Look good, feel good: Rujuta Divekar and Sakina Chinwala (third and fifth from left) at the contest

What?s common to industrialist Anil Ambani, film stars Suniel Shetty and Sonali Bendre, and model-turned-actor Lisa Ray? They all have a personal trainer who advises them on everything related to fitness, ranging from an exercise regime to a healthy nutrition and diet pattern. And the Leena Mogre Fitness Academy recently organised a unique competition this month to put the spotlight firmly on these unknown faces behind Mumbai?s beautiful people.

Interestingly, the top awards didn?t go to well-built hunks with rippling muscles, but to two young women. ?More and more women are entering this profession,? says fitness expert Leena Mogre, who organised the competition to celebrate 10 years of her fitness academy.

Held at popular discotheque Velocity early this month, the competition received entries from 75 personal trainers in Mumbai. The jury, consisting of Australia-based trainer Rajan Bhojani, Roit Narang of Narang Hospitality, Rahul Nanda of Tops Group Security Services, US Trade Commissioner Richard Rothman, and Procam Sports head Vivek Singh, shortlisted 25 candidates.

?All participants first had to pass through a written test and then undergo a round of personal fitness tests. The 25 who qualified were asked to narrate their success stories, and how they advised their clients on various aspects of fitness. The final 10 had to undergo a round of jury questions,? says Mogre, chatting at the celebrity favourite Gold Gym in Bandra where she works as a chief operating officer.

Rujuta Divekar won the top award of a free Air-India ticket to the US sponsored by American health equipment manufacturer Precor. Runner-up Sakina Chinwala won a prize of a free supply of EAS supplements (which include protein powders) for one year. Actor John Abraham and model Anupama Verma handed over the prizes.

Twenty-sex-year-old Chinwala feels that personal training is a noble job where both the satisfaction of helping a client as well as the monetary benefits are high. ?As a child, my immunity levels were low. So I joined a gymnasium and slowly, my interest in being a fitness professional grew,? says Chinwala.

?The fact that there is such a competition means that the fitness industry has finally arrived. Earlier, when I told people I was a sports nutritionist, people would ask ?That?s fine, but what do you do for a living?? I hope that this will change,? says winner Rujuta Divekar, 26, whose long list of celebrity clientele includes Ambani, Bendre and Ray.

Daughter of an engineer and a college lecturer, Divekar acquired a BSc in industrial chemistry from Ruia College before doing her postgraduation in sports science and nutrition from SNDT University. She did her internship with the Sports Authority of India before launching her career as a personal trainer.

?I have worked with people as different as a call centre executive who works at night, to an actress who does three shifts a day, to 9-to-5 executives of the corporate world, and each has to be advised differently,? says Divekar.

Looks like the fitness bug has infected everybody.

Leena Mogre’s list

The fitness expert defines the five essential attributes of a good personal trainer:

Professionalism: There is a thin line between you and the client. You generally work in a casual atmosphere where music is playing, and you are in your tracksuit. However well-known or rich your client might be, you are his/ her boss at that moment.

Certification: A personal trainer requires proper scientific training. That does not mean you do not need anything else. You have to continuously upgrade your knowledge to deal with various kind of clientele.

Truthfulness: A personal trainer cannot take a client for a ride. If a client says he wants to reduce weight in two months, you have to tell him the truth — that a weight loss programme takes longer than that.

Disciplined lifestyle: A personal trainer has to remember that he/ she is a role model for others. It is important to have a disciplined lifestyle and be fit. So, trainers have to do all that they advise their clients to do. You can’t be found drinking by your client, for instance.

Punctuality: A personal trainer has to maintain punctuality to be able to perform his tasks better.

The rise of the personal trainer

The profession emerged as a full-fledged career for many, coinciding with the rise in urban stress ?When I started the academy in 1994, people would ask me whether they could enrol in the ?gym?. I patiently explained that my academy is not a gym, but a fitness academy where scientific knowledge of fitness is given,? says Leena Mogre, whose institute started with just 10 students, and now has produced more than 2,000 certified personal trainers in the last decade. The academy has a faculty of experts in sports medicine, nutrition and diet, food science, obesity and physiotherapy. The three-month fitness management course at the academy covers subjects like anatomy, exercise physiology, exercise injuries, sports-specific exercises, weight loss, client identification and presentation.

Mogre now has branches in Thane, Chennai and Baroda, and says she even has plans to start one in Calcutta. She says personal trainers now earn anywhere between Rs 3,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month, depending on their clientele.