Fabulous fitspirators
Ranveer Allahbadia, 24, runs a YouTube Channel called Beer Biceps, that has around 4,90,000 subscribers. Take a look at his videos and Instagram profile and you’ll be flabbergasted to know that this goodlooking lad was once obese and plagued by health woes. “I had a gall bladder surgery at the age of 15 — I had a horrible diet, so I got even fatter and then finally met my coach Beni Sridharan who introduced me to the scientific side of fitness. During engineering college, I got my training certificate from his academy and learnt more about fitness and fell in love with the process,” says Ranveer, who wanted to focus on India-specific content which was lacking on YouTube.
Ranveer, who used to do online coaching, is focusing on other things now. “I’m not a trainer, I’m a YouTuber. We’re now doing motivation, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and grooming. I’ve stopped coaching myself, but we’re starting an online coaching service where my team will coach people through the online medium,” says Ranveer, who went viral when he made a video claiming that actor Aamir Khan used steroids for his transformation in Dangal. Sonali Swami is another social media influencer who’s managed to stun dozens of women with her wellsculpted body. It’s hard to believe that this lady’s a 42-year-old mother of two. “I was always into dancing. After I got married, I came to Bengaluru when I was just 23. Within a year, I’d put on quite a lot of weight, so I joined dance classes, became an instructor and was taking care of myself when the kids happened and I put on excess weight. It was depressing and soon, I started aerobics, walking and taking care of my diet, but didn’t feel strong from inside.” That’s when this mommy took to weight lifting and strength training and at the age of 38, took it up as a profession and started competing. “I won my first title at the Body Power Championship and competing with girls half my age boosted my morale and I got hooked on to it. I saw changes in my body — both physical and mental,” says Sonali, who’s won competitions like Fit Factor and Muscle Mania. At 42, she has on 1,47,000 followers on Instagram and 38,000 on Facebook. Sonali does customised training for people with issues like thyroid and PCOD too.
For 24-year-old celebrity trainer Namrata Purohit, Pilates has become a way of life. With 110.2k followers on Instagram, she’s worked with stars like Jacqueline Fernandez and Kangana Ranaut, is co-founder of The Pilates and Altitude Training Studio and the youngest trained Stott Pilates Instructor in the world. A bad fall years ago meant that this Mumbai girl would end up injuring her knee and was asked to stop dancing and playing sport.
“Physiotherapy, rehab — nothing seemed to work until one day, I attended a Pilates course with my dad Samir Purohit and within three days, I was feeling free and was back on court playing squash with no pain. After a few more classes, my coach said that I was more stable than before the injury! So I started believing in Pilates because it was magic for me,” she shares.
On her YouTube channel, Namrata posts full workout videos and posts tips on Instagram stories and does Facebook live chats too. “I wanted to get the word out there that there’s something like Pilates that can help get rid of pain. It’s helped people with scoliosis and tennis elbow too,” says Namrata, who’s also a Boogie Bounce and Barre instructor.
S.Q.U.A.T.S is a hugely popular Facebook fitness group founded by Jitendra Chouksey and has more than two lakh enthusiasts in it. One of the mentors Vinodh Vaitheeswaran says, “SQUATS stands for Systematic. Quantitative. Unified. Aesthetic. Transformation. System. The group’s purpose is explained to every member and beginners have to read our so called bible — ‘the pinned post’ which explains the basics of nutrition and gives instructions to design your own nutrition.” The group now has more than 70 mentors. “You can sign up with a mentor who will guide you through the tenure of your programme.” On a personal note, Vinodh was someone who aspired to be a pilot in the Indian Air Force. “Being part of an orthodox South Indian culture, my first learning of nutrition was quantitybased on taste bud demands. I was nowhere near the fit ratio required to apply for Defense Services due
to bad nutritional and lifestyle choices. That’s when I took charge of my health and my love for fitness/nutrition grew into a new passion. From a technical writer, I moved to being a fitness consultant and Business Development Lead of WiN (Wellness INtiative), an integral vertical of SQUATS concentrating on Corporate wellness.”
I won my first title at the Body Power Championship and competing with girls half my age boosted my morale and I got hooked on to it — SONALI SWAMI, a social media influencer with 1,47,000 followers on Instagram and 38,000 on Facebook I wanted to get the word out there that there’s something like Pilates that can help get rid of pain. It’s helped people with scoliosis and tennis elbow too — NAMRATA PUROHIT, celebrity trainer with 110.2k followers on Instagram
SOCIAL REVOLUTION
Now with the online revolution, how has social media changed the way Indians look at fitness? “Social media is the single biggest, best thing that has happened to the world of fitness in India. It’s not just fitness bloggers and health experts who’ve benefitted from it. I’ve trained Tanmay Bhat from AIB and popularised this whole weight loss revolution in India. People started following KETO after seeing his weight loss. People from our generation are more aware of fitness and want to get fit — this culture wasn’t there earlier. They’re seeing their online idols and thinking ‘why am I getting left behind?’”
Socia media fitness has both pros and cons, admits Sonali. “When you see people with fantastic bodies, you think they’re perfect ’cos very few actually show their real struggle.