For some people, going to the gym a couple of times a week just isn’t enough. And if you’re impatient and want results faster, or you just fancy mixing up your usual gym routine, we recommend trying one of the city’s boot camps.
Abu Dhabi local Archie Patel is three weeks into a Haddins camp. A finance manager originally from London, he’s gone from running on the treadmill every day to throwing giant tyres, carrying people up flights of stairs and running up and down every step at the Zayed Sports Centre. And with start times of 6am in the sweltering heat, it’s not for the feint-hearted.
‘Living in Abu Dhabi it’s easy to put on weight,’ says Archie, 34. ‘Back in London I’d walk a lot more. Here you drive everywhere and I was putting on the pounds. I’d heard a lot about people seeing drastic changes after boot camp.’
The sessions last for an hour and the course costs Dhs1,000. ‘But if you attend every day you get half your money back, so there’s two incentives,’ he adds.
Atendees are weighed on their first day, have their waist measured, are given advice on foods to eat and are tested to see how many circuits they can manage. ‘The first day’s not too bad, it’s about seeing what you can do. They recommend which foods to eat and avoid: no breads, grains, pastas, no rice. That’s quite tough in itself.’
Much tougher though is the training. ‘The hardest thing was Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium,’ says Archie. ‘We had to run up and down every flight of stairs. That was completely knackering and it’s all outdoors in 38°C heat. You’re hot as soon as you start running. I’ll probably lose a stone in sweat.’
But the classmates are good at keeping you motivated. ‘There’s a good sense of achievement with each week. You feel your clothes getting looser and you know you’re getting fitter. The camp always keeps you on your toes,’ he says. ‘The instructors try and motivate you, but the groups also motivate themselves.’
The most challenging exercise though is lifting people up seven flights of stairs. ‘I managed three flights, that was all I could do. You’ve got to find someone lighter than you and you’ll discover muscles you never knew you had.’
Thankfully, the pain is turning into gain.
‘I’ve lost about four kilos and I will do more of the courses at Haddins. It’s better than running on a treadmill. I won’t be waking up at 5am for the gym anymore, although my wife is pregnant so I’ll be getting up then for other reasons now.’
