Kuwar Amritbir Singh is an extraordinary young man. The two-time fitness record holder from Punjab is transforming the fitness landscape of his home state, breaking multiple stereotypes along the way. He is the recipient of the ‘Youngest Youth Icon of District’ award and has been nominated for the ‘Karamveer Chakra’. He is a pushups record holder in the India Book of Records and the World Records of India.
Inspiring Role Models
The Story Watch team had the opportunity to interact with the motivated young man one-on-one. As a self-made fitness influencer and social media sensation, Kuwar’s voice echoes his convictions at such a young age. Kuwar had always been an active boy during his school days. He participated in various extra-curricular activities, particularly school plays. The school plays depicted heroic tales of Punjabi heroes like Udham Singh and Bhagat Singh. The plays were a starting point for his interest in the lives of these influential icons.
Kuwar then developed a taste for reading biographies. The biographies served an as inspiration to him. But despite his fascination with such memoirs, Kuwar believes that focusing only on a single person’s achievements is futile. This, he remarks, creates a false notion about the person’s success and often leads us to believe it to be the result of unique opportunities available to them at the time. On the other hand, by following multiple personalities, one can motivate oneself that their success is rooted in hard work and was not merely luck.
“Everyone’s story inspires me,” he says, a note of confidence coloring his tone.
The Beginning of Kuwar’s Fitness Journey
Kuwar began focusing on his fitness regime at the age of fifteen. He had always dreamt of being a youth icon for Punjab. He also wished to be one day nominated for the international youth icon award.
Kuwar Amritbir Singh wants to be role model for youngsters in his state and motivate them towards pursuing their own dreams.
Unlike conventional diet-conscious, gym-oriented fitness experts, Kuwar does not believe in such fancy westernized notions of health training. Inspired by indigenous training techniques, he set up a desi gym at home with common household items like plastic bottles, bricks and tyres.
His way, he believes, can motivate youth to not wait around for opportunities, but to seize the day if you possess the passion and conviction to achieve your goals.
You are a real hero of your own.
Kuwar Amritbir Singh
Despite better circumstances and avenues for upgrading his gym, he wishes to continue working out at home.
His practice routine began with self-motivation. But on his onward struggle he has understood his level better with respect to others.
“My mantra in those days had been follow your passion with hard work and discipline and self-train,” he recollects, sharing thoughts about his initial days.
He started the exercise routine with push ups as he was at home and had no means of trying anything more sophisticated. “The pehalwans of India never went to gyms or took supplements”, he echoes. So hearing their stories made him trust the traditional methods that are losing ground these days.
Kuwar wants to promote those methods and uplift the fitness regime of our culture.
The initial days involved pushups and running. He didn’t have much idea of what to do at the time. As he had no coach to guide him, he became his own coach and undertook mixed workouts by following exercises done by others.
Social media and the internet played very pivotal roles in his journey. They became tools to learn and practice new techniques. He also remembered the words of his physical training teachers in school, who had often advised him about correct fitness practices. He has never had any other mentors, which makes his achievements doubly special.
The young man has garnered substantial following on social media and advocates his simple yet effective methods to thousands of his followers who seek guidance. Kuwar says that those who can’t afford to go to the gym or follow a diet, as he had not long ago, can practice at home.
Movies as Motivation
Like most youngsters of our time, Kuwar derived inspiration from movie actors as well. Watching action heroes in films thrilled and inspired him. However, the lack of such mainstream action stars in his regional cinema troubled him. Now he deems himself fit to fill the void in the Punjabi movie industry and take up the mantle of Punjab’s youngest action hero.
He is already in talks with producers who want to sign him on for their movies. Kuwar aspires to follow in the footsteps of big Bollywood and Hollywood actors.
Failures Became Stepping Stones
Kuwar failed in Mathematics during his senior secondary exam. The failure disappointed him and his family. He was afraid, believing that the academic setback would rob him of a prospective career. But being the self-motivator he was, Kuwar decided that a sheet of paper could not be the sole decisive factor for his future.
He knew that many personalities had achieved greatness after failing in their initial endeavors. He realized that he could be like them, learning from failures and focusing on the end goal.
So he restarted his fitness routines, engaging in exercise in the morning and evening. He spent time practicing whenever he felt angry or disappointed.
When Kuwar submitted his nomination for his first world record at the age of seventeen, he was rejected by the deciding committee. They informed him that his pushup technique had been incorrect. Perhaps his mistake proved that his hard work had somehow fallen short.
Then he put in sincere dedication into three rigorous months of practice. After this, he set the record for knuckle pushups by completing 118 pushups in one minute. Once the first record had been made, Kuwar pushed himself further and began practicing Superman pushups.
At the age 18, he set his second record of 35 Superman pushups in 30 seconds. The record is yet to be broken.
Achievements Come Calling
When Kuwar first started interacting on social media, he did not have many followers. He requested many athletes and companies to promote and sponsor his page. But they all paid no heed to a sixteen year boy. He then decided that he wouldn’t call these companies and simply focus on his goals. He was convinced that in future, they would come calling.
After his record in knuckle pushups, one company sponsored him. This was followed by a slew of endorsement and sponsorship deals by other companies. A local sports store of Punjab had been among the few who had always supported and sponsored him.
Besides sports, Kuwar has made a name for himself by participating in the popular PTC show ‘Hunar Punjab Da’. He was successful in becoming a semifinalist on the program.
Kuwar Amritbir Singh has made a name for himself as one of the top Punjabi fitness influencers on social media today. He has verified accounts on numerous platforms that serve as channels to spread his inspiring story. He also credits media, for publishing his interviews and popularizing his message of diligently pursuing one’s passion.
Though his parents remained skeptical of his career choice initially, they have all now come onboard. they are proud of his success and encourage him to be better and hone his skills every day.
Future plans
Kuwar wants to create more world records in future. He would love to be a star in Punjabi movies and become an active presence on reality shows. He wishes to be a judge on those shows one of these days.
Punjabi Sakreen magazine is publishing an introductory article about him and is planning to launch him as an action hero.
In conclusion, Kuwar’s message for the youth is to never give up. No matter what we learn from textbooks, the real teacher is life itself. The culmination of all bad experiences must make you stronger. We must learn to live, not fall prey to betrayal, become strong internally. Only the ones with strong inner soul become successful.
It is better to keep trying again and again than regretting after giving up.
Kuwar Amritbir Singh is wise beyond his years and a true guiding light for the youth of today.