As I trudge up the stairs of the recently opened The Formula, Alwarpet, I think to myself that there is no need for yet another workout and nutrition space in a city already clogged with them. From boot camps and dieticians doling out meal plans, to power yoga and lifting, there are enough options already. How different can this one be?
Very, if the interiors are any indication. Two sleds are parked on a slice of turf that covers one half of their fitness space, while the rest is taken up by weights, Swiss balls, TRX bands, kettlebells, foam rollers and cable machines.
A low box, with a handle protruding from the centre, catches my eye.. “ That is a K box,” says co-founder Rahul Gopal, showing me how to use the flywheel training device that — though less intimidating than a huge barbell across your shoulder — is equally effective. More importantly, it is great for older people or people with a history of injury, points out Gopal. “I write programmes for clients based on weakness,” he says, adding that he starts with an initial postural assessment.
Though training is an important part of the programme, the folks at The Formula are nutrition first. “You can’t outtrain a bad diet. Eighty per cent is nutrition,” says Gopal, “as long as you are in deficit, you are fine and will consistently lose.”
Every client undergoes a series of blood tests — sugar, lipid, thyroid profiling; scanning levels of Vitamin D, B12 and iron; decoding liver and kidney function — and a DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan to analyse body composition. The nutrition programme is customised based on this assessment, and on the client’s current lifestyle and goals.
“Nothing is templatised,” says Dr Prashant Koneru, the other founder of what they call a lifestyle clinic. “Every person is approached differently and this is what impacts sustainability and compliance, “ he points out.
A series of charts at the consultation room indicate the cost of getting your dream body. The charts spells it out for you, using body fat percentage as a health indicator. A good number to work towards — around 15%-20 % for men and anywhere between 22%-28% for women — involves ensuring that you eat one-two palms of protein and one-two palms of vegetables at most meals, exercise three-five times a week and cut back on desserts, processed foods and alcohol. The hard work and sacrifice gets progressively more regimented as you go closer towards the still-healthy 6% for men and 16% for women. Anything lower is unhealthy and not sustainable.
Journey so far
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they say. Both founders have battled weight and lifestyle illnesses themselves. “I was always lean and athletic,” says Gopal. Then life happened and like many other IT professionals, he began to work long hours, eat junk, drink and smoke.
When his doctor asked him to undertake some tests, he discovered he was pre-diabetic with cholesterol, B12 and Vitamin D issues. “I was also overweight with over 35 % body fat,” says Gopal, who overhauled his lifestyle and then went on to acquire certifications in nutrition and fitness.
Dr Koneru’s story is similar. A medical doctor and entrepreneur, he admits that a busy schedule involving travel left him overweight and diabetic. Though he tried many things — Internet coaching, obsessing over food, test driving many workout plans and diets — nothing happened till he met Gopal. “Rahul and I were childhood buddies. We got together and he began changing my nutrition and training,” he says, adding that this resulted in him losing over 20 kilograms and reversing his diabetes.
The Formula hopes to address, “the lacuna between medical and non-medical treatment,” with its team of physios, nutritionists and coaches. After all, “everyone has their own formula,” smiles Dr Koneru.
To know more, log on to http://theformula.fit .
