How to make the most of your gym in Dubai

A gym membership is a blessing. Whatever your reason for wanting to exercise- to build muscle, for weight loss, to improve stamina, or simply to keep fit and healthy- a membership to any of the gyms in Dubai should represent a one-way ticket to success.

Of course, this isn’t always the case, unfortunately. You can be in one of the best gyms in Dubai, with a stellar weight loss plan and every exercise mapped out in the head, and still the results don’t come.

Why is this?

Well, there are many potential reasons. However, it’s quite likely that you’re simply not making the most out of your gym membership: you’re setting yourself up to fail from the first.

A membership to any of Dubai’s gyms is useless if you spend all your time standing around.

Whether chatting to people at the water fountain, waiting for people to get off the piece of equipment that you need, or simply procrastinating, killing time before you get to go home, you’re not going to get very far in your fitness journey.

Similarly, if the gym you’ve joined doesn’t have the facilities you want, or you don’t know what you’re meant to do when you get there, or your nutrition plan isn’t up to scratch, you are throwing your time and money away.

What to do

It’s easy to join the wrong gym in Dubai- there are plenty to choose from, with a wide range of services, and at a wide range of quality levels. You may also simply be failing to take advantage of everything your gym has going on.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to avoid falling into these traps. If you follow all of these tips, you should be putting yourself onto the road to success, making sure that diet, lifestyle and exercise all work synergistically to get you where you need to be.

Here are 5 tips to help you make the most out of your gym in Dubai:

1. Set out your goals

As a trainer, it’s very common to ask people what they want out of their training, only to be told ‘I want to get fitter… maybe tone up.’

These are not goals. It’s hardly even a wish list.

You need a concrete goal: lose ten pounds, put thirty kilos on my bench press, get my resting heart rate down to fifty, complete Tough Mudder… then you will be able to work backwards and find out what you need to do.

2. Know what you want to do

This builds on point 1. Once you know your goals, work out what you enjoy doing.

If you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness, there are myriad ways to get there.

Do you enjoy the upright cycle?

Or swimming?

Or are aerobics classes more your thing?

Pick something that will take you where you want to be and that you will enjoy- it will improve longevity greatly.

3. Keep it convenient

Enthusiasm is great. It’s got you into the gym in the first place. However, it’s a finite resource that depletes rapidly.

If you take a photo of the gym floor in January, and then in February, the difference will shock you. People turn up in the new year, determined (enthusiastic!) and four weeks later that enthusiasm has waned, and the gym is empty.

Pick a gym that’s either close to where you live or work, that has good transport or parking, and that is open when you need it to be open. Then put it into your daily routine as a matter of course. When enthusiasm is gone, convenience and habit pick up the slack.

4. Check out the gym beforehand

Ask around at a few gyms in Motor City or Mirdif from the best to the worst.

Request either a complimentary day pass or a guided tour of their facilities. When you see one that fits what you want- with the equipment you need, available as you need, at the right price and convenience- then you’re found your gym.

5. Get some professional input

If you don’t know what you’re doing in the gym, you will find yourself in good company: hardly anybody does. This is what trainers are for.

Consider taking a few classes (with regards point 2, this will also help you figure out what you enjoy). They are low cost- in fact, they are usually covered in the price of the gym membership- and the trainer taking them will give you all the tools you need.

They can aid you with weight loss, aerobic fitness, or any other goal you can think of.

Alternatively, if you don’t mind stretching the budget a bit, it’s always worth taking on a personal trainer.

You can either do this for a few weeks as they teach you what you should be doing, or on a longer term basis, so that they can keep an eye on you and your progress, and write out and guide you through every program and training session you will ever need.