Fit & fab!

It takes a lot of guts and stamina to sweat it out in the gym to get that perfect body, and the leading ladies of Tollywood are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that they stay in shape for the spotlight.

From Samantha and Rakul Preet Singh to Raashi Khanna and Pooja Hegde, their workout discipline simply makes our jaws drop, while their Instagram accounts provide solid proof of how much hard work goes behind achieving that enviable body.

Topping the list is Samantha Akkineni, whose Insta account is a perfect go-to place for anyone who needs some fitness inspiration. Recently, she took fitness to another level altogether when she posted a video of her wearing a white sleeveless tee with grey tights, vaulting for upper body strength. Other videos of the actress show her practicing parkour or doing free running, vaulting and jumping. Samantha keeps sharing her workout videos to give her fans an insight into her fitness routine. “For years, every time my trainer said ‘Pull up’, I would make all sorts of excuses. We are never too old to change. For me, fitness has never been about looking good, it is about discipline, respect, confidence and strength,” she confesses.

Samantha Akkineni doing Parkour Stunts.

Of course, fit bodies or the lack thereof can make or break careers and our heroines know it too well. Rakul Preet Singh, who started her career with movies in the South, is doing Bollywood projects too.

Rakul doing tyre-based exercises

And the actress has gone from being a little chubby in  her initial days to becoming fit as a fiddle! In fact, her recent Instagram photos from Ibiza, Spain, show the stunning actress in a blue bikini, making the most of her beach getaway. Her resistance training workouts are said to include weights, body-weight moves, and resistance-band training while her cardio includes cycling, treadmill work, circuits, yoga, kickboxing and skipping.

In her latest fitness videos on Instagram, Rakul can be seen doing a circuit workout and tyre-based exercises to increase strength, size, speed, and agility. "I am in competition with no one. It's easy to join a gym and set a fitness goal but staying dedicated to the workout routine and diet plan is the real struggle. For me, being healthy and fit is a lifestyle. Our body is a temple and we should respect it. The way we take care of it now, it will take care of us in our later days. Even before doing a project in Bollywood, I started working out," says Rakul. 

Raashi Khanna doing Pilates

The idea of fitness for our Tollywood ladies has changed drastically -- from being flab to fit, they have come a long way and are certainly not afraid to sweat it out like their Bollywood counterparts. Raashi Khanna too, is undoubtedly one of the fittest actresses in Tollywood today.

The actress, who will soon be seen in Venky Mama along with Venkatesh, enjoys a huge fan base on social media, with her Instagram handle flooded with pictures of her abs and toned body. The actress works out five days a week, with a fitness regime that is said to be a combination of yoga, dance and functional training at the gym. “I like working out because it makes me feel good. I have learnt the art of balancing everything perfectly in a way that suits me,” says Raashi.

Pooja Hegde, is also a fitness freak. Pooja incorporates circuit and interval training in addition to calisthenics, Pilates, aerial silk moves and kickboxing in her fitness regimen.