There’s a reason why Hrithik Roshan still looks like a Greek god. For over a decade, he’s trained under Kris Gethin—the man behind some of Bollywood’s most dramatic transformations. With nearly 30 years of experience, he’s worked with elite athletes, actors (including Tiger Shroff and Vicky Kaushal), and everyday fitness enthusiasts, refining a method that prioritises not just aesthetics, but longevity. His philosophy? “Intelligent intensity”. While most people assume fitness is about pushing harder, Gethin believes it’s about training smarter and balancing hypertrophy, endurance, and recovery. His clients, especially those like Hrithik, who he met back in 2011, train with meticulous precision, using HRV tracking, structured recovery, and optimised nutrition to stay in peak condition. It’s a formula built on science, not shortcuts, and explains why Hrithik continues to defy age. 

But there’s more to Gethin than fitness. He’s also a former competitive bodybuilder, an entrepreneur, and the founder of KAGED, a supplement brand built on clean, science-backed nutrition. A former motocross athlete and competitive bodybuilder, he once suffered injuries that shaped his understanding of functional strength and resilience. And if he weren’t in fitness? He’d be in music. “I’ve always loved music, especially vinyl,” he shares, reminiscing on days spent singing in a band, visiting music festivals, and rocking out to industrial rock and old-school punk––perhaps the hairdo and tattoos are a dead giveaway. 

In a candid conversation, Gethin breaks down Hrithik’s training evolution, what most people get wrong about fitness, and why recovery is just as important as the reps. Excerpts: 

How do you adapt Hrithik’s training as he ages? 

We’ve been training together since 2011. Over time, the biggest shift has been in recovery. At 50, the body doesn’t bounce back as easily, so we lowered the training volume—fewer sets, fewer reps—but with the same intensity. 

Hrithik wears various tracking devices that let me assess his heart rate variability (HRV), sleep quality, and inflammatory markers. If everything looks good, we push harder—higher reps, lower reps, mixing in different energy systems. If his HRV is low or his sleep is off, we back off to avoid injury. 

Maybe we would have done more HIITwork in the past, but that was usually for a particular role. For instance, let's say Krrish. He was going to do a lot of stunts in Krrish 3. He required a lot of functional movements to be prepared for that role. 

If we’re preparing for a film like Fighter, for instance, he didn't have to do anything extraordinary. He just needed to look good for certain scenes. So, it wasn't as much functional workouts or hip workouts. It was more steady state. 

You’ve mentioned his history with injuries. How do you work around that? 

He’s had injuries since his teenage years. His bones are naturally small, so he’s prone to ligament and tendon issues. Training him requires constant adjustment—some days, it’s heavy lifting; other days, it’s machines, cables, and higher reps to reduce strain on joints. 

Luckily, Hrithik is incredibly in tune with his body. If he feels tight or vulnerable, he pre-fatigues his muscles with longer warm-ups, mobility work, and stretching. No workout is ever the same. 

What makes Hrithik different from your other celebrity clients? 

His discipline and focus. A lot of people—celebs or not—make excuses. “I had a late-night event,” “I had to eat because I felt rude refusing.” Hrithik doesn’t. If something disrupts his training or diet, he simply says ‘no’. He controls his environment instead of being controlled by it. 

But more than that, he fails better than anyone else.  I always tell people in the gym that that's the only place where you can fail to succeed. Most people stop at 15 reps because it’s painful. Hrithik? He keeps going. If his absolute limit is 18, he doesn’t stop at 15 just because that’s the “target”. He pushes past the discomfort, which is exactly why he sees the kind of results that most people don’t. 

What does a typical training day look like for Hrithik? 

it’s never typical because it changes based on the feedback and quantification that I get. But let’s say he’s hitting his workouts around 7.00 or 8.00 am—somewhere between that time. The workout usually consists of two, maybe three body parts. It could be two main muscle groups and one smaller one, or one large muscle group and two smaller ones. So, for example, that could be chest, triceps, and abs. The workout lasts about 40 to 45 minutes—very intense, minimal rest, no distractions. It’s focused work—no phone, no downtime, just hard training. 

After that, he has his post-workout shake. This is crucial to prevent catabolism because he has a very fast metabolism—he loses weight quickly, and with that, muscle. Since it’s difficult for him to put on muscle, we need to keep him in an anabolic state to prevent muscle loss. Right after that, he moves into cardio, usually 25 to 30 minutes of steady-state work. That could be on a bike, treadmill, StairMaster, rowing machine, or even a walk on the beach. Sometimes we include a bit of jogging, but nothing too high-intensity—we don’t want to spike his cortisol levels unnecessarily. 

Oh, and before I forget—he has his breakfast before training. Again, this is to prevent catabolism and keep him in an anabolic environment. So, the order goes: breakfast, training, post-workout shake, then cardio. For the rest of the day, he eats every three hours, totalling six meals and one shake before bedtime. If he’s short on time, he’ll have an extra shake to replace a meal when needed. 

Beyond training, he incorporates bio hacks—an ice bath, red light therapy, earthing, grounding, meditation, things like that. And he drinks about a gallon of water a day with electrolytes to stay hydrated and maintain balance. 

How do you balance hypertrophy, endurance, and functional fitness? 

Everything is a balance. I’ve trained thousands of clients, and the biggest lesson is that more isn’t always better. Your training should be intense but efficient—not long and exhausting. 

People obsess over strength or endurance or flexibility in isolation. The truth is, they all work together. VO2 max (cardio fitness) is linked to longevity. But flexibility? Too much of it can hurt your strength. If someone does excessive yoga, they might become too flexible, making them prone to injuries when lifting heavy. 

What do most guys in their 20s get wrong about fitness? 

They want results now. We live in an age of instant gratification—dopamine hits from social media, unrealistic body goals, and the belief that shortcuts (read: steroids) are the answer. The biggest mistake? Going too extreme too fast. They drop calories aggressively, train too hard, and burn out in weeks. Or they party all weekend and think Monday’s gym session will fix it. It won’t. If you’re serious about fitness, it’s seven days a week—not five days on, two steps back. 

What’s the biggest fitness myth you want to bust? 

That more training equals better results. It doesn’t. If training for an hour works, why not train for two? Or three? Because your body doesn’t grow in the gym—it grows in recovery. I never have clients train more than five hours of weights per week. It’s about quality, not quantity. 

What are the supplements that you consider as must-haves? 

Given the environment we live in today, gut health is more compromised than ever. We’re dealing with artificial sweeteners, antibiotics in food, pesticides, herbicides, estrogenic compounds in water, and general pollution—all of which impact the microbiome. That’s why the first thing I recommend is focusing on gut integrity. 

A product I have all my clients take is Immuno IGG, which is packed with immunoglobulins—about double the concentration found in colostrum. It strengthens gut integrity, boosts immune function, and ensures the body isn’t easily compromised. The second must-have is a quality protein supplement. Many people struggle to eat enough whole food meals, whether they’re trying to lose fat, build muscle, or enhance performance. A protein shake fills that gap, but it has to be grass-fed whey isolate, naturally sweetened, with zero artificial additives or antibiotics in the milk source. Finally, electrolytes are essential.  

These three—gut support, protein, and electrolytes—are the core foundation. If someone spends most of their time indoors, I’d also suggest a Vitamin D + K2 supplement, since they’re missing out on sunlight exposure. But ultimately, supplementation should be tailored to the individual and their lifestyle. 

What’s the number one tip you have for a young person trying to get fit? 

Just find someone to hold you accountable. I don’t care if it’s a trainer, a friend, or an online coach—just someone who checks your meals, your workouts, your progress. Without accountability, you’ll make excuses instead of progress.