Celebrity trainers Praveen Nair and Maahek Nair have worked with many famous actors and actresses in the past like Kartik Aryan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aditya Roy Kapoor helping them achieve their fitness goals. They have been credited with being the reason behind the hot and toned body of Shraddha Kapoor, which can be seen in the movie “Tu Jhooti Mein Makkaar”. In addition to Kapoor, they have also trained Palak Tiwari, Remo D’Souza, Charlie Chauhan, Manish Paul, and Gurmeet Chaudhary, among others. In an exclusive conversation with News18, the duo shared their journey training celebs, shelled out important fitness tips and more.
You both helped Shraddha Kapoor to achieve the body that she has is in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. So tell us something about that journey?
Praveen: We’ve been training Shraddha for almost 12 years now. So we’ve always kept her in a lean shape. But for Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, she wanted to look a bit on the chubby side. So technically the whole workout and diet plan was made on that criteria. On the other hand, when we trained her for the movie Saaho, she was playing a police officer whereas she has to look very lean. The good thing about Shraddha is that she has got amazing genetics. That means we can switch her body back to lean mode in about just two weeks. That’s a beneficial thing for us as the coach. As far as challenges are concerned, we don’t really face them. Because when you work with an actress, they have a very clear mind about achieving something. Generally when we pick up projects, for example Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Shraddha called us to meet Luv Ranjan where he explained how the character was supposed to look. So when we work with these actresses, it becomes really easy than the normal people because the mindset is very much there.
You have also trained Aditya Roy Kapur. His body type has changed drastically over the years and he has been able to shape himself according to the projects. For example, in Fitoor he was relatively lean and muscular, in Malangg he was buff. So how was your experience training him?
Praveen: So one of the first meetings with Aditya Roy Kapur happened a few years back. When we met him, he showed us a swimsuit model and the guy was looking amazing. He had a lean physique with a long torso. He showed me the picture and he told me that he wanted to look like that for Fitoor. And we had about good six months in hand. So he was on a very heavy side. But the thing about changing his genetics, he has a structure which has a long torso. But from that time till now, he had established an image of a guy who has a good physique. He is a highly disciplined guy. We had given him a diet comprising of boiled food. So he was highly disciplined. He would carry his meals wherever he went.
Maahek: To add to this, Aditya Roy Kapur did a movie called Dawaat e Ishq. He was relatively on the heavier side. And suddenly he had to play a role in Fitoor that was lean. That was the brief given to us by Abhishek Kapoor. And I was amazed to see a drastic transformation in about three months. From a guy who weighed 100 kgs to a lean and ripped Adi in just a matter of a few months was incredible. He was very disciplined throughout that journey.
You’ve also trained Abhishek Bachchan. And I believe he is the only actor who hasn’t really opted for a sculpted body for any of his roles. So did you guys ever motivate him or suggest him to build his physique like the other actors on the industry?
Praveen: We’ve worked with Abhishek Bachchan recently for Dasvi. But his character wasn’t needing the look of it. Like I said in the beginning, actors really change their mindset and they align themselves according to the requirements of the role and what the director wants out of them. In Dasvi, he was playing a villager who drops out of school and then he goes back to study. And he is also a politician. But I’ve seen Abhishek Bachchan doing a shift of 15-16 hours. He had a very busy schedule but he would still take out time for 30 minutes. His whole meal was planned. We would ask his people to carry all his meals. He is very disciplined but getting into a lean physique is the requirement of the character. Secondly, it’s not only about eating the correct food or working out in a certain manner but other things as well that play an important role. Hrithik Roshan and Aditya Roy Kapur had a few months in hand before they went on floors. By that time, they are prepared for it and they start maintaining a certain level of confidence that whenever they have to take off their shirts, they are ready for it. We’ve trained Kartik Aaryan for a lot of movies in the last two years. Even he was a highly committed person when it comes to fitness. You can see it in all the scenes he does or in his Instagram posts that he shows his chest. That means he is in good shape and he is confident about himself.
Maahek: I believe all these actors, they come with a mindset according to the roles that have been given to them. And they become highly disciplined and devoted. They themselves make it a point to mould their mind and pre-plan things for themselves in the framework of fitness. Like when we were training Shraddha for Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, it was in the midst of the pandemic when lots of things were not available outside but they made it a point to carry a lot of stuff from Mumbai. They are that disciplined.
