When Ram Charan signed on for the upcoming sports-action flick Peddi, he needed a physical transformation that felt real. Not gym-shredded or aesthetic for the sake of it, but grounded, resilient, and ready to take a hit. Enter Shivoham Bhatt, the Mumbai-based trainer best known for introducing crossfit to Mumbai back in the 2000s, and sculpting bodies from Ranbir Kapoor to Aamir Khan for the big screen. “This wasn’t about building a six-pack,” Shivoham says. “We wanted something raw. Something functional.” 

The two met in early 2024 after a call from Charan’s team; an opportunity that, as Shivoham puts it, arrived through pure manifestation. By the time filming began, they had a full training arc mapped out that concluded before the turn of the year, one that would rebuild Charan’s muscle memory and gradually layer strength, mobility, and endurance. Below, Shivoham breaks down what went into prepping Charan’s physique post-RRR—from injury prevention and mobility work to the mental recalibration that separates vanity from performance. 

Let’s talk about Ram Charan. How did that conversation even begin? 

That was a very crazy conversation [laughs]. My wife Vrinda taught me manifestation, and I absolutely 100 per cent practice it and believe in it. We were just talking one day, saying, “You know what? We’ve trained literally every single name in Bollywood, but what about the South?” She said, “Let’s see.” And maybe a week, two weeks later—maybe a month—I get a call from Ram Charan’s manager saying he wants to meet me. This was early 2024. I think we spoke in December and planned to meet in January. But just two days before I was going to meet him, Mahesh Babu’s team also called. I ended up speaking to both, but eventually Ram’s team finalised first. That’s how manifestation works. 

When you started training Ram, was there a specific film or look you were working towards? 

Yeah, initially it was for a new film—name wasn’t decided yet—but the idea was that it would involve three different looks. The last time he’d really worked on aesthetics was RRR, so we had to build things back up. Like most actors, once a project ends, they often take a break. It takes a toll—waking early, eating right, training hard—it’s not easy. So, the goal was to get the rhythm going again, start sculpting gradually. Ram has trained for Magadheera, RRR, and more, so he has great muscle memory. Some people are hyper-responders—you do a little work, and it shows fast. He’s definitely one of them. Within no time, his body started changing and showing results. 

Can you walk me through what Ram Charan’s training actually looked like, month-to-month? 

We broke it into three big transformations over six months. First, it was about reactivating his body after a break—basic compound lifts, time under tension, re-learning movement patterns, and plenty of low-intensity cardio to sharpen his conditioning. Once his foundation was back, we pushed into a leaner, more sculpted look. That’s when we introduced higher volume work—push-pull-legs splits, supersets, metabolic circuits—to get him ripped but still athletic. The final stage was about density and resilience, so we mixed heavy powerbuilding—trap bar deadlifts, loaded carries, weighted pull-ups—with functional conditioning. It wasn’t a movie-star six-pack plan; it was making him strong and ready to take hits on screen. We trained twice a day most weeks, mornings for strength and evenings for cardio or conditioning. 

Nutrition-wise, how did you fuel that transformation while monitoring his progress? 

We kept it clean and progressive. We started with intermittent fasting to reset his metabolism, high protein, moderate carbs, and good fats. Later, we cycled carbs on heavy training days, and toward the end, we used a keto-modified approach to get that dense, hard look the role needed. Hydration was key—4–5 litres of water a day, electrolytes, omega-3s, creatine, recovery supplements. We tracked everything: blood markers, body fat, HRV, regular progress shots. The goal was never to crash-diet or push extremes. It was about sustainable performance—he needed to show up to set energised, mobile, and ready for demanding action scenes. 

Ram Charan recently turned 40 and had a muscle tear while shooting for RRR. How do you train actors when an injury could derail an entire shoot? 

Injury prevention becomes a huge priority. The body holds up as long as it’s being stimulated, but the moment there’s a setback—like illness or injury—you lose momentum. So, for someone like Ram, especially given the demands of action and stunt work, we focus on mobility, conditioning, and strengthening key areas before ramping up intensity. It’s about building resilience without pushing recklessly. 

When a role demands specific physical skills—like in Peddi, which is a sports film—how do you tailor the training? 

It’s all about understanding what the body needs to do on screen. I can’t teach a client how to bat or box, but I can condition their body to handle those movements. With Aamir for Laal Singh, for instance, he had a running coach, but I focused on strengthening his quads, hamstrings, hip flexors—everything that supports proper running. Same with Ram. Before getting into the sport-specific prep, we worked on foundational strength, mobility, and movement—so the body’s ready when the real skill work begins.