![\"Butter](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-47529300,imgsize-110164,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/47529300.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNew Delhi: <\/span>Delhi has long carried the reputation of a city that loves its butter chicken more than its burpees. That image is changing fast. Across gyms, parks and stadiums, a new breed of fitness enthusiasts has taken over, one that mixes heavy lifting with hard running and demands both strength and stamina in the same breath. When a recent functional fitness race threw open registrations in the city, thousands signed up within days.This is hybrid training, workouts that combine weightlifting, functional movement and endurance running into one intense format. It is fast becoming the city\u2019s fitness culture of choice, and the people driving it come from very different walks of life.Restaurateur Parth Gupta said his journey began out of insecurity rather than ambition. He was often bullied in school because of his weight. Before starting college, he decided he wanted to become the healthiest and most confident version of himself, and that was when he began taking fitness seriously.\u201cOnce I started, there was no going back,\u201d he said, describing how he began craving the energy that came from working out. Employed in the food industry, where tasting and trying food constantly is part of the job, staying fit is important, Gupta said, calling regular exercise completely non-negotiable.Gupta does not believe in restricting himself completely. \u201cI eat almost everything, but I understand what I am consuming and factor in the nutrition, calories and portions,\u201d he said. He is training for the Delhi Half Marathon\u2019s 21 km run, alongside a hybrid fitness event that combines running with functional strength.Entrepreneur Sarvash Kalra came to the world of fitness through sport until he dislocated his shoulder during a state cricket match. That setback pushed him to complete a strength and conditioning course. His routine now involves training every day, and that\u2019s not just lifting heavy. \u201cIt\u2019s about doing a hybrid workout, which is a mix of conditioning and strength,\u201d he said, adding that recovery, diet and sleep matter just as much as the gym session. He has already competed in three hybrid fitness races, finished on the podium in one, and is preparing for his fourth by July-end.Rinchen Wongdhen, also a restaurateur, has been weight training for about 15 years, starting out in the old school bodybuilding style focused mainly on building muscle. Three years ago, he got into hybrid training, starting with boxing while continuing to lift weights, before adding running to his regimen.Eventually, Wongdhen discovered a format that combined everything he enjoyed \u2014 strength training, functional movements and running \u2014 and tested his overall fitness. His routine today is a mix of strength training, running and hybrid functional workouts. \u201cI still believe lifting weights is the foundation, but I now train to be strong, fit and capable rather than just look muscular,\u201d he said. Ahead of him is more competition, better running, and eventually an Ironman, a grueling triathlon.Vidushi Kumar, co-founder of CalFunc, a Delhi fitness centre, started out as a dancer and spent much of her life battling PCOS and endometriosis. Strength training initially became a way to manage these conditions and improve her overall health, and along the way she fell in love with functional training before moving into hybrid racing.Balancing two jobs, her day starts at 4.30 am, and her own training happens in the evening, from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Fitness, she said, has given her a sense of freedom, confidence and happiness, and taught her discipline. This year, one of her biggest highlights was representing India at a Hyrox world championship, in addition to several CrossFit competitions, half marathons and full marathons. Next on the list is her first Ironman.It isn\u2019t just athletes and entrepreneurs who are noticing the shift. The coaches training them are seeing it up close too. Fitness coach Yoshita Motwani says she has never seen people more driven than they are now. \u201cToday, once people sign up for a race or event, they already have a clear goal and purpose,\u201d she said. Her clients have become far more disciplined with their workouts, nutrition, recovery and overall lifestyle, and running, once widely avoided, has become a regular part of many of their weekly routines, she observes.Motwani has also noticed a rise in women taking up hybrid training, particularly mothers. \u201cSeventy percent of my female clients participating in fitness competitions are mothers,\u201d she said, calling the shift incredibly empowering.The shift towards these high-intensity hybrid workouts is something bigger than a fitness fad. Diets are being planned around performance, sleep schedules are shifting earlier, and the discipline in training is reshaping how they work, eat and socialise. The city once teased for its love of rich food and long, lazy weekends is now in sync with the global fitness movement.<\/div>\n