Of all the acting clients you have managed, who has been the most challenging one?
Praveen: Challenging one? Umm I would definitely take the name but the most enjoyed one when we trained someone was Sushant Singh Rajput. We had trainer him for 6-7 years and I can say that he never threw any tantrums like ‘I am not in a mood to workout’ or any sort of things. He would actually call us home and he would insist to check his meals, document his progress. That kind of discipline he had in life. So as far as challenging is concerned…
Maahek: Like I said, all of these guys come with a mindset. But it’s not difficult for them. Also I think because we are there for them and we have been in the industry for the last 15-14 years, so it’s easier for us to plan their meals. So what we usually do is we don’t put them in a fad diet or a strict diet. We incorporate everything that they like and we make it more like a lifestyle for them so it’s easier for them to follow. It’s not like a hard and strict plan tha you can’t do. They won’t eat lean chicken or anything but when the role demands them to have a beefed body, they have to eat very clean. But whenever they want to revert themselves, whatever they want, we customize it and get it done for them within the calorie range or within the nutritional value that they require. I believe it’s easy with all of them.
Fitness and gym are the topmost New Year resolutions for most people but only a few are able to stick to that routine. So for those many people, what are some of the things you can suggest that can help them overcome their procrastination?
Praveen: The goal has to be a firm goal. When they say weight loss, they don’t have clarity about how much weight they want to lose. We need to give it a certain number. Why do people train differently for different kinds of marathons? Because they have a number in their mind as their goal. So when the vision is very clear, the person becomes that much resolute. So when people have these resolutions coming up in the New Year, they don’t set achievable goals on the monthly basis. For example, for the first month I. January, hit the gym 30 times and that comes four times a week. And that’s actually achievable for anybody. So that should be the first thing to keep in mind. Secondly, for weight loss, you have to follow a strict diet with the goal of losing 3-4 kgs. So when that is set on a specific number, they can actually achieve them.
Maahek: For people who want to get really fit, I am someone who is a staunch believer of manifestation and gratitude. Usually what happens like Parveen said, if you don’t have a realistic goal or if you are thinking of a goal so much achievable, it becomes difficult. So like he said, Sushant had a picture in mind that he wants to get into a certain body type, Aditya Roy Kapur had a frame in mind that I want to get there. So people who really want to achieve their fitness goal, they should definitely have a realistic picture of what they want. Keep that picture in a book or in a chart or wherever they want. And from there, just believe in the process, be consistent. It takes about four or five days to get used to the training, eating nutritious food and once you see you have arrived there and see the results coming, it will keep you motivated and prepped up.
And on the contrary, those who tend to overtrain or push themselves over their limits, how dangerous or detrimental can that become for their body? And how can one keep a check on overtraining?
Praveen: There is a measure for overtraining. Overtraining is very specific to every individual. At any given point if someone feels like they are not recovering from the training or they are taking more days to recover, that is the clear sign that the body has gone through overtraining and they can go easy on themselves. And by going easy, I mean that they can achieve that goal. Now consistency has a lot of things to do with their mindsets. So initially when you are focusing on building up ten aspects of fitness. If you’ve met and developed these aspects, then the overall journey becomes easier. As far as concerns about overtraining, from the point of view of nutritionist and coach, I would say that minimums of 30-40 minutes of training, with a low to medium intensity workout would be definitely fine for anyone. On the other hand, nutrition plays a huge role. When we speak about orbit training, training with weights, it breaks the muscles at a microscopic level. And these muscle tissues recover by using what we eat. And the rest depends on the strength of the body. If the nutritional plan consists of a good amount of water, a good amount of electrol into it, you will recover easily.
Diet is another important factor that comes into play when you are starting your journey towards fitness. So I understand diet is tailor made and is very individual to one’s metabolism and fitness goals, but what are some of the foods or dietary habits one should inculcate that is must for anyone who is embarking on this journey.
