Indian Bodybuilder Shodhan Rai Eyes Gold at Upcoming Natural Olympia

Indian bodybuilder Shodhan Rai secured two gold medals at the Iron Man World Cup. Now, he is intensely preparing for his first-ever gold at the prestigious Natural Olympia, advocating for natural bodybuilding among Indian youth.

Shodhan Rai's Recent Success and Aspirations

Indian natural bodybuilder Shodhan Rai spoke on his two-gold-medal run at the recent Iron Man World Natural Bodybuilding World Cup, saying that the goal was to keep maintaining the consistent run of results at the competition. He is now eyeing his first-ever gold medal at the Natural Olympia this year, where he has won plenty of medals. Shodhan was speaking to ANI after winning two gold medals at the Iron Man World Natural Bodybuilding World Cup in Junior Masters and Masters categories on November 6.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "It is definitely a great thing to have won two medals at the international stage and that too at a World Cup. I had been getting the same results over the last two years, so trying to keep that up was a goal. The goal was to better myself in terms of conditioning. It helped me a lot in getting the gold."

Preparation Strategy and Improvements

Shodhan said that the mindset was to improve after receiving the feedback from judges during last year's competition and improve his weaker areas, such as extra cardio sessions, chest and shoulders. "The mindset was always to try and get the best out of myself, from whatever feedback I got from judges last year. I worked on all that, and every time, there is a new set of athletes coming in, so I had to keep that extra 10-15 per cent buffer of preparation to be better than last time. Also, it was to improve in my weaker areas, such as adding an extra bit of cardio sessions, working on my chest and shoulders. Some of these areas were where I lost marks last time," he said.

Global Experience and Future Goals

Having got to train at the iconic Gold's Gym in Los Angeles, frequently visited by Hollywood star and fitness icon Arnold Schwarzenegger and competing against his son Joseph Baena was a great experience for the bodybuilder. Shodhan recalled his conversations with a "humble" Joseph about the popularity of natural bodybuilding back in India and said that the iconic actor's son is excited to visit India for some shows and events to promote the discipline of natural bodybuilding.

"Prep is more complete when you get a workout or a couple of workouts in the Venice Gold's Gym, which is also called the Mecca of Bodybuilding, even when we are in natural bodybuilding, the route which Joseph has taken. He is an amazing and humble guy, and I thanked him for choosing natural bodybuilding and promoting natural sport. I invited him to compete in India. I told him about the popularity of natural bodybuilding back home in India, and he even said he had seen a lot of videos and reels on that. Since I am part of INBA India (as a president), I am trying to get him here for some shows and events," he said.

With the Natural Olympia, the biggest competition in natural bodybuilding, happening on Friday, Shodhan, who has won two silver medals and six bronze medals, is eyeing a gold medal and following the processes that he used during his World Cup gold-winning run. "The same thing I did for last weekend (World Cup). It is in within a gap of a week from the World Cup and I had applied for the Natural Olympia last year. I had to come in a lot more conditioned, shredded, with extra muscle mass. So that is the goal. Let us see how the results go this year. I have not won a gold here, and it is definitely a dream for one fine day. It is like an Olympic for us, the pinnacle. Looking forward to getting a better result than my last year's silver," he said.

Commitment to Natural Bodybuilding

Having spent over 30 years competing, the 45-year-old Shodhan said that no use of "shortcuts and anabolic steroids" and his passion for the sport have kept him going. He wants to promote the natural sport for the next generation of Indian athletes and sees no reason why natural bodybuilding cannot go mainstream.

"I wanted to do it for the long term, not just for four or five years, stepping on the stage, winning an international contest. That was not the goal. I did not win in the initial years, because I was competing with non-tested federations and stuff. I would probably get fourth or fifth position in my category. After the natural bodybuilding federations gave me a fair playing field with testing of guys being done," he said.

"Staying being natural and competing naturally over all these years has been the key for sustaining for so long. I mean, your health would only keep getting better when you do it naturally. I mean, that is also the goal: to promote natural sport for the next generation in India, wherein more people get into this sport."

"You eat right, you balance your protein, you do weight training, you focus on your sleep, keep up your muscles. So it is not too much of a different thing what we do here. So, I mean, as long as there are more support in India happening from the corporates and stuff, I am sure there will be a lot more youngsters picking up this sport and then choosing this sport, and I do not see why it should not become like a mainstream sport, mainstream sport in India along with cricket," he signed off.

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