Simran Kataria is a fitness model and former national and international Judo competitor who is now preparing for HYROX Mumbai 2026. After 15 years on the Judo mat and three knee surgeries, she turned to HYROX to rebuild her strength, endurance, and confidence.
In her first-ever interview with Women Fitness, Simran opens up about her training plan, nutrition, recovery, and mindset, and why she believes in performance over perfection.
From Judo to HYROX: A Comeback Story
Simran’s fitness journey began with Judo, which she trained in for 15 years, competing at both national and international levels. Along the way, she underwent three knee surgeries, one on her right knee and two on her left, for meniscus and ACL injuries. The experience tested her physically and mentally, but it also taught her resilience and patience. Once recovered, she wanted a fresh challenge, and HYROX offered a structured way to rebuild her strength, endurance, and confidence.
Advice for Women Nervous About Their First Race
To any woman nervous about her first race, Simran’s advice is simple: believe in yourself, take it one step at a time, and remember that it is about progress, not perfection, and about showing up for yourself.
Her Weekly Training Plan for HYROX Mumbai 2026
Simran follows a structured routine of five training days a week: two cardio days, two strength days, and one HYROX-specific session. Cardio builds her stamina and endurance, strength work builds power and overall fitness, and the HYROX sessions rehearse the movements she will face on race day. Recovery is just as important, with stretching, foam rolling, and proper sleep built into her week. The structure helps her track progress and work on her weaknesses, so she arrives on race day strong, confident and prepared.
Eating for Performance, Without the Guilt
Nutrition, for Simran, is central to both performance and recovery. On heavy training days, she relies on high-protein sources such as eggs, lentils and plant-based proteins, along with quality carbohydrates like oats and quinoa to fuel intense sessions. She stays hydrated and adds electrolytes when needed. She believes food should support training rather than become a restriction, so when cravings hit, she aims for balance instead of avoidance, perhaps choosing fruit or dark chocolate when she wants something sweet. She does not believe in feeling guilty about enjoying food, and says consistency, balance and understanding her body’s needs matter most.
Simran Kataria on Performance Training vs Aesthetic Training
Having experienced both approaches, Simran explains that performance training builds real strength, endurance and physical capability, while aesthetic training mainly pursues a particular look. Both have their place, but performance training has changed her relationship with her body far more. After years of Judo and repeated injuries, she has learned to appreciate her body for what it can do rather than how it looks. Moving better and getting stronger have given her a different kind of confidence, one that sees the body as powerful and functional rather than something to be judged. For her, true fitness means feeling strong, capable, and confident from within.
The Pressure to Look “Perfect” and the Reality Behind Social Media
As a fitness model, Simran admits the pressure to look “perfect” can be challenging, but she approaches it mindfully. She points out that social media shows only highlights: lighting, angles, poses, and editing all shape how a photo looks, while the hard training sessions, recovery days, injuries, and personal struggles stay out of frame. Her three knee surgeries taught her that health and strength matter far more than appearance, so she focuses on how her body performs, how it feels, and how far she has come. Nobody, she says, needs to look perfect every day to be fit or confident.
Handling Trolls and Online Negativity
Simran accepts that being on social media means encountering differing opinions, not all of them kind, and she does not let negative comments define her confidence. Sport has given her mental strength, discipline, and focus. She welcomes constructive feedback as a chance to learn, but does not feel obliged to explain every personal choice, and believes not every opinion deserves attention. She surrounds herself with positive, supportive people and keeps her focus on her fitness, her growth and the things that make her happy.
Training and Recovering Around Her Cycle
Simran believes understanding your body is central to fitness, particularly around the menstrual cycle, when energy, strength, and recovery can shift. On high-energy days, she follows her routine. On low-energy days, she listens to her body instead of forcing intense workouts, lowering the intensity, choosing lighter exercise or taking a rest day, while paying close attention to balanced meals and hydration. For her, rest is not weakness but part of training, and every woman’s experience is different.
Common Mistakes Women Make When Starting Out
For women just starting, Simran sees a few common mistakes: expecting results too quickly, comparing progress with others, jumping into very intense workouts without learning the basics, and focusing so heavily on appearance that strength, endurance and overall health are neglected. Drawing on 15 years in sport, she says consistency, patience and discipline beat quick results, with proper technique, recovery and nutrition just as important. Her message to her beginner self would be to trust the process, be kinder to herself, and remember that setbacks are part of every journey. Her injuries taught her that progress is rarely a straight line, so the key is to keep believing and keep growing.
Staying Consistent When Motivation Runs Low
Staying consistent, she says, comes from discipline rather than motivation alone. Tired, busy, or low-confidence days are exactly when mindset matters most. Judo taught her to show up even when things get hard, and her injuries taught her that progress takes time and cannot be judged by any single day’s performance. She keeps her eye on long-term goals rather than daily perfection, and knows that listening to her body and resting when needed is part of the process. On tough days, she reminds herself why she started and how far she has come. Motivation, she adds, does not last every day, and that is completely normal. She does not wait for the perfect mood; she relies on discipline, small efforts, and taking one step at a time. Even small progress counts, and some days showing up is itself an achievement.
The Quote She Lives By
“Your only competition is the person you were yesterday.” It keeps Simran focused on her own growth and away from comparing her journey with anyone else’s.