Ms. Namita Nayyar
Explain Your family’s contribution to pursuing sports as a career.
Ms. Noa Eappen – I’m only 13 years old. My family and I are still exploring and understanding my sports career. I initially had resistance from my grandparents, as they were concerned about how the sport would affect my growth, but with time they realized how much it was benefiting me, and gradually came on board. My mom & dad are 100% supportive of it. My mom manages everything outside of training from balancing my school and exercise regime, to my nutrition. It’s an intense sport and I’m usually really tired when I get home, so my mom needs to juggle many things to maintain the balance.
Ms. Kasha Sachdev – My family has always been the backbone of my success. My dad, Nicholai Sachdev, brought me into the gym after doing copious amounts of research on the same and took hours out of his time to carefully train me, and with progressive overload and consistent training, I got stronger and my love for powerlifting grew. He faced backlash from multiple crowds but stayed confident in his wise decision, backed invariably by my mother, Kavita Sachdev, who has kept up with my multifarious diets and health regimes. Since then, my father has woken up at unearthly hours in the morning to train me, flown and driven me out to workshops, and been perpetually by my side in every way. They both are the reason I am here right now, and I will be forever grateful.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Kasha Nia Sachdev, your journey began at the age of eight, following corrective surgery to treat severe knock-knees. Can you explain how you and your family cope with health issues and overcome them to become a powerlifter?
Ms. Kasha Sachdev – When I was around eight years old, my condition of Genu Valgum, more commonly known as ‘knock knees’ had emerged and I had been put through two corrective surgeries for the aforementioned condition. Both physiotherapy and occupational therapy had been medically prescribed to me for rehabilitation, but my father, after doing lots of research on the effects of lifting on children, and only finding positive ones, thought it a better idea to train me in the gym instead. I first started out with simple movements, slowly progressing onto the three fundamental powerlifting movements, the bench press, the squat, and the deadlift, whilst beginning a progressive overload to increase my strength. This, over the course of a few years, fixed my knees which had a huge impact on my demeanor and confidence.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Kasha, it is no doubt a proud moment for our country that you will be representing India in the European World Powerlifting Congress championship. Throw some light on the same.
Ms. Kasha Sachdev
I am beyond appreciative of the fact that I have the opportunity to compete and represent India in the European World Powerlifting Congress championship, it’s been my dream since the minute I started lifting competitively. It’s unbelievable to fathom that I have this platform, and it’s mine to excel on. I hope to break a few more world records, and hopefully come out triumphant with a few more golds on my roster!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Noa plans to represent India for the first time internationally at the World Powerlifting Congress from the 21st to the 25th of June 2023 in Kyrgyzstan. First and foremost planning and preparation is key essential share some input about the standards for selection and how you prepare for it.
Ms. Noa Eappen
In order to be selected for Kyrgyzstan, you need to have won National competitions, which I had. I had also broken a few world records, so the selection was quick. As for preparation, I have been training for this competition for over three years now. It got canceled due to covid in 2021, and I was extremely disappointed. I have been training and waiting for this moment since then. I train 3-4 hours a day, and 4-5 days a week. Other than this I do cardio and have a strict nutrition program. The last year has been rigorous in terms of managing school and training. I wake up at 5 am and train with Nicholai.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Key to winning lies in a healthy diet & nutrition. What kind of diet do you follow daily? Is your nutrition carefully monitored and how? Also, share some input on supplements to make up for wear and tear.
Ms. Noa Eappen – Yes, I agree, nutrition is a key part of winning and more importantly staying fit for longevity. I follow a high protein low carb diet. We don’t completely remove any food group, but we do portion control. My nutrition is very carefully monitored and managed by my mother. She completely mans the diet. In terms of supplements, I take Calcium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D to compensate for all the training wear and tear and boost what’s required.
Ms. Kasha Sachdev – My diet changes quite often, depending on where I’d like my weight to lie, but the key components stay more or less the same. I try to eat thirty or so grams of protein in every meal and accompany this with quick–digesting carbohydrates, and some unsaturated fats. I enjoy various fruits and vegetables too, which are great sources of vitamins and minerals. I monitor my diet to a good extent, but I also think it’s important to honor cravings and keep a small degree of balance in your diet.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Any injuries you have come across and how did you recover?
Ms. Noa Eappen – I haven’t had any injuries so far thanks to Nicholai Sachdev, my coach and friend. He watches over me every minute. He supervises my big lifts very closely. I do not do any major movements like heavy deadlifts and squats without him. He micro-loads the bar only when there is no form breakdown, so I have been fortunate and grateful to have had no major injuries so far. For minor pulls and sprains, I rest, ice, and do physio to recover.
Kasha Sachdev – Thankfully, I have yet to meet with a powerlifting-related injury; despite contrary belief, powerlifting can be a rather safe sport (surely as safe as crossing the road or drinking water while laying down) if your form is proper, the weight overload is progressive, and you get sufficient rest, and nutritious food
