Sujeet Kargutkar with Taapsee Pannu

Whether or not it could be considered safe for a woman to acquire six-pack abs has long been a discussion in the wellness industry, with most practitioners citing that minimising fat percentage to single digits is often not favourable. But, Taapsee Pannu’s trainer Sujeet Kargutkar disagrees.

“A woman’s body fat percentage can be as low as 12, and she can still have a healthy lifestyle. Your menstrual cycle can get adjusted. If you eliminate sugar, gluten and packaged foods, you would [be able to hit] this number,” says the trainer, who got Pannu looking her athletic best ahead of her shoot for a sportswear brand.

A far cry from the strength training sessions that dominated her regimen, Pannu’s new plan included a mix of cardiovascular activities, yoga, HIIT, and functional training, which were “combined in a way to help her [develop] a fine midriff”. “A woman would want to have the kind of body [that she has built]. It has a feminine touch, and a ripped core. Women don’t want bulky shoulders or visible triceps, because it makes them look manly. I think this is an ideal body for [a woman].”

For five months, Kargutkar worked with Pannu over 90-minute sessions, even in the midst of her shooting stints. “We worked in local gyms, even in rural areas; we trained in six degrees in Agra and Nainital, and at 33 degrees in Bhuj. Even if she was running a fever, or was unwell after a 14-hour shoot, she would show up. It is possible to acquire this frame if one is disciplined, which she is.”

Pannu has more than one voice to vouch for her discipline. Her nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal agrees, and admits that supplements were indeed used to help her acquire the physical frame that she did. “We’d frequently discuss what was and wasn’t working, and would adjust the supplements accordingly. Among other things, Glutamine was one that we added to help her recover from her training routines, faster.”

While she doesn’t choose to put her clients on a high dose of non-vegetarian meals, Ganeriwal says the inclusion of protein shakes in Pannu’s diet wasn’t aesthetically favouring her. “So, I put her on a daily dose of white meat, including chicken, eggs, and fish. This enabled her to consume the required amount of protein that was needed to build muscle definition. Also, we never put her on a no-carb diet. She got her carbs from millets, which, being rich in fibre, are satiating, and also better suited for fat loss.”