It’s the era of Six-Pack Abs and Eight-Pack Abs… First it was just Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt or Hrithik Roshan who sported wash-board abs and pumped up chest and muscles…

Then it was cute Shahrukh who went for 8-pack, and then the charming Aamir for 8-packs, suave Saif and now it’s the turn of sweet Shahid to opt for a chiseled body.

Shahid, who is proud of his body, tells, “I won’t recommend that guys try to maintain a six-pack or an eight-pack all through the year… because it is tough, believe me. I’m inherently drawn to fitness. For me working out is a lifestyle. When Vishal Bharadwaj suggested that I get a tough look for Kaminey and Ken Ghosh said I should try and get eight-pack abs for a song in Chance Pe Dance, I had a goal to work towards. Of course, Kaminey is different from Chance Pe Dance so I have a different body-type is both films."

8 packs didn’t come easy for Shahid, he had to totally alter his lifestyle. First he cut down on sugar and gradually introduced himself to slow-acting carbohydrates. Oats and brown rice became a regular at his dining table. And he ate his six meals a day at intervals of two-and-a-half hours, religiously. “I also worked out extensively, despite gruelling shooting schedules, even it meant hitting the gym at 2 am,’’ discloses the actor of his fitness fundas.

His high-intensity workout was a combination of parkour and weights, plus cardio-circuit training.

“Maintaining a six-pack is tough. Instead, follow a regular fitness regime and make sure you stay in shape, rather than aim for a six-pack. The sacrifices required to make a body like the one I have in Chance Pe Dance are immense. I would rather eat healthy and stay fit than try to flaunt a dream body all the time,” he includes.

Good going Shahid… Keep it up!