With a team of 4 full-time coaches, and 10 including the guest coaches that are there to offer their specialist classes to members, Tariq notes all coaches are highly qualified and certified. He adds they also work very closely with all of their members, and are even on first-name basis with all of them to ensure they not only get that necessary attention, it also helps to establish a long-term relationship, makes people interested in the gym, and keeps them coming back. The membership starts from as young as 8 years old and up till 12 years old for the youth program, and whether they are training the younger members or the older ones, Tariq says it is important they focus on the three main elements of,“ love, brotherhood, and respect.” He says they maintain a no-violence policy to be practiced outside of the gym when it comes to boxing.“ We’ d rather have people practice this sport with the culture of boxing behind them”, he says, adding, that boxing is not about thuggery or violence, or inflicting pain and wounds upon the opponents, in fact the history and philosophies of boxing suggest otherwise, and teach the participants about being supportive and respectful towards one another.
With the aim of educating the Kingdom about the benefits as well the values behind the sport, the classes have also been created in a manner to encourage team work, sportsmanship, and a bond with the other members and trainers, all the while working towards the set fitness goals. Classes for boxing include Boxing Bootcamp, Boxing Skills, Squad Training, Fight-Conditioning; while the Strength and Conditioning classes include Kettlebells, Lift-Fit, Suspension Training, Weightlifting, Lift Fit, Tabata Fit, Meta Fit – around 15 different classes, that members and non members can become a part of.
For those who are interested in the classes and their timings, they can find everything listed on Lift Bahrain’ s website, or can download their mobile app to find out the status of the classes alongside places available. One of their most popular classes is the Boxing Bootcamp, which consists of seven, 3-minute rounds with 1-minute breaks in between. Working in a pyramid fashion, each round has a set of exercises that are carried out circuit-fashion with repetitions increasing in each circuit, moving towards the top of the pyramid, and back down, and then working to the top once again. The high intensity boxing class consists of a mixture of flurries( fast-paced punching at the punching bag or trainer doing pad-work), combinations and corresponding exercises including burpees, squats, lunges, sledge pushes, battle ropes, pad work, and finishing off with some core exercises. The bootcamp is especially effective as it works out the entire body, and leaves the body energised. Tariq says a lot of people are usually surprised when they try the classes and realise how different they are to what they have previously experienced, in terms of training and how energetic and fun the classes turn out to be.“ We want people to get their value for money”, he says, and adds that is also one of the reason they become invested in each and every one of their members and their workouts.“ We know what classes they frequent, if they have had any injuries or anything – we get to know our members pretty well”, and adds that is a very important factor behind their success. The gym is active for 6 days a week, and full time members can come in at any time and jump into any of the classes as well as use the open gym, whereas non-members can sign up for a class of their liking.“ We want people to have variety and be able to select what they want to do, rather than cap people’ s experience in the gym.”
Looking to expand regionally and internationally, Tariq says his ultimate goal is to first boost Boxing in Bahrain and aim to be the genesis of the sport in the country.
Encouraging young Bahrainis to be able to pursue a career in the sport, Lift Bahrain also has a scholarship program called Mulakem – which means boxer in Arabic – that has been set up to allow young Bahrainis with the passion and talent to take up the sport without any financial hindrance or timing issues. Liaising with the families and schools, Tariq says they look after all the important factors that would help to establish a well-rounded boxer, whether it is their schooling, training, specialist equipment, educating them on the culture of boxing, so on and so forth, Lift Bahrain caters to that.
116 Perle APRIL- MAY 2017