For those of us who believe that the world of working out and training is too elusive to venture into, personal trainers may seem a bit lofty. But that’s exactly what you need one for. Apart from motivation, encouragement and undivided attention, personal trainers also help you overcome your hesitation to try workouts that you aren’t familiar with. But how do you pick just the right trainer for you? We got some really cool Bangaloreans to tell us about their personal trainers, so you can get a head start!
These Bangaloreans Are Telling You Why You Should Get Their Personal Trainers
Saina Jayapal Recommends Prashant Ponappa
PR consultant and patron of The Tribe Fitness Club, Saina Jayapal, puts her faith in Prashanth Ponnappa. Prashanth’s a black belt in karate and has trained in taekwondo, jiu jitsu and muay thai. He’s completely receptive to Saina’s knee pain and crafts all her workouts accordingly.
Trainer’s USP: Prashant’s gentle encouragement techniques. In her own words, “I once missed two weeks and when I went back, he very calmly asked me to do a 1000 reps.”
Recommends because: Prashant’s not one of those just-do-it kind of trainers. He understands his client’s body and customises each workout to suit them. Saina also says that he’s the kind of trainer who is more friendly than intimidating. He accepts when she says she can’t do any more, but also totally knows when she’s faking it.
Fee: INR 1000 per session
Contact: +91 9902371736
Simi Matthew Recommends Sunil Kumar
Simi Mathew, founder of Oota Walks, has been training with Sunil Kumar of The Tribe Fitness Club for one-and-a-half years now. The same Simi who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, now does functional, strength and stamina training, and she claims she owes it to Sunil.
Trainer’s USP: Sunil is the right combination of empathetic but strict. He gets your frustrations but he also knows how to push you if that’s what needs to be done.
Recommends because: He’ll change things up for you when you want. Simi claims she’s prone to getting bored of the same workout easily, and Sunil doesn’t mind switching it up if she does. He also understood what she was having trouble with and he made her climb and climb until she got super good at it.
Fee: INR 1,200 per session for a minimum of 12 sessions
Contact: +91 96206 82646
Raksha Hegde Recommends Huzefa
You might have already heard of Huzefa of The Outfit or even read about him right here. So he must be pretty good, right? Raksha, sales manager at Courtyard by Marriott, certainly thinks so. She owes being able to handle strength training and running 10k to him.
Trainer’s USP: Huzefa starts you off on the basics and doesn’t take no for an answer.
Recommends because: He has personalised workouts and tries to identify the root cause for why something doesn’t work. For Raksha, who has flat-feet and a bad knee, Huzefa fixed her form and made her go through three months of vigorous exercise to help her get back on track. In her own words, “If you say you can’t do something, he’s very likely to make you do it even more.” So if you’re someone who tends to con your way out of a workout, Huzefa will make sure you don’t.
Fee: INR 2,500 per session
Contact: +91 95133 86007
Xerxes Recommends Asher
If you’ve eaten at Red Fork in the past two years, you should probably know that the man behind the magic is Chef Xerxes. But who’s the trainer behind the man? Asher Khader from The Tribe Fitness Club is who keeps Xerxes in shape so that his friends can actually ask “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” {and we really hope they do}.
Trainer’s USP: Asher is super organised and knows how much his clients can push themselves, even when they don’t.
Recommends because: Asher has a file of everything he has done with you and knows exactly how much you’re capable of. He doesn’t restrict your diet unless you want it and knows how to bring discipline into a workout. Plus, he’s super patient and generally pleasant to work with!
Fee: INR 1,200 per session for a minimum of 12 sessions
Contact: +91 98860 77013
Nikhil Parekh Recommends Mukesh
Founder of designer packaging company, Schmancy, Nikhil has been working out with Mukesh of Fit I Am for the past 6 months. He’s tried out many fitness programmes and says that Mukesh’s is the only one he’s stuck to.
Trainer’s USP: Mukesh is a functional trainer and is also a certified MMA and kickboxing instructor.
Recommends because: Even though he’s not a personal trainer, the attention he pays to you will sure make you feel like he is. He doesn’t directly start anyone off on weights and even if you skip the gym for a couple of weeks, his workouts are such that you won’t have to start all over again. Mukesh makes sure you don’t get bored with your workout and also works out with you so you get that much needed gym motivation.
Contact: +91 74115 50010
Sanjay Manaktala Recommends Methee
Vlogger, IT guy and all-round comedic genius, Sanjay Manaktala has also trained in Thai Kickboxing. For three months Sanjay has worked with, and owes his fighting fitness to, Methee of The Fitness Fight Club.
Trainer’s USP: Methee’s trained in traditional Thai kickboxing and is super gifted at it. That’s the kind of guy you wanna learn from, right?
Recommends because: He’s always smiling and has a generally friendly attitude. In Sanjay’s own words, he really cares about making sure you bust your butt. He’s extremely skilled and that’s exactly the quality of training you’ll be receiving from him. Plus, he’s really funny which is a blessing considering boxing will probably make you feel like crying.
Fee: Price on request
Contact: 080 4099 0028