Sohrab Khushrushahi is a name and face that has gained popularity in fitness circles in recent years. Having trained countless Indians, including several celebrities, through her SohFit program, Sohrab is now bringing RFT to India. Raw Functional Training (RFT) is a fitness module that focuses on functional conditioning over aesthetics, which was created by Da Rulk, whose real name is Joseph Sakoda. In a conversation with the Hindustan Times, the two fitness experts talk about RFT, the Indian wellness scene and their favorite celebrity clients: Alia Bhatt and Chris Hemsworth. Also read: Alia Bhatt asks why having a child should change her professional life
RFT focuses on minimal equipment and an emphasis on movement and flow rather than lifting heavy weights all the time. Speaking about why he felt it necessary to bring it to India, Sohrab says: “It’s about making fitness accessible to as many people as possible. India is developing, when it comes to fitness. Not everyone has access to gyms or money to buy equipment. For me, a form of training that you can do in your room without equipment does the job. I think it fits perfectly into our ecosystem.”
Da Rulk adds that he has been getting to grips with the Indian fitness scene these days and is excited to start his journey here. “He’s in his infancy in the sense that everyone is getting into the flow of working out. That’s why I’m so excited about India because it gives us an opportunity to start from the genesis and make people focus on feeling stronger instead of just aesthetics. Overall, it’s exciting,” he says.
Although both Sohrab and Da Rulk strongly dislike the term ‘celebrity fitness trainer’, they have been described as such over and over again. Through her SohFit program, Sohrab has worked with names like Alia Bhatt and Kiara Advani, while Da Rulk has trained the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Josh Brolin. Speaking of training celebrities, Da Rulk says, “Celebrities are people too. People sometimes put them on a pedestal. It just gives more visibility to what we do. I train with people like Chris Hemsworth and Josh Brolin, and also with first responders (firefighters, Navy SEALS, etc.). First responders tend to lend credibility and edification to my training curriculum. But training with Chris and Josh and those guys gives him visibility. When you put those two things together, it’s a special mix.”
Sohrab adds that he has a special respect for celebrities for the amount of hard work they put in and also reveals which celebrity client of his is willing to work the hardest. “They are incredible people. They work very hard. They are very good at what they do because they work very hard at it. I treat them as I would any other person. But I have a special soft corner for Alia and I feel that she works very hard. I’ve seen her work 16-hour sessions and then come in and do a training session at night. I think that takes a lot away from an individual. It’s hard to get in and train after a long day like that. I give him a lot of respect for that,” he shares.
Sohrab also talked about Alia’s pregnancy and how a woman’s exercise regimen changes when she’s pregnant. Sohrab explains how she adapts exercise routines for her clients when they are pregnant. He says: “(Training) does change. We do touch-ups. The beauty of any form of training is that we can always adapt. I believe that just because a girl is expecting a child, she doesn’t need to stop moving or drastically change. India is a place where people do not allow women to move once they are pregnant. That shouldn’t happen.”
Da Rulk adds that he focuses on training to be fun, something Chris Hemsworth is an expert at. “Chris is hilarious. He is like being surrounded by 13 year olds. They are always jokes. You’re laughing so much that it’s a lot of ab work without having to add to it. Focusing tends to be a bit difficult because you tend to laugh during the routine. But it’s always a good time. The training is for you, so it should be fun,” he says with a laugh.
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