Praveen: The biggest problem in today’s age is that there are kids who are becoming pre-diabetic. The reason is sugar and processed food. When we speak about sugar and processed food, the company is marketed because they want to see it and make money out of it. There are a lot of addictive ingredients that they put in their product and thus they end up buying it multiple times. So we need to avoid all the sugary based stuff, eat clean, eat home based food and lots of greens in your diet. As kids we don’t pay heed but by the time we reach the age of 24-25, there is already a lot of deposition of fat in our body. At that time we can make sure that they eat less. There is something called the Glycemic index so you can focus on that. There are some foods with sugar like Watermelon that spike your insulin very quickly. We have to keep the insulin at a lower level and we have to maintain that. So strawberries or those kinds of food also don’t fall in the glycemic index. So as an adult, we have to ensure we eat lots of green and eat nutritional food instead of having a paratha. You need to be in the calorie-deficit in order to lose and maintain weight so that’s where diet comes into picture as well.
Maahek: For general people, it should be a meal comprising of all the three things. It should be decent amount of carbohydrates. We should include good carbs like white rice and chapati. Apart from that, it should be balanced by having carbohydrates and protein. The easiest way to keep track of your diet is by using apps like MyFitness App where they write down and log in their meals. Once they start doing that, they would get a brief idea as to how much carbs, fats or protein they are consuming in a day. And that’s how you can maintain and get results towards whatever goal you have.
For those people who can’t take out time for gym due to their hectic schedules, what steps can they take for a better physique?
Praveen: i beleive everybody has time. Nobody in the world can say that they don’t have time. For example, I spend around 4-5 hours on the screen time everyday. So you have to organise your day in a way where you can cut off screen time and replace it with exercise. Take out 30 minutes. Nobody has to work out for two or three hours. As far as maintaining a low-fat fitness is concerned, you just have to do about 30 minutes. And the best way to do that is we have a lot of online programmes. We do a lot of online training all over the world. We just give 30 minutes of exercise, recommending tasty and healthy food recipes. We just modify the calories. We recommend exercises that you can do at home. You just need a dumbbell or some sort of body weight. We have max pilates routine. We have HIIT exercise. But all you need is a good mindset towards your goals.
Maahek: I feel that fitness should be on priority in today’s era. It should be just like for example taking a bath or brushing your teeth. It should become like a ritual. It shouldn’t be a chore. It should be anything that you enjoy by devoting 30 minutes. Because currently we can see young people who are down with various diseases and illness like Osteoporosis, bad spine health. Because they do a lot of work on their laptop, they have stiff neck and shoulders. So I believe we should not reach to that level that you become unhealthy, unfit or sick eventually. And illness take you towards fitness. Fitness should be your priority so that you are energetic throughout the whole day.
I have heard conflicting views on this from fitness enthusiasts. Some day cardio is not necessary if you are weight training, others say the opposite. So according to you two, what role does cardio play in fitness?
Praveen: I believe cardio stands for cardiovascular muscles which is your heart muscles. By doing that, you are conditioning your heart, internal organs and your lungs which means that you can breath a little longer than any normal person. Then, when you are talking about building muscles, that’s the term called hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is nothing but training with resistance, breaking the muscles fibres and then base calorie surplus that you can build at that muscle volume. Because you need calories to repair it but you are repairing it and at the same time building it up. So there is a calorie surplus, you can do cardio, you can and have to do weight training at the same time. But ofcourse, this whole thing goes on in the context of what the person is looking forward to. If a person has to look really lean, in the next two weeks, he doesn’t need to do that thing and the programme will change. But for normal people who go to 8-5 or 9-5 job, they just need to do any physical activity for 30 minutes. It could be anything. But if someone is looking for six packs, then those programming comes in a lot of essence.
Maahek: In today’s era, like Praveen said, fitness is a very broad and wide domain. But nowadays, it’s not just about having six packs or toned body, there are different parameters what we see in people. One is cardiovascular capabilities and metabolism and second we observe how much they have endurance. And then there are different parameters. So I believe you should incorporate all these things.
What is that one fitness mantra that you tell all your clients and that our readers can incorporate in their regimes?
Maahek: My fitness mantra would be with two things. One is consistency and second trusting the process. You have to have faith in the process that it will show you results. It’s not magic. You can’t become with a very low body fat percentage in the seven days if you are training very hard. You have to trust the process. You have to give time. And you’ll keep seeing that you are improving day-by-day and you are getting fitter and fitter. Be consistent. Don’t be scared of failures. Because even with the failures, there is a step forward to it. You’ll reach there eventually.
Praveen: I would say you have to focus on having good health, eating health, your overall lifestyle. I see a lot of people losing weight and gaining it back because they only think about the short goal of losing weight. So it shouldn’t be losing weight but rather leading a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition.
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