Hunt For The Kingfisher Calendar Girl is on

Dheepesh Bhatt, trainer of the show Hunt For The Kingfisher Calendar Girl, on how he manages to keep participants in shape despite rigorous shooting schedule.

Though most people would die to get a model-like figure, not many know what goes into maintaining that shapely form. The NDTV Good Times show, Hunt For The Kingfisher Calendar Girl is currently shooting for its episodes in Udaipur. As part of the show, 15 Indian and international models are battling it out to feature on the Kingfisher annual calendar, The rigorous shooting schedule that stretches round the clock offers very little time for breaks. Since maintaining a taxing routine with high fitness levels is a difficult task, the show has roped in former national level athlete and owner of CrossFitOM box gym, Dheepesh Bhatt, to make sure the girls remain their fittest.

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A regular day for the models starts with stretching, followed by a basic warm up. This includes a jog, push-ups, squats and sit-ups. Says Bhatt, “We have weekly themes depending on the tasks the girls perform on the show. For example if it is ‘strength’, I make them do body-weight exercises like push-ups and then some core workouts like the plank and sit ups.” He adds, “From what I saw, these models barely get any time to relax or sleep. But that’s a game they signed up for. I told them that the least they could do to stay in shape was eat right and exercise.”

Surprisingly, according to Bhatt, most of the participants on the show had never been to the gym or done any form of exercise. "Around 90 per cent of the girls had never stepped into a gym. Little did they know that this hectic lifestyle would take a toll on their bodies and it would be too late by the time they realise it," says Bhatt, who’s previously trained Bollywood celebrities like Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Neha Dhupia, Jacqueline Fernandez, Jackky Bhagnani and Arjun Kapoor.

He adds, “To work with the girls was a little tough, but they were hardworking and competitive. They knew that in order to win and be the best, they had to work harder than ever. Now, I can’t wait to see how it turns out on TV.”