He didn’t choose fitness—it chose him. Yogesh Bhateja is the man who trains the who's who of B-town. From Sonu Sood, Kangana Ranaut, Tamannaah Bhatia to Farah Khan and Neetu Kapoor, Bhateja is the force behind these sculpted physiques.
Bhateja’s journey began in 2007, far from the glittering sets of Bollywood. He started off with managing the gym at NIFT, Hauz Khas. Then moved on to Fitness First in Connaught Place and Gold’s Gym. Then came a call that changed everything. In 2013, a friend in Mumbai invited him to manage a gym there.
“I wanted to be around driven people. I knew these actors were in a race, and I wanted to be a part of it,” he says the excitement still palpable in his voice recalling the decision he took years back.
Sonu Sood was his first client. The actor was filming R…Rajkumar and Happy New Year at that time. The trainer asked for 15 days to prove himself, saying, “I saw potential in him—real potential.” The transformation was so powerful that gradually the gate of Bollywood opened for him.
Price of Stardom
In Bollywood, actors are expected to transform as the role demands. When asked about how much they are willing to invest in their fitness, Bhateja says, there’s no limit. “They’ll do whatever it takes to look their best.” Monthly fitness costs can range from Rs 5 to Rs 15 lakh—a figure considered routine in the industry.
For the general public, skipping a gym day or cutting a workout short might be normal, but celebrities live by a different code. He says discipline is non-negotiable. “They carve out at least an hour and a half every single day for training,” he says.
When asked about any secret hacks that only celebs know, he smiles and says, “There’s no real secret—just consistency. That’s the golden rule.” Bhateja says while some might assume celebrities follow ‘mysterious’ regimens, celebs don’t treat fitness casually.
Fitness, personalised
The trainer says that lifestyle, medical history, energy levels, and mental health play a crucial role in deciding individual workout routines. “It’s important to know how someone’s feeling—do they have pain, are they energised or fatigued?” he says. These indicators help craft the right plan.
In an industry where there is pressure to look a certain way and actors juggle between multiple roles with different physical demands, shortcuts sometimes come into play. He says steroids are used, though discreetly. However, he emphasises safer alternatives like prosthetics. “Prosthetics help actors replicate a look without damaging their bodies. It’s especially useful when time is short and expectations are high,” he explains. He refers to a movie in which actor Ayushmann Khurrana appeared as a fitness coach — an example where prosthetics were cleverly used to enhance the character’s appearance.
Staying accountable
The trainer says one has to be accountable and present to keep a track of their clients routine. Yogesh says from phone alarms and daily check-ins to direct coordination with their managers and staff, he’s in it 24/7. “When they don’t listen to their spot boys or managers, that’s when I call them directly,” he laughs.
Does he have cheat days? “I’m in Delhi right now—I'm going to eat everything!” He compares it to the workweek: “We work Monday to Friday, and rest on weekends to stay sane. Same with fitness—six days of discipline, and one day to feed your soul.”
Tale of two cities
When asked to choose between Delhi or Mumbai, he says, “Delhi is my heart. Mumbai is my soul,” without missing a beat. “I was born in Delhi—but my identity was formed in Mumbai.”
His love for India runs deep. He shares that during his college years in Amravati, he used to live with friends from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Gujarat. “I picked up bits of everyone’s language, their culture, their spirit,” he said.