Srinagar, July 24 -- At 6:45 a.m., Go Fitness Gym in Baghat Barzulla hasn't opened to the public yet. But on the second floor, under soft tube lights and the low hum of heating, Muskaan Bashir is already adjusting barbells, lining up mats, and checking the playlist on her phone.

A group of women wait by the mirror wall, water bottles in hand. Some are college students. Others are mothers. Most have never trained seriously before this.

By 7:05, the room is moving. Deadlifts, squats, push-ups. Form corrections. Breath counts. Sweat begins to bead across foreheads. So do stories, of breakups, weight gain, back pain, insomnia, fear.

And in the center of it all is a 29-year-old trainer who's doing more than coaching bodies. She's holding sp...