Get out, says Dino Morea

Having grown up with an appetite for athletic activities, Agent actor Morea on why sports trumps traditional fitness routines

The day we pick up the phone with Dino Morea to discuss physical fitness is the first time in seven months that he has been ill. “It happens to the fittest too,” he laughs. He says it has been several years since he took a tablet to heal himself, and is likely to consume turmeric, or brew a kada based on “one of the many recipes available online”, if need be. “I’m not dissing allopathic medicine, but I’d want to stay far away from it for as long as I can,” says the actor, asserting that taking active steps to look after his health has kept him in such good stead that even as he inches towards 50, he could pull off the action sequences he needed to for his Telugu debut, Agent, with such flair that it didn’t require significant prep to play the part.

“The makers had seen my last act in The Empire and wanted a similar madness in this [offering]. I have the capacity to pull off any [kind of] action, so, I didn’t need to do anything extra. I am seen fighting with Akhil Akkineni, who plays a young recruit, while I am the older one gone rogue. There’s a lot of shooting and guns involved. If you’re not fit, it really gets to you. I got hit in the ribs too, but that’s all part of it.”

Start ’em young

Morea’s tryst with fitness traces back to his childhood when his parents encouraged him and his brothers to participate in sports. “My father is now 87, and continues to train. I owe [my fitness] to them. I was competitive in athletics, and would play football, and hockey. If not a model, I would be a professional athlete. I recall, my day would begin at 5 am, because I’d be training for school competitions like football or basketball. After school, I’d train again. That became a habit. Now that I am unwell, I need to at least walk around my house.” 

The actor’s week is usually split into four bouts of lifting sessions, and two bouts of a game of football, a combination that has kept him in great shape for years. Evidently then, his would be a worthy opinion when aiming to identify how the benefits derived from sports differ from those acquired via traditional training routines. “There are umpteen,” he asserts. “You use the gym to develop the power you need for a sport. Sports is meditative. Whether I play basketball, football, or participate in a 100 or 400 metre sprint, I am completely occupied. That’s not possible in the gym when you’re constantly talking to people, or walking about. Any person who trains in the gym won’t survive beyond 30 seconds if they’re made to fight. It is the combination of the two that is ideal. Think about the movements you put your body through during sports — you’re sprinting, twisting, stopping, moving, all in unpredictable ways. You end up using muscles you didn’t even know existed. Also, team sport teaches you so much. It tells you how to get along with people, and encourage and let another person shine instead of taking their place.” 

Back to the basics

In the gym, Morea sticks to the basics — deadlifts, squats, and presses. “I also have bars outside my house to practice callisthenics. I use a weighted vest and do barbell dips, pull-ups and push-ups. That’s more than enough.” Ageing, though in minimal ways, has taken its toll. “I take longer to recover since I was 19, when I could play, then hit the gym, and do it all again the next day. Muscle recovery takes longer, but muscle memory is quicker. So, if I don’t train for three months, I’ll be back to my [original fitness levels] within a week of resuming my routine.” 

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