On the controversial subject of the usage of performance enhancing steroids, Manak said: "There is a lot of misinformation about steroids. They could not digest the fact that a woman has succeeded in shaping up her physique, and the remarks reflected their frustration," she added. "Initially, those angered me but I eventually realised that such men could not attain the level of fitness they desired. On the negative comments she faces, Manak said she has to deal with remarks like "You look like a man, you should look like a woman, do what women are supposed to do." "Women can lift like men, it is just that women are not that strong but once into weight-lifting, a woman can get stronger than the average man," she said. Manak asserts that like men, women can also lift heavy weights. I was completely into power-lifting and bodybuilding," Manak, who weighs 66 kg, said. My coach taught me all the basics, all the right techniques of heavy lifting. "Five-six years back, I started lifting very heavy weights. "When I realised that cardio sessions were gradually eating up my muscle mass, I decided to shape up my body in a certain way that would make me look curvy as well as strong. So what made her get serious about bodybuilding? But I had no plans to get into bodybuilding," she said. I got a bit of an idea on this from a professional bodybuilder and I started weight training. "Initially, I did not know that even women can lift weights. "There was no awareness about fitness back then, especially with regard to women."
She joined the gym at the age of 17 and stated with cardio workouts. I realised that I was losing shape," Manak said. "Those comments pierced me deep inside and I felt bad. The taunts from friends and relatives prompted her to get back into shape with a vengeance. She forayed into the world of fitness 20 years back when after an illness she put on a lot of weight.
Manak, who runs Sculpt Gym in Sector-14, Gurgaon, is also an avid biker and rides the Royal Enfield Desert Storm 500. "I still don't consider myself a celebrity," said Manak, adding that she feels "overwhelmed by all the love and attention" she is receiving these days. In a conversation with IANS, Manak spoke about the odds she encountered on her path to make it big in the world of bodybuilding - a 'men's territory' - and eventually shattered a series of stereotypes.
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