MUSCLE POWER: Celebrity trainer Prashant Sawant shares Shah Rukh Khan’s fitness routine and the secret formula for his body transformation in the YRF film ‘Pathaan’

By Eshita Bhargava

For his role in ‘Pathaan’ Shah Rukh Khan had to look tough and strong like a real Pathaan. This entailed increasing his weight to match that of the character. ‘Pathaan’ is based on the Muslim community which migrated from Afghanistan to India. SRK wanted to demonstrate that Pathaan Muslims are as much a part of India as any other Indian community.

Shah Rukh Khan’s look in Pathaan has been appreciated by his fans and critics. His chiseled midsection and bulging biceps probably made his character believable and real. In Pathaan, the 57-year-old actor is playing a spy and fighting the bad men. However, this is not Shah Rukh Khan’s first major body transformation— In 2007, he was seen in six-pack abs for Om Shanti Om.
To understand how Shah Rukh Khan managed to achieve an impressive physique, we got in touch with his fitness trainer Prashant Sawant who has been working with the actor for the past 23 years. He explained the workout routine of SRK for Pathaan. In a candid interview with FinancialExpress.com’s Eshita Bhargava, Prashant Sawant spoke about Shah Rukh Khan’s approach to fitness, lifestyle habits, and what it’s like to work with him. Excerpts from the interview:

It’s been almost 23 years since you started working with Shah Rukh Khan. How has his fitness evolved over the years?
Shah Rukh Khan’s fitness has evolved drastically. He has become much stronger and fitter as he grows old. It’s been 23 years that I am training him and the only key mantra is – ‘Consistency plays a big role.’ In the last few years, Shah Rukh Khan has undergone lots of injuries and surgeries and he has become a lot more careful. He’s becoming more patient with his body. He also does a lot of research for his fitness.

What has it been like to work with him?
Working with Shah Rukh Khan is great. He makes you feel comfortable and follows everything like a good student. He allows me to take control and that makes my job easier. Also, he gives me a lot of authority and liberty in commanding his workouts. He is very easy to work with. I feel blessed that I got a chance to train him.

Please tell us about Shah Rukh Khan’s fitness routine for Pathaan.
We followed different routines for Pathaan – Staring with building his strength and doing lots of pull-ups and push-ups. There are grand action sequences in the film and the stamina to perform those scenes was important. We did isometric movements and concentrated more on different parts of bodies at a time. Even when Covid hit, his commitment to his training and involvement remained very high. He was training every day and sending me photos of his progress.
When I train an actor, I focus on one or two body parts at a time and perform exercise variations relating to those. We tried to concentrate on the body parts that were weaker. As you know, Shah Rukh Khan had a shoulder injury and I had to work majorly on building his shoulder strength. Shah Rukh Khan also loves strengthening his core, so we included deadlifts and squats as well.
We also included new ways to work out, like circuit training. The focus was on strength training and getting stronger because that’s what his character in Pathaan required. We wanted him to look bigger and never focused on showing off his body.

How does his diet complement his fitness?
Three things are essential for your fitness — Training, nutrition, and supplements. We worked on a comprehensive plan for his nutrition, protein intake, and multi-vitamin. Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t like to eat much but we added more protein to his diet to build muscle mass.
Advice to people aspiring to build a Shah Rukh Khan-like body.
For Pathaan, Shah Rukh Khan achieved the results cause of his dedication, patience, sincerity, and consistency. You will never find him on the phone or listening to music while he is working out. It’s important to have a mind-body connection while working out to achieve a body like his.

5 tips for people who want to get fit.
It’s sad to see people opting for shortcuts to build their bodies.
• Eat well and clean
• Keep your body hydrated
• Maintain a proper sleep cycle
• Don’t opt for shortcuts
• Workout

Courtesy: The Financial Express