Wrestler Ritu Phogat shares her nutritional routine

New Delhi: Indian wrestling champion and rising atomweight star Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat is an elite athlete. Her rigorous training schedule, which consists of multiple training sessions throughout the day, touching on disciplines such as Muay Thai, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and wrestling, as such requires a strict and sustainable nutritional plan.

Phogat is a naturally strong athlete, her raw strength no doubt inherited from her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, who is considered the patriarch of the Phogat wrestling clan.

Since moving to Singapore from India to train at the Evolve MMA, Phogat has had to change her diet, and upgrade in areas necessary to keep up with the growing demands of her world-class training regimen.

She shares with IANSlife her diet, health and fitness regimen, as well as some of her favourite things.

“My diet in India was a Pehlwan diet. Pehlwani in India is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. You train in Akharas, you eat organic food, you have lots of almonds, milk, and ghee. You train for six hours a day, and you eat, and you rest. That’s the mantra of being fit,” said Phogat.

“Over the years, I used to follow the diet but it would change when I started going to camp and international tournaments. So you have to adjust a little there. But one thing consistent is ghee, that is very good for your body. Even here in Singapore, when I came in last year, I ensured I ate home cooked meals as I find that tasty and healthy.”

Phogat is deep in training now, finalising her latest training camp in preparation for her next bout. She’s been living and training in Singapore since last year, when she joined Evolve MMA, all the way up to current, as she spent most of her time training in Singapore’s ecircuit breaker’ lockdown period.

While at home, Phogat says she’s enjoyed her time preparing her own food as a way to cope with stress.

“I enjoy cooking. It is my stress burner. I made many new dishes during lockdown. Roti with ghee and kadhi are my favorite. Maintaining a proper diet is very important to pair with a workout routine, especially as a professional athlete,” she said.

“My diet has changed a lot. Back home in India, I had access to natural homemade foods and proteins. But since my move to Singapore, I have had to include supplements, multivitamins and protein powders in my diet. I follow a strict diet schedule that my coach has provided me with.”

Phogat returned to action with her win against Cambodian Kun Khmer World Champion Nou Srey Pov in a three round mixed martial arts contest.

In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar defends his middleweight title against top contender Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder of The Netherlands.

Phogat is “more than ready”, and wants to show fans all of the improvements she’s made since her last performance, particularly with an exciting finish.

“I have been working on perfecting a lot of other techniques, but wrestling has formed the bedrock of a lot of my efforts in MMA. Techniques like the takedown are very easy for me. Initially, I had a lot of trouble with striking and jiu jitsu, but now I have improved all of this,” said Phogat.

“This third victory is important as it will bring me one step closer to being a world champion.”