After class 10, this "very average" student joined a college in Goregoan, only to drop out soon.

One of his aims was to work on a ship, but there was nobody to tell him how to go about it.

His father Subhash thought his son would join his small machine-parts workshop, and enrolled him in an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Borivali.

"My father did not have too much confidence in me those days and considered me a dumbo," said Sawant (28). "But the ITI course made me very disciplined, and I passed with distinction."

Even as he was pursuing the technical course, he took the vital step of joining a local gymnasium in Dahisar. "As a child, I was very fat and desperately wanted to look good," he said.

What started as fashion became a passion, which explains why he accepted the offer to be a part-time trainer in another local gym although the salary was measly "They took me in as a . trainer because I had a good body he said, throw ," ing a glance at his bulging biceps. He also worked as an office assistant for Rs 1,000 a month.

Soon, the 20-year-old got a Rs 3,000-a-month offer from ‘10, The Health Spa', a Bandra-based gymnasium. "Dad was not at all happy as he believed trainers had a short career," said Prashant.

"But I decided to take the risk. My reason was that I would change my line later if it did not pay off."

The Bandra job put him in touch with the elite lot. "I met actors like Anupama Verma and Dino Morea, and these people liked my style of training," he said.

The exposure that he got in the Bandra gym convinced him about the prospects in the field of fitness and he did a three-month course in fitness from the L.M. Fitness Academy in Bandra.

He started putting in extra hours and training a handful of high-profile clients at their houses. The most high-profile one was star Shah Rukh Khan.

"He took me along to Madhya Pradesh when he shot for Ashoka, and also to Malaysia for another film," Sawant said about the most important breakthrough of his career. "Since then, Shah Rukh has been like a godfather to me." His own gym Prashant changed jobs and worked at another gym in Andheri for a while. He bought a small flat in Dahisar for his family and his father was finally happy with the way his son's career was going. But not Prashant.

"I wanted to open my own gym so that I could provide personalised training to clients for an affordable fee," he said.

He took loans, used up all the credit on his cards and borrowed money from friends. "To run an establishment in an unknown area is a challenging task," he said. "When I moved from Andheri to Juhu, I lost my half-a-dozen clients."

He started his ‘Body Sculptor' gym in Juhu in 2004, on the first floor of a building - a small garage serving as the cardio wing. He kicked off with just one home treadmill, but later, a dealer gave him two more treadmills on installment. "During the floods, all my equipment got damaged and then I had to rebuild the gym from scratch," he said.

Today, the state-of-the-art gym with more than 100 members, functions from two floors, and Prashant has a dozen people to assist him, including his wife Maya Pereira Sawant. "She is also a trainer and I met her at a gym," he said. "We got married three months ago. She trains several female celebrities including Shah Rukh's wife Gauri Khan."

A framed photo of King Khan has this signed message: "To Prashant, may my body be like yours. God bless you and all the happiness to you."

How did he help Shah Rukh achieve the muchacclaimed six-pack abs? "He has been practising vigorously for two years. His aim was to have the best body in the industry at the age of 40. He told me about his plan to show his body in Om Shanti Om in February last year. We sat down and made a plan, and when you have a committed person like Shah Rukh, it is easy to implement it. He used to practise for an hour-and-a-half every day and shot the scene in August," said Sawant.

Besides Shah Rukh, he also trains celebrities like Hemant Trivedi, Aftab Shivdasani, Vipul Shah, Sharman Joshi and Nikhil Dwivedi. "A personal trainer is like a doctor," said Prashant. "You need to understand that you're playing with someone's body So, you need to understand that . person's body completely ."

Kabir Ali, the owner of a film production house who stepped in for a workout, said: "The best thing about this place is that the service is very personalised. And it is a one-stop shop, where you have dance, kickboxing, etc."

So, what does it take to succeed as a trainer? "Patience, talent and hard work," said Prashant, beaming at Ali's compliment.

hotjobs@hindustantimes.com

----------------------------------------------------------

Case Study

SHAPING HIS DESTINY: Prashant Sawant in his Juhu gym

a day in his life

6:00 am: I wake up.

