Jeet

As a boy, Jeet would do freehand exercises. But just push-ups and squats during the teenage years don’t make for a great foundation. Things changed when Jeet moved into a sprawling apartment in New Alipore and set up his own gym. He has been following a weight training regimen since then.

“I am pumping iron for the past one or one-and-a-half years. I hit the gym three-four times a week for about an hour. Upper body split routine excites me the most. My target is a lean look. I am not in the race to build huge muscles. I train for quality strength,” Jeet tells me.

On the grind

Weight training focuses primarily on the upper body, comprising split workouts like the chest and back, shoulder and triceps, with three exercises per body part. Three weight sessions and two cardio sessions make up Jeet’s weekly routine.

“I am cool about the Swiss ball or medicine ball. The dumbbell chest press on the Swiss ball is good fun! I am careful while blending it. I will have to do a mix of traditional and modern exercises,” the Tolly hero tells me.

Several actors enjoy showing off their expanded pectorals, like Aamir Khan in Ghajini. Jeet believes that in order to be fit as a fiddle one must tone down the middle. So, a fair amount of time and energy goes into crunches, oblique twists, side-leg raises, jackknives and ab cycles. “If not a six pack, I make sure that the abdomen is nice and flat, there shouldn’t be a hint of bulge anywhere,” Jeet says.

On the move

Shooting commitments are no stumbling blocks to a workout regimen if you are serious about it, that is. When Jeet heads for an outdoor shoot in a place like north Bengal, he makes sure to pack his dumbbells, skateboards and Thera-Tubes. If he is in Hyderabad or Malaysia, he goes out looking for a gym.

“Missing one or two sessions is okay but three-four on the trot is a bit too much and I start feeling guilty. Training has become a part of my system and I can’t skip it,” says Jeet.

Bite right

A high-carb diet including oats, fruits and salad is a must. Jeet prefers protein in the form of grilled or boiled chicken and eggs. He takes protein powder as a supplement.

Best bod in

Bollywood: “Hrithik Roshan.... Bollywood has had access to gyms for many years. With the arrival of the gym culture and quality trainers in Calcutta, Tollywood is improving too. Look, now we have Tota and Dev!” Jeet says.

TOTA ROY CHOWDHURY

Working out has been a part of Tota’s life since his school days in Kurseong. He loves athletics and soccer. In the late Eighties, he took up Taekwondo. In the Nineties, he took to learning “exercise science”.

Tota has set up a gym at his residence, where the shelves are crammed with tomes on fitness training. “I am a free weight man. Machines are a complete no-no for me. I fancy functional strength, which is about building a strong and supple body that’s more fit than showy. Exercises, like a Dumbbell Deadlift and rotational shoulder press, make more sense to me,” Tota tells me.

On the grind

Tota has recently started training with me and I can vouch that he is a trainer’s delight. Tota does three days of strength, two days of cardio and two days of core stability (which means exercising the stomach, lower back and oblique muscles).

Tota looks at specific purposes. For instance, if a role in a movie or TV serial needs him to sport a muscular look, he would go for hypertrophy training.

“My overall programme is aimed at maintaining lean tissue as a muscular look doesn’t suit all kinds of characters on screen. But if a role requires a muscular look, I quickly slip into a mass-enhancing exercise,” he says.

As a trainer, I admire Tota for a quality that is more common in a sportsman — the posture and alignment in his core stabilisation training, which is top class. When most people are obsessed with ab crunches, Tota sticks to the relatively boring two-point plank or one-leg T-holds. The catch? By strengthening his deeper stabilising muscles, Tota has built a body that’s injury-free as well as powerful. He can effortlessly lift his body in the air as he demonstrates a Taekwondo kick. “Core stability is my favourite since staying free from injury is one of the goals of my workout. I am game for some challenging dynamic core, both on the Swiss ball and on the floor,” Tota reminds me.

On the move

Tota’s travel bag is stuffed with a wide range of fitness equipment, from the stability board to Thera-Band, Thera-Tube and foam roller. “I look out for a gym when I am shooting out of town. Body weight, resistance band training and core workout are what I do when a gym is not available,” he says.

Right bite

Fish and toned milk make up the protein part of Tota’s diet. “I have eggs daily and red meat once or twice a month. I avoid sweets and too much oil in food,” he says. That apart, his diet has plenty of green vegetables, fruit and yogurt.

Best bod in

Bollywood: “Hrithik Roshan.... Bengali cinema doesn’t always need macho heroes. If more films need heroes to flaunt their biceps, there will sure be a rush of new faces. We have got Dev. Even Jisshu (Sengupta) is on weight training now,” says Tota.

Do you think Tolly’s men are fitter and sexier than Tolly’s women? Tell t2@abpmail.com