Fitness coach Anwar Wahab wants his students to enjoy whatever exercises they do

Known for training Bollywood celebrities and national sportsmen, Anwar Wahab is still recalled for introducing Kolkata to kettlebells. The energetic strength conditioning coach who runs AweFitness feels that speedy vaccination drive has helped considerably to get people out of their self-isolation and socialise once more.

“Besides socialising and going about their normal lives, we are also getting used to outdoor activities once more like running and yoga. But I think, for some time more, most people will balance fitness between the gym and home, in the same way, they will between working from home and going to the office,” reflects Wahab.

Wahab tells us that training your muscles entails a lot of hard work and discipline, that’s only possible through proper guidance at a good gym and hence, during the lockdown and the prolonged pandemic, people were resorting to online fitness classes and have got kind of used to the same.

“But training online is challenging for the trainers as well as for the clients and takes more effort and time if a newbie chooses to take up online training as a lot of corrections is required,” adds Wahab. The most important difference between virtual and actual classes is the energy-packed environment that often motives one to push harder, feels Wahab

According to Wahab, the pandemic has taught most of us to stay healthy and remained prepared for any unforeseen catastrophe and one such health crisis that Wahab has observed growing rapidly is heart disease. Wahab cautions that those with a family history of heart disease, should be extra careful and get a routine check-up done before beginning any kind of training programme. “Also using performance-enhancing drugs can lead to cardiac irregularities and collapses and even extreme stress and heart attack. So, periodic screening tests are a must to detect abnormalities early on and get preventive therapy,” he adds.

Wahab also believes that rather than staying inactive, it’s always helpful if one engages in any kind of aerobic activity that includes running, cycling, swimming and combining the same with strength training or bodyweight exercises.

Wahab, who trains many acclaimed sportsmen and celebs, says that the training process was majorly difficult during the pandemic. “Training athletes, especially the top ones, was very challenging as the goal wasn’t just attaining fitness but also peaking and performing at the right time. It’s a very scientific process and if I can’t get their muscles to fire during the tournament week I have pretty much failed. I had to use my experience and combine it with the fundamentals to design a program that would not only challenge the athletes but also keep them injury-free. A big issue was the home flooring and lack of equipment,” he tells us as he talks about the challenges he faced.

For an otherwise healthy individual, he feels strength training and alternate days of outdoor activities like cycling, running, rowing or any other sport are enough to tackle stress. “Don’t forget to add a bit of stretching and mobility exercises to your daily fitness regimen too. But do take help from an expert to avoid injury and be in tune with your goal. Do not forget to rest and recover and do things that you enjoy,” says Wahab.