Fitness
Aaman Devgan talks about working out with uncle Ajay Devgn: ‘He is very strict when it comes to fitness’
Aaman Devgan is not only the nephew of actor Ajay Devgn, but the 25-year-old is also making his name as an actor. In addition to his disarming boy-next-door charm, Aaman, who debuted with Azaad (2025), is quite the fitness buff. Ever wondered what a Devgan family workout session looks like? Wonder no more because Aaman spilled the beans in an exclusive interview with HT Lifestyle. Also read | Nagarjuna reveals diet and fitness secrets for impressive physique
Ajay Devgn’s influence on his diet and workout
Aaman Devgan says, “He (Ajay) monitors my protein intake and the number of hours I sleep, and he even calls up my mom to check. He is very, very strict when it comes to fitness. I have started working out with him, especially when he is not shooting. We are always working out together, most of the time actually, although we don’t share a fitness trainer. He is very, very involved. He fires me a lot. He says I need to build more muscle and build my body.”
Aaman feels he is lucky that early on in his career, his health-conscious uncle, who is one of the fittest actors, advised him that if he wanted to become a major movie star, he would have to make some major changes to his body.
“He researches a lot about workouts and keeps finding out different variations of workouts for me. I was doing heavier weights with fewer reps, and he made me change that and do lighter weights with more reps. Within a week, I started seeing my body getting tighter, harder and stronger. It has always been small, small things like this,” he says when asked to share the best workout advice he has picked up from Ajay.
Aaman transformed his diet and exercise routine to prepare for his first-ever movie role. His fitness schedule consisted of workouts like ‘two hours of gymnastics in the morning, an hour of dance in the afternoon and two hours of gym in the evening’. He still works out for at least two to three hours a day, seven days a week, and is ‘into sports like football’.
Aaman works out 7-days a week
He says, “I never stopped playing sports; I play a lot of cricket and basketball. I started gymming at around the age of 16 or 17. I have a lean body, so gaining weight and muscle was tough for me. Today, I do two workouts a day. In the morning, I work on my leg strength and knees; in the evening, I work on my upper body. I have to work on my legs daily because of my knee surgery, which was around 7-8 months ago, in September.”
And how does he stay motivated to exercise almost every single day? “Showing up for the workout is half the job done. Once you finish the gym, your thoughts are all clear, and you are happy. I never have any discussions before my workout as my brain works much better after exercising,” Aaman says.
What does Aaman eat daily?
Even though we can’t see on social media what he’s up to fitness-wise, he’s given us a peek into his daily diet – and in the world of Aaman Devgan, discipline is key. “My calorie intake is not exactly calculated, but what is strictly calculated is my protein intake. My body weight is around 70 kg, so I have to consume at least double the amount of protein, which is around 120-130 grams,” he says.
He adds, “For me, the only thing I avoid is sugar, but sometimes, I do give in. That’s the only thing I strictly follow. Apart from that I make sure I get enough protein in, which is very important when you are trying to build muscle. I get in a certain amount of carbs each day and a lot of fibre. I have my pizzas when I can afford to have my cheat meals. If I don’t eat well, I start to lose weight, so I need to eat a lot.”
Sharing more details, he says: “I have banana smoothies with seeds like flaxseeds and sunflower seeds or a protein shake in the morning between 6 am and 9 am. I have an entire bottle of water when I wake up. Then I have my breakfast around 11, which is a simple balance of protein, fibre and carbs – toast or eggs. Apart from that, my lunch, evening snack and dinner are very simple: salads, dal, chicken, sabzi, regular white rice and wheat or millet chapati. The timing of the meals is very important for me as I have to watch my protein intake and space out the meals.”
His quick protein fix? “Sometimes protein can be hard on the stomach, so there is a brand of curd that has protein in it. That really helped me, as protein shakes can be heavy and uncomfortable,” Aaman says.
How he looks after his mental and emotional health
Aaman also discussed mental health and how he manages to stay calm when dealing with an issue. “If I ever feel overwhelmed… the one thing that I have realised is that a lot of people keep their feelings inside, but I always like to just talk about it — whether with my mother, my uncle, my brother or Nysa, my sister (Kajol and Ajay Devgn’s daughter). So, I can shell out my problems and half of my worries go away. Talking about things solves half the problems,” he says.
Aaman’s fitness tip for fans
Aaman says everyone’s body is different, so finding a routine that works for you is important. “I feel lifting weights is very important for everyone, including women; it helps build muscle strength and is good for your overall health. Weight-lifting is a must. I started lifting heavy weights after the age of 17. Please do not fall for the misinformation on the internet; the most important thing is that you need to understand your body type, and based on that, you can follow a specific diet and workout,” he says.

