It started a little over six months ago. After a few years of just obsessively thinking, deeply hoping, and casually spreading the word, a couple of friends became the world that conspired to make this a reality. It may have been a couple of years, or maybe a couple more, I’ve been wrestling with this nagging conversation with myself to hit the gym and focus on getting fitter.

Sometime in June 2025, A couple of friends and I were returning from another friend’s 40^th birthday celebrations, and one of them popped the question, ‘Why don’t you consider joining a gym?’ Now, it wasn’t just the two voices in my head fighting each other out. There was a real voice outside that added to the conflict or the chorus. She added that she’s happy to keep following up with me till I acted on it. My issue has never been converting my will to action, turning inertia into momentum, but it’s just been about finding the right personal trainer. We both let the conversation hibernate in the Bombay rains. Sometime in the first week of October of 2025, I reached out to the same set of friends again to check if they knew of anyone who’s a personal trainer, and would be interested in taking up a gig to train me. Looking back at it, I don’t know why I didn’t ask them earlier, or reach out to different gyms in my vicinity for the same. I guess it was to be October, it was to be 2025, and so it was. My friends reached out to their trainer, and he was happy to give it a try, and take a bet on me. And so, here we are, months later, keeping the rhythm going.

Fussy Me Or Fitter Me?

I was keen on a personal trainer for a couple of reasons.

1. For guiding me through the exercises through a combination of touch-assisted movements and conversations. If this is the first piece of mine you’ve chanced upon, or the first time you’re getting to know me, here’s a quick disclosure detour. I’m visually impaired—to the extent of 100% blindness in both my eyes, with only some light perception left to grace the routine. I’ve had this condition since my birth, but if there’s any moment I’m looking straight into your eyes while talking to you, treat it as a happy accident. I’m neither reading your mind, nor am I hit by a miracle for the ages. Sometimes, I can see through you, but no one does that only with eyes wide open.

2. For pushing me to the edge of possibilities, and stretching me day after day. I was looking for someone who would never settle for the bare minimum, but keep challenging the previous best. I think this need and urge to push myself stems from years of defending people’s perception of what I can do, and my forever restlessness to do more.

Working Out By Figuring Out

My fitness coach is the founder of Tabbar Goregaon, and he has been in the fitness space for years. However, he started off with hotel management by qualification and profession, went on to bite the corporate bug with an MBA, but lunged into the blend of physical fitness and entrepreneurship very soon. We’ve been meeting almost every week for three, and at times four sessions of sixty minutes each since October 2025. Through the course of the past months, I’ve learnt of names of equipment, which were part alien to me before. A physical workout is not physical alone—it calls on every inch of mental presence and resolve to ensure every rotation carries the right form till the end.

Just like any relationship (personal, vocational, professional or interest driven), honest and consistent communication is critical. We started off our engagement by me clearly stating my fitness goals. It was building the 2 Ss—strength and stamina. I didn’t look at any numbers, didn’t set any targets, but only focused on being regular and honest. My commitment to myself and my coach was just to show up and do the work. We then aligned on what’s the best mode of demonstrating the body movements. Some were easy to pick up with verbal cues. Some required him to assist by holding my hands/legs to explain the angles, and some had me touch his knees, hips and elbows to get a hang of the posture—especially during the initial days of squat variations. Everyone’s method of learning would be different, and I’m sure someone else would pick up some of these in completely different ways.

Every Start Leads to Discovery

There were times when I’d get something in the first go, and some of them like the kettlebell swings took a lot more repeat takes than I’d liked. We don’t just keep counts and see the sets drift by. He’d keep telling me the specific points each exercise is meant to address, and I’d continue to marvel at how the simplest of movements can lock and unlock a part of the body. I had often heard about the stretching routine in every sport, but in the initial weeks, I got to experience the true value and relief that it brings. I never knew human muscles have heads, a farmer’s walk is a cardio routine, and I’ll have a list of exercises that I’m not a fan of—push-ups, lateral raises, and battle rope. Who’d known the value of a resistance band as a strong exercise apparatus! If not for this gym routine, I would have never come to realize that squats, lunges, and burpees are not hard, and they’re some of my favourite sequences.

More Than Just Working Out

Our conversations are not limited to exercises alone. We continue to exchange a lot of notes on music. With a ton of newer artists and albums to sample. I have to say, I’ve been at the receiving end of a lot of good recommendations—Greta Van Fleet, The Strokes, Empire of the Sun, etc, and I’d geek out on Jeff Healey, David Gilmour, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the likes. We both agree that Eddie Vedder is bloody hard to understand when he sings, and the ’70s and ‘80s music wears a happy smile during an intense workout. Through our conversations, I learnt of the connection between Diwali and the sixth guru of the Sikhs from the 17th century, about Jalandhar being one of the leading exporters of sports and gym equipment from India, and recently, about plant-based proteins in chocolate flavours. We’re excited about the growing Gin culture in India, and Linkin Park’s new era with Emily Armstrong.

My coach started Tabbar Goregaon with all his savings over the years. He has deep knowhow on the intricacies of the human anatomy in motion and its endurance. They cater to people of all ages, some of whom have been their frequent subscribers for years. There’s a good blend of respect and rigor that shows up every single day, at this small corner in my neighbourhood, and I’m only glad to continue being its benefactor.

Listen Up

Walking on a Dream from the album of the same name from 2008 by Empire of the Sun. These lines nicely sum up the rush of my Tabbar routine.
‘We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it

Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it

On and on and on we are calling out, and out again

Never looking down, I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me.’

You can continue to check out my Trove Of Tunes curated in a Spotify playlist by clicking here.

Cheers,

Shri