A picture-perfect example of the muscular wealth that women can develop by training well into their 40s, Sushmita Sen has, for several years, invested in building muscle mass by adopting resistance training practices. Easily among the actors who have set an example when establishing the importance of consistency in physical fitness, Sen appears to have navigated fitness-related ailments by merely showing up at the gym, day after day.

Her trainer Shivoham advocates for this consistency when stating that Sen has, over the years, become aware of her physical needs. “The most important thing for any individual to maintain a certain aesthetic level is to be aware of their body. You need a strong mind that has the ability to focus and concentrate. She has that. She is aware of what her body needs, the kind of exercises it responds to, and what it is capable of doing,” says the trainer, who was introduced to Sen when she wanted to return to training on the Olympic loop. 

“Like me, she loves the [equipment], and had come to me with the aim to lose body fat, become stronger, and get into shape. There is a need to set an initial foundation [for] strength [training], and there was a gap in her training. Some elements of mobility and flexibility had to be addressed. We started slowly, with dynamic movements during the warm-ups. We would also take to activation exercises with loop-bands, and target the tiny muscles of the body.”

The trainer highlights that it is these smaller muscles that contribute to one’s stability, and help in preventing injuries. He’d subsequently focus on making her perform drills, skill-work, and squats, all aimed at helping her understand correct movement patterns.

“Strength building is very important. Women feel formats like yoga and pilates are enough, but they only have aspects of resistance training attached with them. After using the body-weight for a while, you need to add weights. To do pull-ups, you need to do [lateral] pull-downs, and inclined and declined bench presses for push-ups, and to work the entire body,” he says, encouraging women to adopt similar practices. “When you have lean muscle-mass, your metabolism increases, and you will burn more calories. People only want to jog, not lift. But, no matter how much you train, you won’t become bulky, like a man.”

Shivoham, who counts actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez among his clients, focuses on the need to encourage discomfort. “You need to push the body a little bit every time. Increasing the intensity and difficulty level helped Sushmita reach the point where we could finally train on the rings, and perform pull-ups with some resistance. People get scared of being in an uncomfortable zone, but you need to be there if you want to see results, both, in your training and your life.”