The story began when Usha Sekhar, residing in her residential complex club in Bangalore, was doing push-ups on the floor. Her trainer, Ritwik Radhakrishnan, noticed this and said, 'She is doing push-ups!'
Sekhar, who is 70 years old, looked up, not understanding why this needed to be announced. She was simply following instructions, and she found it slightly amusing to realize her own surprise. Just nine months ago, she had trouble even lifting a kettle from the stove. She recalls, 'I suddenly felt weakness in my arm, which had never happened before. And then it dawned on me.'
Around the same time, her niece, a doctor, a yoga instructor, and an old classmate independently advised her about the need for strength training for women her age. Previously, Usha had never seriously considered strength exercises; her regular activity was just walking around the neighborhood.
Then, in her residential complex in Bangalore, she discovered an unusual way to start exercising: 'Unleash 45,' a mobile gym founded by trainers Ritwik Radhakrishnan (26) and Bhumika Jayan (25).
Instead of expecting participants to go to the gym or buy their own equipment, the two trainers travel to residential communities in a Maruti Eeco car loaded with dumbbells, kettlebells, slam balls, resistance bands, and other sports equipment. The training sessions are then conducted in the complex's common areas.
Thus, Usha found herself in her club one Sunday morning, watching Ritwik and Bhumika unload an entire workout from the back of a small silver van. That morning became her introduction to strength training. She started with 2.5 kg weights, and today she can lift up to 7.5 kg, do push-ups, and complete the final part of the workout, which she happily calls the 'killer.'