The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
Where it began
I have loved sports since childhood. After my 12th standard, I started lifting weights, inspired by my elder brother Rahul Tiwari. Seeing him train encouraged me to join the gym, but seeing my own progress made me stay.
There was no dramatic incident behind my decision to become a bodybuilder. I enjoyed training, watched how my body responded, and gradually invested more time and money into it.
Three months after joining the gym, I started my BCA. My gym buddies told me, “You can’t continue gym and studies together.”
I replied, “I will try.”
In my final year, I won the University Bodybuilding competition and got selected for Nationals.
Studies and strength
Then I joined MCA at SRKNEC, Nagpur, a college known for its strict academic schedule. Once again, my classmates and seniors said, “You can’t continue gym and studies together.”
I replied, “I can.”
During my MCA, I won the Kamgar Shree 2008 overall title just one day after my exams — and passed my exams too.
Like other college students, I wanted nice clothes, a good phone and a vehicle. But bodybuilding gradually became my priority. More than anything, I wanted to be able to afford my preparation and supplements.
A career and a championship
After completing my MCA, I started working as a Software Engineer in Nagpur. My office hours were 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and training had to fit around that routine.
Once again, people told me, “You can’t continue gym and a job together.”
I replied, “I will.”
In 2011, I won the Nagpur Shree Overall title.
Preparing meals, carrying them to work and training after office became part of everyday life. Once, after years of taking lunch to the office without missing it, I realised I had forgotten my meal at home. I drove home, ate and returned within my lunch break. These small routines mattered as much as the work inside the gym.
Building Fitness Square
After more than a decade of lifting iron, I decided to start my own gym — Fitness Square, Nagpur — while continuing my software job.
Around the same time, I got married. People around me started saying, “You can’t manage a job, a gym, married life and bodybuilding together.”
This time, I just gave them a smile. 🙂
Starting a gym and getting married within about a year put pressure on my finances. There were times when I could not afford the preparation I wanted, but the athlete in me still wanted to compete. I put together whatever budget I could and stepped on stage.
The results were disappointing. Losing to athletes who had started years after me hurt. But I knew where I was falling short, and I wanted to return better prepared.
As the gym became stable, I could invest more in my preparation. The results began to improve. I became Vidarbha Champion in my weight category, with my wife Rekha supporting me through it all.
Finding another reason to push
When I was about to become a father, I reached a turning point. I felt, “If I want to see how far I can go in bodybuilding, it has to be now.”
That feeling made me take some difficult decisions and give my preparation my full effort. A series of wins followed, bringing the confidence to aim higher.
Software engineering had been my profession and bodybuilding my hobby. Gradually, bodybuilding grew into my working life too — through competing, running Fitness Square and coaching others.
Learning to come back
My journey also had periods when I could not train the way I wanted.
A road accident left me with an injury that kept me away from training for about six months. Even gripping and lifting things was painful. I wondered whether I would be able to return.
When I started again, I rebuilt gradually. My strength and physique began to come back, and so did my confidence.
Another difficult phase was an elbow injury that troubled me for around two years. It repeatedly affected my preparation and performance near competitions.
Financial pressure, injuries and disappointing results all tested my patience. Each time, I had to understand the problem, work through it and give myself another chance.
A breakthrough season
2016 became one of my best seasons so far.
I won the Vidarbha Shree Mahapour Chashak Overall title and first place at the Bodypower Fitfactor audition in Nagpur. After the challenges of the earlier years, these victories gave me confidence for the next stage of my journey.
At that time, my dream was to represent Bharat internationally and earn gold for my country. There were still people who believed I couldn’t.
My answer remained a smile. 🙂
Taking it to the national stage
2017 started with a national win in the Muscle Modeling category at the Bodypower Fit-factor Finale in Mumbai. It was my first national championship win and remains one of my most memorable achievements.
Later that January, I won Champion of Champions at both Avi’s Classic and Universal Classic in Nagpur.
Another memorable experience was winning a muscle modeling competition at Baga Beach in Goa during the Jerai Classic State Tour. People often build a physique for a holiday in Goa — I got to go there and win a championship!
Mr. India — a special moment
In March 2018, I won the Classic Bodybuilding Gold Medal at Mr. India, the 58th IBBFF Senior Nationals in Pune.
I had won other competitions, but this felt different. “Mr. India” was a name people immediately understood. I did not have to explain the level of the achievement.
My father was very happy, and seeing my family celebrate made it even more special. The newspaper coverage brought recognition too, but my family’s happiness is what I remember most.
Earning the gold I wanted
Boss Classic was another competition that mattered deeply to me. After finishing second more than once, I had made up my mind that I wanted its gold.
In November 2019, I finally won the Classic Physique category at Boss Classic in Delhi.
The following month, I won the 80 kg category and Champion of Champions at Mahapour Chashak in Nagpur.
Each title had its own meaning. Some marked a first, some followed a difficult contest, and some came after repeated attempts. That is why the memories behind the trophies matter so much to me.
Recognition beyond the stage
In January 2020, I received the Krida Bhushan Award at Khasdar Kreeda Mahotsav for my performance in bodybuilding.
It was a proud moment to have those years of preparation and competition recognised in my own city.
Alongside my own journey, coaching became an important part of my work. Through Fitness Square and online coaching, I began helping people in Nagpur and beyond work towards fat loss, better fitness and competition goals.
An international milestone
In March 2021, I won the Classic Bodybuilding category at Naresh Surya Classic in Hyderabad.
Then came another memorable season in 2022. In March, I won the Overall Bodybuilding title at Meghe Shree in Hingana.
In April, I competed at Mr Universe in Pune and won the Overall Classic Bodybuilding title and an elite pro card.
The international stage I had once written about as a dream was now part of my journey.
What the years have taught me
If there is one lesson I carry from all these years, it is consistency.
I have seen many people arrive at the gym with enthusiasm. Some worked incredibly hard, but stopped after a few months. You have to keep showing up long enough to learn, improve and see the results of your effort.
Bodybuilding takes patience. A few months can be a beginning, but building a physique takes years.
I have also learned that preparation includes how you present yourself on stage. Building muscle is one part of competing; learning to display it through posing is another.
Good training partners have helped me push further too. Even after years of competing, there is always more to learn and room to improve.
Keeping life in balance
Through all of this, my wife and son have remained an important part of my life.
I could have spent more time making videos, sharing my experiences and building a presence on social media. But I consciously chose to spend some of that time with my family — talking, watching a movie or simply being together. I am happy with that choice.
For me, success includes being present for the people who support me. Training, work and family all need time, and finding that balance is something I continue to work on.
The journey continues
Today, I offer online and offline fitness and bodybuilding coaching and run Fitness Square in Nagpur. Software engineering remains part of my life too, with an interest in fitness and nutrition software.
From college exams and office hours to running a gym, becoming a husband and father, recovering from injuries and competing internationally, the journey has grown one step at a time.
There is still more I want to achieve, more to learn and more experience to share.
And when someone says, “You can’t”?
I still have that smile. 🙂