just one meal, not like I’d eat junk the whole day.”

When he returned to the field during the Hockey India League (HIL) and subsequently the FIH Pro League, having lost 6 kg, Manpreet noticed a sharp difference in how his body reacted.

“I was playing for longer durations. The body felt light, I was running fast, the skill execution was better, I wasn’t feeling fatigued and I never felt that I was very tired even after a hard match. The body was recovering well,” he says.

His speed test results at the national camp are ‘better than before’, he vouches although doesn’t reveal the numbers’ and the body fat percent, which again he’s reluctant to share, is ‘very less’. “You’d have seen the photos,” he laughs.

Indeed. Flat abs and next-to-no fat. For an athlete, an anti-ageing dream.