A look at Bollywood stars' exercise routines

B-Town actors are increasingly adopting alternative forms of exercises to stay fit. Here are a few exercise routines they swear by...

Akshay Kumar — Parkour
Khiladi Kumar, who is known to be a fitness enthusiast, is a huge fan of outdoor exercises. The actor, who has always been into martial arts to keep fit, recently adopted a new technique known as Parkour. Talking about his own work-out regime, Akshay reveals that he practices parkour — a form of workout that involves a lot of free body movements, jumping and leaping. “When you work out in a gym, each exercise only focuses on a certain body part. Parkour is a complete workout and it’s fun, and yes, I do prefer it over working out in a gym” explains Akshay.

Neha Dhupia — Zumba
Actress Neha Dhupia credits zumba for her svelte figure. “It’s like partying yourself into shape,” she says with a smile. “Before you know it, you get fit and your energy levels are soaring.” Zumba is a dance form that borrows from cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, cha cha cha, reggaeton, samba, belly dancing, bhangra, hip hop, and tango. It involves fast and slow rhythms coupled with resistance training so that you tone and sculpt your body while burning fat and having fun.

Salman Khan — Cycling
Actor Salman Khan, who is known to have influenced half of Bollywood to sport six-pack abs, has always been fit, throughout his two decade-career in Bollywood. Salman, who initially was a gymming freak, has now reduced the frequency of his workouts. To compensate and stay fit, the actor from the past couple of years has taken to cycling. He is often spotted around Bandra on his cycle. Recently, in Karjat while shooting for a show, he had his cycle brought to the sets because he wouldn’t miss his cycling sessions.

Deepika Padukone — Pilates
Actress Deepika Padukone who is ace shuttler Prakash Padukone’s daughter, grew up playing the sport. Deepika is very particular about her fitness regime. The actor, who would play badminton professionally, now indulges in the sport to keep fit. She is often spotted playing the sport on outdoor schedules when she doesn’t find the time to hit the gym. She also loves Pilates, which is designed to build your body’s core strength and flexibility. It strengthens core muscles and protects the spine along with building bone density.

Soha Ali Khan — Yoga and Badminton
Petite actress Soha Ali Khan, blessed with a small frame, usually does light cardio exercises for two weeks a month. The other two weeks, she plays badminton or burns calories by climbing the stairs. She is also a big fan of Yoga and does 100 Suryanamaskars everyday.