7:00 am: I reach my gym and start training clients after a cup of tea.

10:00 am: I eat a breakfast of oatmeal and egg white.

12:30 pm: I eat protein shakes.

1:30 pm: I work out for about an hour.

2:30 pm: I eat a lunch of chicken, salad and vegetables.

5:00 pm: I eat protein shakes.

After 10:00 pm: I train Shah Rukh Khan, if he is free.

1:00 am to 2:00 am: I go to sleep. No fixed time, though.

------------------------------------------------------

Case Study

CHATROOM: PRASHANT SAWANT ON WHERE HE'S BEEN, WHERE HE'S GOING.

What is wonderful about this field is that all you need is a good body to succeed. Of course, it is a service industry, so your communication skills count a lot. You need to pamper your clients. Also, you need to be available to your clients 24x7.

What is your USP?

Well, I try to provide a personal touch. It is not enough if you make a standard programme. You need to understand each person's needs and design a suitable programme. After all, you are playing with someone's body .

What are your challenges at this stage?

It is easy to be a personal trainer.But now, I am an entrepreneur. So my salary is not fixed. So, I need to be like any other successful businessman. A couple of foreign players have approached me for tie-ups.

What was your most trying moment?

When Shah Rukh Khan had a back problem and underwent a surgery . I had to design a rehab programme.

But he had belief in me.

Would you advise youngsters to join this field?

Yes, but only if they have a passion for fitness. My brother is now assisting me in my business.

Any other challenging occasion?

 Yes. When I lost most of my equipment during the 200 5 floods I had to get new ones all over again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Case Study

rapidfire

Star sign: Virgo

Favourite car: BMW. But I have a Getz.

What do you do in spare time? I spend time with my wife. We try to read books and learn new things to improve ourselves. We eat out sometimes.

What do you think of religion? I believe God is one. I'm a Maharashtrian but my wife is Catholic. I respect all religions.

Whom do you admire the most? I admire Shah Rukh Khan. The way he treats people and the way he talks, especially with women, that is what I specially like about him.

If you weren't a trainer, what would you be? I would have either joined my father's workshop or worked on a ship.

How important is money to you? It is important, but work is even more important

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Case Study

AT FULL STRETCH : DELIVER, AND THE MONEY WILL FOLLOW, SAYS MAYUR KADAM

 MAYUR KADAM ,26 Job: Personal trainer Salary: Rs 40,000 a month

WHEN MAYUR Kadam enrolled himself at Mauli Mandal, the local gym in Thane, when he was in the 12th standard, he wanted a body like Salman Khan or Suniel Shetty At Rs 20 a . month, it was an affordable dream. And Kadam had a lot of free time those days because he was "never interested in studies". But somehow he got through each exam.

He always had a lean frame, and when muscles developed, he got an offer from a local gym called Galaxy, one of the best in Thane. "It was a part-time job and I learnt a lot. I started buying muscle magazines and taking my job seriously," said Kadam (26). But his father, a crane operator, did not care much for his son's newfound interest. "He was ashamed to say that I was a trainer at a gym when his friends asked him what I was doing. But my mother was very supportive." He wanted to work with Talwalkars' Thane branch but they did not have a vacancy He was . earning around Rs 7,000 a month, and was "not happy". So, when Gold Gym launched in Bandra, Kadam borrowed Rs 50 from a friend so he could fill up his Hero Honda with petrol and photocopy his certificates. "I told them I would do my best if given a chance. But the interviewers pointed out that I was not a certified trainer," he said.

So he did a three-month certificate course in fitness training from an institution called K11 in Santacruz and went back to the people who interviewed him. "This time, I was selected," he said.

But then, he had already put an end to his BCom to concentrate on his career. At the new gym, he received Rs 5,000 a month, less than what he was already earning. "But I did not mind it," said Kadam. "It was a very professional atmosphere, and my way of thinking changed. I got tremendous experience working as a floor trainer and learned a lot from my colleagues, who were professionally trained."

