Celebrity fitness coach Yogesh Bhateja, who has had a remarkable journey, who moved from a secure career to a competitive path, interacts with The Pioneer over an exclusive chat taking us through his journey, and transforming his B’wood clients, among many more.Subodhini Purohit
Yogesh Bhateja’s journey from the busy streets of Delhi to the glittery world of Mumbai has been nothing short of extraordinary. Little did he know that this leap of faith would take him to the dazzling world of Bollywood.
He has been drawn to difficulties since he was very young. He began by playing soccer alongside older players and competing in various events. As he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he focused on becoming a soccer player and even coached school teams. He says, “However, I wanted more, so I delved into bodybuilding, transforming from a 56 kg boy to a 75 kg bodybuilder. While competing in the bodybuilding competition, I finished in top five, but I quickly realised my true passion was coaching and assisting others in their transformation.”
He had already coached hundreds of people in leading fitness clubs and was enjoying a successful career when a buddy, a celebrity trainer, asked him to manage his gym.
Embracing the challenge, he recalled, “I moved to Mumbai in 15 days. There, I met my first Bollywood client, Sonu Sood, and worked on films like Rrajkumar and Happy New Year. This opportunity led to training other superstars, such as Farah Khan, Kapil Sharma, Esha Gupta, Tamannah Bhatia, Neetu Singh Kapoor, and Sunil Grover. My journey from a youngster to a superstar fitness coach in Bollywood exemplifies my adaptability and desire to take on new challenges, finally finding fulfillment in improving lives.”
Moving from a secure career to a competitive climate was one of the most difficult tasks he experienced, he admits. “Working with celebrities presented unique challenges such as erratic schedules, long working hours, and high expectations. However, my adaptability enabled me to overcome these challenges.” He learned to construct successful training plans on the fly, based on their physical, mental, and emotional states, ensuring they received the best possible instruction even under difficult circumstances.
Working with celebs like Sonu Sood, Kapil Sharma, and Kangana Ranaut has been extremely rewarding, he says. “Each transformation is meaningful, and seeing them achieve their fitness goals is deeply satisfying. Training Sonu Sood for Fateh was especially noteworthy owing to the irregular shoot schedules and inclement weather, but his dedication made it a memorable experience.” He explains, “Sonu Sood introduced me to Kapil Sharma, whose hectic schedule made frequent exercises difficult. However, his hardworking spirit shone through, and we frequently practiced late at night. Many stars praised his stunning metamorphosis on The Kapil Sharma Show and in his films.”
He proceeds to say that training Kangana Ranaut has always been both enjoyable and difficult. During Manikarnika, she gave him only 21 days to assist her in acquiring a size zero figure for Cannes, and they were successful. For Panga, she needed a robust, heavy appearance, but for Thalaivi, she gained 20 kg safely. Following Thalaivi, they concentrated on shedding the weight for Dhaakad, ensuring she was fit and flexible for action scenes. Her commitment to functional training is amazing!
He also believes it is critical to always study and stay current with the latest trends and techniques in the fitness industry, and explains, “To accomplish this, I often attend workshops, gain new certifications, and stay informed about improvements in fitness training.”
He combines functional training and classical bodybuilding to improve speed, flexibility, explosiveness, and overall agility, helping clients create a leaner, stronger physique, he claims. “For Sonu Sood’s preparation for Fateh, I designed two training splits that featured movements like archers, clap push-ups, human flag, front lever, cossack squats, explosive lunges, and box jumps. These workouts dramatically improved his performance and recovery, ensuring that he was physically ready for the demanding part.”
Throughout his life, he has been committed to discovering innovative training methods. As a full-time soccer player, he gained a thorough understanding of the human body, sport-specific training techniques, and methods for improving physical performance. He adds, “My path into bodybuilding expanded on this knowledge. I learned about body adaptation to different diets and nutrition strategies, whether for muscle gain or competitiveness, using calorie deficit diets.”
At this point in his career, he feels a great deal of professional obligation. He wants to help and reach out to the masses in order to alter their lives and guide them, as a lot of misinformation and phony influencers are deceiving these innocent people. He has devised some highly affordable, sensible, and feasible exercise regimens for people, taking into account a variety of factors such as age, gender, lifestyle, work culture, eating habits, health problems, and so on, to assist people who do not have access to or the luxury of time to visit gyms. The fitness business is continuously changing with new innovations.
Even social media has a huge impact on individuals. It has made individuals more concerned with their appearance, which has both positive and negative consequences. Many people aim to look fit and healthy and are cognizant of eating appropriately. He continues, “However, there has been an upsurge in drug addiction, with young individuals turning to steroids to obtain a more muscular body in a shorter period of time. I’ve even been approached by 16- to 17-year-olds inquiring about steroid cycles.” To avoid this, the application must be monitored and modified regularly. Feedback and modifications are based on each person’s specific preferences and progress. Periodic evaluation of progress and goal changes are required, as initial plans may not always function flawlessly due to the body’s limits. It is critical to keep the customer on track by implementing plan improvements on schedule, as suggested by the interviewee.
He ends by stating that fitness is more than just appearing muscular and ripped. He always makes sure his customer is in a healthy mental state. For him, completing a scheduled routine is unimportant. He only wants a pleasant session that ends with a big smile on celebs’ face, which does not always come with an aggressive workout. Sometimes it’s a solid moderate-intensity session, sometimes it’s HIIT, and many times it’s just trying out a new tough and complex activity. He focuses on appropriate posture and breathing patterns while working out, which leads to a successful session!
