Women training at S R Gym

Women already train here, and say so publicly

Women of all ages train at both branches, and a number have left reviews on the gym's Google listings, which is a more useful signal than anything this page can claim about itself. You can read them on the reviews page, which links straight through to both profiles rather than reprinting selected quotes here.

The women among the results published on this site are a working professional who went from 111 kg to 74 kg across five months, a homemaker, and a business owner.

What your first visit looks like

You will be shown around, asked what you are trying to change and what your week realistically allows, and then taken through the basic movements with very light weight so that somebody can see how you move. No programme is written before that happens.

For the first two or three weeks the load stays deliberately light while the pattern is built. Plenty of members find this frustrating and it is the part that makes everything afterwards work.

Choosing your hour

Both branches are busiest between roughly 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, when the city finishes work. The quietest stretches are right at opening, 5:00 am at Katargam and 6:00 am at Adajan, and through the middle of the afternoon.

If you would prefer a quieter floor while you are learning, those hours are worth choosing. Call +91 98790 69960 and ask what a particular time usually looks like before you commit.

What to wear, and what nobody tells you about it

Anything you can squat and bend in. A kurti over leggings is what a fair number of members here train in and it is completely workable; a salwar is harder, because loose fabric around the ankles catches on benches and makes it difficult for a coach to see whether your knee is tracking correctly. A dupatta is worth leaving in your bag rather than wearing on the floor, for the same reason anything loose is a nuisance around a barbell.

The part that actually matters is your shoes. A soft running shoe with a thick cushioned heel is the worst thing to squat or deadlift in, because the heel compresses unevenly under load and your balance moves with it. Flat canvas shoes cost very little and are better than expensive running shoes for everything you will do here. Bring water, and a small towel if you are training in the evening.

Training through your cycle

Nobody is going to ask you about this, and you never have to raise it. But if training feels much harder in a particular week of the month, or cramps make certain movements unpleasant, say so and the session gets adjusted rather than skipped: lighter loads, more machine work and less overhead pressing will usually get you through a session you would otherwise have missed.

I want to be careful about how strongly that is put. The research on training around the menstrual cycle is genuinely unsettled, and coaches who tell you they can programme your month precisely around it are claiming more than the evidence supports. What I am offering is not a cycle-based programme. It is simply that missing a week every month adds up to three lost months a year, and an adjusted session beats a missed one.

If your periods are irregular, unusually heavy, or have stopped since you began training or dieting, that is a conversation for a doctor rather than a coach, and it is worth having sooner rather than later. Training with PCOS is set out separately.

Getting here, and getting home

Worth saying plainly because it decides whether people keep coming. Katargam opens at 5:00 am and Adajan at 6:00 am, and both stay open until 10:00 pm, Monday to Saturday. If the early hour appeals but the journey at that time does not, the middle of the afternoon is the other quiet stretch and it is a much easier trip.

Pick the branch you can reach without thinking about it. Over three months, distance decides attendance more reliably than anything else on this page, and a floor you can walk to beats a better floor across the river. Adajan and Katargam both have full directions and a map.

What it costs

The same as it costs anybody else. Membership is ₹1,700 a month, or ₹9,000 for twelve months at Adajan and ₹10,000 at Katargam. There is no separate ladies rate, higher or lower.

If you are joining with your husband, sister or mother, the couple membership covers twelve months for two at ₹16,000 at Adajan and ₹18,000 at Katargam, and two people trained together is ₹12,000 a month for the pair rather than each. That is set out on the couples page, along with the case against buying it before you both know you will keep coming. Every rate is on the fees page.

Training that suits what most women come in for

The most common goals we hear are losing fat, feeling stronger day to day, and getting rid of the back or shoulder pain that arrives with desk work, which is covered in more detail on the back and posture page. All three respond to the same foundation of resistance training two to four times a week, with load progressing slowly.

On the question that comes up almost every time: weight training will not accidentally make you bulky. Building visible muscle takes years of deliberate effort, and women build it more slowly than men. What resistance training does is hold on to the muscle you have while fat comes off, which is what actually changes your shape.

The food side matters at least as much, and it works best when built around what your household already cooks. Our guide to losing fat on a Gujarati diet goes through that in detail.

Health conditions worth mentioning

Tell your coach at the start if you are managing PCOS, a thyroid condition, diabetes, high blood pressure or anaemia, if you are pregnant or recently postpartum, or if you are taking medication that affects weight or energy. Coaching is designed to sit alongside your doctor's advice, and the programme changes meaningfully when any of these apply.