Fitness
The Best Time to Exercise Before Bed

There are some logical things we know to be true: working out is tiring. And being tired helps you fall asleep. But exercise before bed can sometimes have the opposite effect. I have personal experience with this: At one point I was attending a kickboxing class after work at least two nights a week. They were the kind of sessions where you were gasping, willing the seconds to tick by so you could stop and rest. I was all showered and changed by 8:30 p.m. and tucked into bed by 11:30 p.m., where I’d lie wide awake, humming with unwanted energy.
The relationship between exercise and sleep is a complicated one, so I consulted experts to see what they have to say about the best time to exercise before bed. Professor Kevin Morgan founded the Loughborough University Clinical Sleep Research Unit 20 years ago and has made sleep the focus of his work. He says many elite athletes are not experiencing the deep slumber you would imagine.
“Athletes sleep badly, elite athletes sleep worst of all, their bodies ache, their muscles twitch, they’re kind of wired people anyway,” Morgan says. “The route to good sleep is not to train like an elite athlete.”
The guidance around when to exercise before bed depends on two factors; the intensity and regularity of your workout. Professor Morgan confirms my post martial-arts insomnia was not unusual: exercises destroy your ability to doze off.
“Absolutely intense levels of activity are not the path to great sleep,” Morgan says. “It’s not uncommon for people with chronic insomnia who say ‘I’ve tried everything’ to include in ‘everything’ intense activity. The relationship between sleep and exercise is not linear.”
Morgan says the research about when to exercise has shifted slightly. The rule has traditionally been to avoid exerting yourself for three hours before attempting sleep, but now it’s thought more gentle activity can be carried out much later.
“If you’re a serious runner and you’re going to do 10K, you’re best not doing it an hour before you go to bed,” says Morgan. “It will take that long for your body to cool down—but something more modest will not do you any harm.”
Fitness
Want Superhero-Sized Arms? The 8-Week Ultimate Workout Plan Will Be Your Origin Story.

JUST BECAUSE YOUR arms are made up of smaller muscles—mainly your biceps and triceps—doesn’t mean you can coast through a few lazy sets tacked onto training days and expect serious growth. If you want sleeves that stretch, you need to hit arms with the same intensity you bring any other type of workout. You need a solid, comprehensive plan.
That’s exactly what Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., had in mind when he built this program that can build superhero-sized arms while still considering for busy schedules. “This winds up being the perfect arm training program for the Men’s Health guy,” he says. This is the cornerstone of our Ultimate Arm Recomp plan, which will be your key to real muscle growth.
Samuel’s four-day program uses intensity techniques designed to push every set to the brink. Supersets, lengthened partials, pauses, drop sets—you’re going to feel every rep. You’ve never trained arms like this before. But give it six to eight weeks, and you just might see gains you’ve never had before, either.
Fitness
When Walking for Weight Loss, Should You Keep the Same Pace or Mix It Up? A Trainer Explains

Movement is beneficial for both the mind and the body. Walking, a free and low-impact exercise, is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to reap the benefits. Just 11 minutes of walking per day can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and premature death, research found.
That’s why we launched our Start TODAY app with walking as its core feature. Regardless of whether your goal is to improve mobility, build strength or lose weight, every workout program incorporates walking podcasts to help you get your steps in.
Walking can also improve mood, reduce stress, boosting creativity and encouraging socialization. Now that you’ve found the motivation to get your steps in, it’s time to consider your pace. How quickly you walk can be as important as the amount of time you spend hitting the pavement (or treadmill).
Stephanie Mansour, Start TODAY Fitness Trainer, says the best way to up the ante on your walks is by interval walking.
By regularly increasing and reducing the pace of your walks you’ll “burn even more calories, boost your metabolism and get an even better cardiovascular workout — plus, reap these benefits in less time than doing steady-state cardio,” she said. Learn exactly how to make the most of your walks while picking up the pace.
Trainer Tip of the Day: Mix Up Your Walking Speed
Walking at various speeds is a form of high intensity interval training, or HIIT. This type of exercise requires you to switch between low-intensity exercise and high-intensity moves that will continue to burn calories long after the workout is complete, Mansour said. HIIT has been shown to reduce body fat, benefit your heart and boost metabolism.
Just because walking is often seen as a low-effort exercise doesn’t mean it can’t count as a HIIT workout. You just have to know how.
Luckily, Mansour has done the work for you! She created indoor walking workouts with Al Roker in the Start TODAY app that utilize the interval-style training method. Plus, she recorded guided audio HIIT walks you can follow to incorporate interval training when walking outdoors.
Why It Matters
Walking at any speed has its perks, but when you aim to raise your heart rate during a walk, research has noted greater advantages when compared to walks done at a slower pace.
A brisk walk can improve memory, decision making and bone density. Studies show that walking 80 steps or more per minute reduces the risk of serious illness at a higher percentage than walking 40 steps per minute.
How to Get Started
First, familiarize yourself with what a brisk walk is. A brisk pace typically ranges between 3 to 4 miles per hour, but it’s not one size fits all. To help you determine what it looks like for you, check in with your body. You should still be able to speak while walking without having to catch your breath. If you find yourself breathing heavily or unable to speak, you’re going faster than you need to.
Next, be sure to adequately stretch and warm up. Once that’s done, you’re ready to get going. Incorporating speed work into your walks can be as simple as alternating between a steady pace and a power walk.
You can try to mix up your pace every two minutes, or if you don’t want to time yourself, use your surroundings to track your intervals, Mansour recommended. Walk first at a steady pace, then, once you pass a stop sign, walk briskly until you reach the next stop sign. Continue this way throughout your workout.
If you want to take all the guesswork out of your walk, press play and zone out with guided audio HIIT walks on the Start TODAY app, where Mansour cues your speed changes and shares form tips. Or interval walk right in the comfort of your living room and get your steps (and laughs) in with Start TODAY’s Chief Motivation Officer, Al Roker.
TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.
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