BENGALURU: Devrath and Swetha are two fitness trainers who are getting popular these days for their unique fitness technique called ‘animal flow’. They introduced this technique in their training and their respective gyms, and it is very simple to practise. Animal flow is a mixture of postures of different animals that creates a flow in the way you move.
“Animal flow is basically a fitness program that combines ground-based movements with elements from various body weight-training disciplines such as yoga, dancing, martial arts, animal postures and more. It helps improve mobility, strength, endurance, power and it works not just the muscles but also the joints and fascia,”says Devrath.
Animal flow can be practised by people from all walks of life. “It helps people correct muscle imbalances caused due to incorrect posture, because of lifestyle people now lead. It gives you the opportunity to train anywhere without being dependant on a gym,” adds Devrath, speaking about the benefits of animal flow. It helps you build cardo- vascular strength while also keeping your body lean. “People should practise it regularly because you do not need any equipment for it. It’s done in a rhythmic way, like yoga, and relaxes you,” says Swetha, who is a doctor by profession.
People from all age groups do animal flow, and it should be practised,regularly. “A healthy frequency would be 5-6 days a week, but if somebody is just starting off, even 20-30 minutes a day, three times a week, will be very beneficial,” says Devrath. Animal flow, and techniques like this, help create a balance between the mind and the body.
Shwetha says that it boosts your confidence. “The way the workouts are designed definitely helps people mentally as well. These techniques are stress busters, so automatically you will benefit mentally, because it makes you physically active all the time, which keeps you engaged and positive,” she says.
Animal flow is not only for building muscles or for weight loss, it improves your strength and stamina. “The main goal of this kind of training is for improving your fitness levels. When you focus on this, your body will automatically go through positive changes like fat reduction, lean muscle building, toning and more,” adds Devrath.
“Animal flow gives you more strength and endurance, and there by a lot of control on your body. So the extra fat in your body burns out and you get fit. There are no protein shakes or machines that control you - you control your body. So basically, there are no side effects,” says Swetha. The results of animal flow can be felt gradually, but transforms you into a different person .
A client of Devrath , Mitesh Jhaveri, says, “I joined Devarth’s class for strength and endurance a year back. But I find an overall change in a very short span of time. My posture has become better, helped me improve my muscle strength and I have very good control over my body. I have lost about 17-18kgs, and my body fat percentage reduced from 26% to 18%. Even mentally, I have become stronger after being trained.”
The response to this practise is huge on social media, especially on Instagram. They are better known as ‘The Sweaty Ninjas’. “Sweaty Ninjas is an account on Instagram , a collaboration between Devrath and I. Our goal is to reach out to people and help them reach their fitness goals using different forms of fitness,” says Swetha.
Bengaluru being a cosmopolitan city, is open to experimenting and trying new things, “In the beginning, it was a challenge, because old-school training has been happening from decades. But once trial classes are done and people achieve immediate benefits, they continue on. Social media is giving me a great platform to share my knowledge and experience, and we presently have 1,500 clients in the age bracket of 15-55,” says Devrath. “I have online clients all over the world, from Canada, Shanghai ,Hongkong, Chennai and Hyderabad. But most of the personal training happens in the NCF (National Corps Fitness) Bengaluru,” says Shweta.
To be a part of this training, you can join the Ninja Fit programme happening from February 19, which is conducted by Devrath, “Ninja fit is a programme I have designed where people can learn animal flow, gymnastic drills and core training,” says Devrath.
For further details, email them at devrathdv@gmail.com or swetha_devraj@yahoo.com