Pop that cap!

After several challenges have ruled the Internet in the past year, the latest is the #BottleCapChallenge, which has found its way to Hollywood where celebrities like Jason Statham and John Mayer have given it a go. The inspiration wave has now struck Indian shores, with actors Akshay Kumar and Arjun Sarja attempting it recently.

Lift, kick, flip repeat! These are the movements several starstruck, ardent fitness freaks are doing to get that cap off its bottle. Sounds doable, you think? Well, how about trying this stunt with your feet? Yes! You heard that right.

The daredevil actor Akshay Kumar tried the challenge and posted a video in slow-motion and captioned it, “I couldn’t resist. #BottleCapChallenge Inspired by my action idol @JasonStatham, I will repost/retweet the Best I see, come on Guys and Girls get your Bottle out and your Legs in the Air, Let’s Do This. #FitIndia# Wednesday Motivation.”

Karnataka’s Action King Arjun Sarja with his eyes focused and a poised kick, was able to pop the cap and posted the same on his social media handle. His caption read, “Dedicated to my boss Bruce and all my fans #BottleCapChallenge.”

Inspired by his idol, Kannada actor Jeevaa JPJ, during his shoot of an upcoming Telugu movie Kamaturanam, gave the challenge a try. As a fitness junkie, he says these challenges are something he tried as a kid. “It was a fun challenge to try.This is a unique technique and needs a lot of concentration and practice.

The most important thing is to focus on the bottle cap and measure the appropriate distance from where you are standing. Ensure the cap is not sealed and try doing this with your sole and not the tip of your toe or heel. The range, your distance and focus are the key,” he explains.

Although it’s found so many takers, Goutam Raj, gym instructor at the Gymkhana Club,is sceptical, “I honestly feel it is fake, I guess the bottle is stuck to a platform and hence you don’t see the base of the bottle in any of the posts. I will definitely give it a try and when I succeed,it might restore my faith in these challenges.”

Meanwhile, Fredy Francis, personal trainer and sports nutritionist, is pleased that this new challenge tests one’s fitness. “This challenge was started by UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. It’s about the force of friction, concentration and calculation. It is inevitable that someone must either hold the bottle or the bottle must have some kind of support and the cap must be loose. While a few are open about it, a few others just want to show some machismo by not letting the bottom of the bottle be visible, which is completely fine. Everyone does it in slow-motion only because it is visually appealing.”

Shruti Sing one of Akshay Kumar’s ardent fans who is inspired by the challenge shares, “I’ve been seeing the video of Akshay Kumar doing the challenge on loop and I am extremely inspired. The minute I get back home, I am going to bring out all the bottles and try the challenge. I will ensure to upload the video on my Instagram handle and tag Akshay Kumar on it. I wish he sees it and recognises me.”