From passion to purpose: Rawan Ahmed Choudhury's journey in bodybuilding
On 12 November 2023, Rawan Ahmed Choudhury stood as Bangladesh's sole representative at the PCA Thailand First Timer's Show. Choudhury competed in the Sports Model and Men's Physique categories of the competition, organised by the Physical Culture Association, where he got heaps of praise from the judges for possessing the most naturally aesthetic physique among all competitors.
This was Choudhury's first ever competition and although he did not receive any awards for his efforts, the victory was outside of the show and is far more significant than mere accolades. He took a huge leap to strengthen his brand and also put Bangladesh's name on the map in a very different realm of bodybuilding that we are not familiar with.
How it started
Rawan Ahmed Choudhury is a practitioner of improving oneself by one per cent every single day and this is the core message that he conveys to the 50k followers across his various social media accounts. His journey into the world of fitness started seven years ago when he ended high school.
"I was always an athlete, and my mother was also into fitness. She used to encourage me to put in at least an hour of fitness in my daily routine because it makes one feel good and feel confident. So, I began working out. While initially it was very intimidating, I quickly latched on to the feel-good factor and I got hooked to that feeling," Choudhury explains.
This feeling also brought with it discipline and structure into this life. He started recording his workouts and his content got a lot of positive reception.
"At first it was my friends, then it was friends of my friends, and then people from my gym. They started reaching out to me and telling me how they got inspired by my passion towards workouts," he elaborates.
What began as a passion slowly transformed into Choudhury's purpose. He quickly began amassing a huge fan base on social media. Today, he is a full-fledged fitness entrepreneur, who uses his platforms to help people look and feel good both physically and mentally and also help them become the best versions of themselves.
A life of great discipline
Rawan Choudhury is not like the average bodybuilder. Outside of his fitness career, he has a full-time corporate life. Choudhury is also the executive director of Vanguard Asset Management and is looking to build his own legacy in the corporate world. But the thing that Choudhury does have in common with everyone else is that at the end of the day, training is his life.
He just has a very unique approach to it. Instead of spending hours in the gym at a time, Choudhury formulated a daily routine which allows him to take care of everything and he gave us an insight into it.
"The two most important elements of my routine are my five daily prayers and my workout routine. Both of them help me create and maintain a daily routine and as long as I keep these two elements in check, everything works out fine," says Rawan.
His day begins at 4:30 AM with Tahajjud prayers. After this, he offers his Fajr prayers, spends some time journaling, checks his work email to create a sense of the rest of the day and then goes out for a walk. His daily workout has already begun.
"I walk around 1 hour 15 mins daily to kick start my day. Walking is the simplest and least strenuous form of cardio that one can do. It also helps me clear my mind and improve my mood," he adds.
After this, Rawan Choudhury goes to the office, takes care of all of his work by Maghrib and then hits the gym where he dedicates two whole hours for six days straight.
"It doesn't matter how long of a day I have had, I must workout otherwise it feels like I didn't achieve anything throughout the day," he states. After gym, he returns home, has dinner and calls it a day.
The key is to not go at your training hard but to maintain consistency and sincerity and that is exactly what Choudhury does. He also does intermittent fasting where he fasts for around 16 hours a day.
In terms of nutrition, Choudhury does not incorporate anything too special into his diet but ensures that it is very balanced and contains a lot of fruits and vegetables.
The three keys to success when it comes to working out are: Train, Rest, and Eat. "Training sculpts your muscles. Resting repairs broken muscles. Eating is the fuel for your body," explains Choudhury. He also suggested to anyone looking to get in shape to only treat food as fuel, to not see carbs as a bad thing and to always ensure to get at least seven hours of sleep daily.
PCA Thailand and ushering in a new era of fitness
Rawan Ahmed Choudhury always wanted to take part in competitions. "I was looking for a starting point. A friend of mine from the gym noticed my potential and encouraged me to compete. He pointed me towards the PCA First Timer's show which is entirely dedicated to beginners and I jumped at the chance.
"See, I am trying to pioneer a completely different category of bodybuilding so this competition was also the perfect platform for me to gain momentum there," expresses Rawan Choudhury.
The competition had little influence on the way Choudhury trains because he has been giving this his 100 per cent for the last seven years. However, he did admit that it fostered a sense of competitive edge in him.
Rawan Choudhury was among the only competitors who did not have a personal trainer but that did not stop him from shining through. He garnered a lot of plaudits from judges and competitors alike for being the most natural participant. Choudhury was also able to identify the areas of competition that he needs to work on and got introduced to a lot of like-minded individuals and coaches who will be able to help him in the quest.
"Bodybuilding competitions go beyond just your physique; you also need to learn how to pose and this is an area I struggled with a little due to inexperience. I also competed with little to no advice at all since I did not know anyone appropriate who could help me out with this. However, this competition was an eye-opener for me and I can't wait to compete again!" exclaims Choudhury.
His goal is to compete once every year. Simultaneously, he is also trying to change peoples' mindsets about the concept of bodybuilding.
"Many are still stuck on the notion that bodybuilders have to be stocky and built. This also discourages people from getting in because that takes a lot of work. I am trying to spread the concept of fitness models. A more leaner and athletic body type much like Cristiano Ronaldo," he adds.
Rawan Ahmed Choudhury is also building his platform as a fashion and fitness model. His ultimate goal is to create a fitter Bangladesh and convey the message to the masses that you do not need to spend hours in the gym to get into shape. You do not have to look ultra-beefy or have exaggerated muscles to be a bodybuilder, you just have to be the best version of yourself. Lean is the way forward and all you need is discipline!