'Katrina is not a naturally flexible person'

The gorgeous Katrina Kaif has one of the best bodies in the film industry today, and much of the credit goes to her fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala.

It was also due to this rigorous training that Katrina was able to pull off the tough choreography in Dhoom 3's Malang song.

In an e-mail interview, Yasmin tells Patcy N how she perfected Katrina's figure. 

How did Katrina first get in touch with you?

I met Katrina through Salman Khan and his sister Alvira.

Katrina has been training with me since the last six-seven years.

When I first started training Katrina, she needed to lose weight overall. The areas we focused on were her legs and abs.

What changes did you tell her to make in her lifestyle?

Losing weight, looking good, and being flexible are the ‘side effects’ of exercise.

Exercise is all about being fit. I prefer to think of fitness conceptually, rather than as exercise. And this is what I tell all of my clients, including Katrina.

It’s a mindset that involves balance, eating right, exercise, adequate sleep and a healthy frame of mind. This is the transformation that Katrina (and most of my other clients also) made.

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What kind of exercise regime did you start with her?

We started with strength training and cardiovascular exercises. Later, I added TRX, Functional, Powerplate, Kettlebells and Pilates.

What was her day plan like?

She would come for a workout mid morning and then again for cardio in the evening.

What was her food plan?

Even with food, I do not prescribe what exactly they should eat. Rather it is learning about what they like/don’t like, and then educating them about making the right choices.

So with Katrina, the food plan consisted of Oats for breakfast, a fruit mid morning, fish and vegetables for lunch, a sandwich in the evening and soup and eggwhites for dinner.

How was Katrina as a client?

It’s great working with Katrina. She is clear about her goals, is extremely focused, is prepared to do what it takes, and likes to look the part of whichever character she's playing. She works really hard in achieving it. Working with committed clients is extremely rewarding as they achieve their goals. That's the best reward for me.

Did she get fed up with her routine anytime?

She is human, and I can’t say whether she got fed up. I am sure there were times during Dhoom 3 when she was fatigued.

Her workouts were very challenging and there were times her body had not recovered from the previous workout but she still kept going. Her determination is commendable.

Being a big star, did she ever throw tantrums or bad days?

Everyone has bad days, and perhaps Katrina did too.

But in all my years of working with Katrina, she never throws tantrums, nor does she project herself like the star she is. She is a lovely person and if she's having a bad day, she keeps it to herself.

How did she make time when the shooting of Dhoom 3 was on?

Even when she was shooting, Katrina made time for her workouts, as her mission was to look exactly like the gymnast she plays in the film. She was relentless. I traveled with her when she was shooting abroad and when she was shooting in remote areas. We would clear an area and work out without any equipment, whether the weather was hot or the place was sandy!

It's very difficult to make time for workouts on days where they shoot long hours. Stars either shoot after packup, which is sometimes really late, or before they start which is very early.

During this training, did she ever get injured?

Katrina worked on ropes, silks and hoops during the movie. She got big bruises on her legs while rehearsing for the songs. She would workout in spite of that.

How many hours did Katrina put in everyday?

Katrina worked out almost three hours a day, seven days a week. There were no days off, there was no time. We worked for almost a year, as the movie was shot over that period and the look had to be constant.

What part of her body did you have to work hardest on?

Every part of her body actually!

She needed a very strong upper body, as she was doing a lot of gymnast moves. So we focused on push-ups and pull-ups (which are not easy for women). She was wearing clothes where her midriff was showing, hence I made her do Pilates for the flat abs look, her legs had to look long and strong and we concentrated on lunges, squats, plyometrics.

How flexible is Katrina? What was the toughest ting about training her? What is the easiest?

Katrina is not a naturally flexible person and she works hard at getting it.

Pull-ups were the most challenging exercise for her because it is really difficult to lift your body weight, as women's bodies are not meant for it. If an exercise is easy, then you are definitely not doing it right.

Katrina said in an interview that now that the film shoot is over, she's hiding from you!

That is absolutely true! When she packed up for Dhoom 3, both of us knew that we would not see each other in the gym for at least three to six months! We need a break.