He was promoted as a personal trainer after six months and worked there for a year-and-ahalf. When Leena Mogre, the then CEO of Gold Gym, started her own gym, he joined as the head trainer of the institution in Khar.

"By working as a personal trainer with the gym and also training some others, I used to make around Rs 20,000. Even though I got a promotion, my salary actually came down. But I did not mind that and used to stay in the gym. This was to avoid travelling and to concentrate more on my profession. I was working for about 18 hours a day he said. It did not take long before ," he started earning around Rs 25,000 a month.

Last year, he was made manager of L.M. Fitness' branch at Shivaji Park. The arrangement for personal trainers is that 50 per cent of the charges go to the gym while the rest goes to the trainer. Kadam makes close to Rs 40,000 a month. "More importantly, I am doing what I like. I may have made more money had I joined merchant navy or something, but I wouldn't have had so much job satisfaction," said Kadam. "I want to study more and I believe that if I deliver, money will follow."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

news you can use

COMPANIES: Talwalkars, Gold's Gym, VLCC and LM Fitness are some of the leading fitness chains in Mumbai. Fitness First, an international chain, is set to open its first branch in the city.

Show me the money

FLOOR TRAINER

Rs 7,000 a month

PERSONAL TRAINER AND HEAD TRAINER

Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 a month

GYM MANAGER

Those employed with large chains earn around Rs 50,000 onwards

PERSONAL TRAINERS

There is a big demand for personal trainers, and most gyms not only pay them a fixed salary but share a part of the fee paid by the clients.Personal trainers who train celebrities earn handsomely and often become entrepreneurs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SKILLS

Unlike in most other industries, there are no educational qualifications needed to get a job. But as the industry shows signs of getting organised, leading gyms have started hiring certified trainers and usully put newcomers through their own training programmes.

But the basic prerequisite is an interest in keeping one's own body fit. Most trainers begin by going to the gyms to tone up their body and then develop an interest in the field.

While you need not be Mr Mumbai to become a trainer, you cannot advise someone about how to develop a good body unless you have one yourself. Most clients in upmarket gyms demand personalised service and are ready to pay for it. So, communication skills are also very important.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRAINING

TRAINING INSTITUTES IN MUMBAI:

L M The Fitness Academy, Santacruz (W).

Tel: 2604-0255

K11 Fitness Centre, Santacruz (E).

Tel: 2613-4273, 2613-4274

Website: academy@keleven.com.

Talwalkars Training Academy, Thane.

Tel: 6612-6300

Website: neeshab@talwalkars.net

BFY Sports and Fitness, Kalbadevi.

Tel: 2241-3636

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTES OFFERING ONLINE COURSES:

American Council on Exercise.

Tel: 1-888-825-3636

Website: support@acefitness.org

International Sports Sciences Association.

Tel: 1-805-745-8111

Website: webmaster@issaonline.com

American College of Sports Medicine

Tel: 1-800-486-5643

Website:www.LWW.com/acsmcrc

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GO GLOBAL 

Personal training has been identified as one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide, but opportunities to work abroad for fitness professionals based in India have so far been limited . This, however, could change in the coming days as international players start looking at India as an untapped market. Most leading gyms import equipment, so leading manufacturers will be keen to help develop a fitness culture in the country.

Yoga teachers from India have made it big abroad and there is still a high demand in many Western countries for experts in the ancient fitness science.

Chains like Fitness First have started sending their employees for training abroad.

Those who do not get opportunities to go abroad for training can join online courses to get international certification.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLUSES AND MINUSES

1. You do not need too many academic qualifications.

2. The industry is just taking off, so there will be a big demand for good trainers and managers.

3. You get to train the rich and the famous, if that is your cup of tea.

4. The industry falls in the unorganised sector and often there might be no job security.

5. In most gyms, trainers have a punishing schedule.

6. Remuneration for professionals is low in the lower-end gyms.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------