Fitness O2 Blog - Tips and News

5 Myths about Fitness and Pregnancy, 3 Tips to Exercise in Humid Weather and More

2010-07-22T15:56:00.001+04:00

We have released our July Newsletter, in case you are not receiving our emails, make sure you subscribe to our fitness newsletter mailing list here.

In this edition of our newsletter we talk about myths related to exercising while pregnant, and provide you with some important tips to exercise in Dubai's hot and humid weather.

Read the 5 Myths about Fitness and Pregnancy here.

Have a subject you'd like us to cover in our next newsletter, or would like to contribute an article, email Fitness O2 or call us on 04 347 3440 (UAE).

Summer Surprises: Pay Online and Get Free Bootcamp Sessions

2010-06-30T09:33:00.000+04:00

We are running a promotion for our fans and customers: the new Dubai bootcamp courses are starting next week. Pay Online before Sunday 3rd July and receive fantastic savings this summer.

For every course you book and pay for online, you will receive the following;

• Renegade Boot camp Online Booking: 3 free sessions in Box 02 /MMA*
• BOX O2 Online Booking: Receive 2 free sessions in any Renegade Session*
• MMA Online Booking: Receive 2 free sessions in any Renegade Session*

*Terms and Conditions Apply

Also the 50th Person to book online will receive a special gift from FitnessO2.
It is just a click away – Go to www.fitness02.com now and make sure you don’t miss out.

Circuit Training: Impact on Fat Loss and Examples

2010-06-27T20:14:00.000+04:00

If you're looking for a fast and effective way to get in shape and one that will increase your performance in any outdoor sports in Dubai, circuit training is it. Circuit training is a workout approach where you move from one exercise to another as fast as you possibly can without taking any rest in between exercises.

After you have done a series of 10 or so exercises, then you can take a short two to three minute break before repeating everything over again. Many people use this as a team building exercise because each person can move through the circuit one after another, making it terrific for working together as a group.

Some of the other benefits that circuit training offers is that you will burn off more calories than other exercise making it better for fat loss, that you will increase your body's ability to deal with feeling tired during exercise, and that you will get in a very effective workout in just fifteen to twenty minutes. Circuit training is fast, easy and effective.

Let's look at two examples of circuit training that you can use. Perform three rounds total of each circuit program.

Circuit Training Routine #1:

Bodyweight Squats – 15 reps
Push-Ups – 15 reps
Tricep Dips Off A Chair – 15 reps
Lying Leg Raises – 15 reps

Circuit Training Routine #2:

Bodyweight lunges – 10 reps per leg
Pull-Ups – 15 reps
Jumping Jacks – 1 minute (or 40 reps)
Step-Ups – 15 reps
Bicycle Crunches – 10 reps per side (so 20 reps total)
Burpees – 15 reps
Sumo Squats – 15 reps
Push-ups – 15 reps
The Plank Exercise – 30 seconds hold

So next time you're in need of a quick program that can double as an outdoor sport workout in Dubai, consider circuit training.

Body Weight Resistance Exercises: Get In Shape In A Hurry

2010-06-17T20:29:00.001+04:00

If you're looking to make some positive changes to your body, incorporating in some body weight resistance exercises should be a priority, especially if you're involved in outdoor sports. Many people who exercise regularly in Dubai or elsewhere typically have been using these workouts for many years already in order to build strong and slim physiques, so if that's the ideal image you wish to attain, it's where your focus should be.

Body Weight Resistance Exercises are ones that use the body’s own weight as resistance like push-ups, squats, lunges and triceps dips.

The following are some of the greatest benefits that you're going to derive from adding body weight resistance exercises to your program.

Freedom From Machines

The very first benefit is that you will not require any special equipment while performing this form of training. People practising team sports use these in their off time away from practice in order to gain the quickness and agility they need on the field, so by adding them to your program you'll encounter some of the similar traits.

Can Be Performed Anywhere

A second big benefit to body weight resistance exercises are that they can be performed anywhere. If you prefer working out at your own home or you're travelling and are unable to make it to a gym, bodyweight resistance exercises will go with you where you need to go.

Even if all you've got is a hotel room with a bed, you can still get in plenty of different exercises that work all your major muscle groups.

Increased Metabolic Rate

Third, another very big benefit that you'll see from adding this form of training to your workouts is that you'll get a significant boost to your metabolic rate. Anyone who is interested in losing body fat will definitely appreciate this benefit because it means you'll be able to lose weight faster without having to cut back on your food intake.

Greater Muscle Tone

Finally, the last benefit that this form of workout provides is that it will enhance your degree of muscle tone. Often with plenty of cardio training you can lose body fat and look slimmer, but you still won't have that degree of nice muscle tone.

With body weight training this is far more possible however so how your body actually looks after all your workouts will be much more attractive.

So do keep body weight resistance exercises in mind and add a few into your program. They really are one of the best forms of exercise to do if you want to make the most of your efforts in a bootcamp or indoors.

Maximize Weight Loss During Morning Exercise

2010-05-04T12:08:00.000+04:00

When you are exercising in the morning, it is important to eat something small before working out to maximize the weight loss potential. The body is smart: if it hasn’t eaten for a while and it is put through exercise it will store fats in order to prevent itself from starvation, it is almost like a survival instinct. If your body has been fed it will begin burning calories and fats as normal.

It doesn’t have to be a big meal maybe even half a banana, or one piece of toast.

This may be particularly useful for Bootcampers attending our morning boot camp sessions.

Picture courtesy of iStockPhoto

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Can Exercising at Home Get You Results - TV [ARABIC]

2010-05-03T14:41:00.004+04:00

Yes we say, make sure you watch this MBC episode where Zena Habi, our co-Founder explains how to exercise at home for good results. The show is in Arabic, and you can watch the episode here.

Summer Holidays Promotion: Save 500Dhs

2010-05-01T10:28:00.001+04:00

Boys and girls, on the occasion of our 3 year anniversary (yes Fitness O2 is 3 years old thanks to your support), we are launching a special promotion for the summer:

Most of us go on holidays to avoid (at least partially) the hot summers of Dubai and the UAE, and therefore don't like to commit to anything ahead of time. Well this offer might just have the answer for you: buy a 2 months package, save 500 dhs, and choose your holiday month (either June, July or August), enjoy our bootcamps the other two months.

For additional information, contact us on 04 347 3440, or email us on info_at_fitness02_dot_com.

April Newsletter: Reebok Reetone Campaign in the UAE, Events, and 3 Year Anniversary

2010-04-27T17:18:00.000+04:00

Our April newsletter is out, with a series of events Fitness O2 co-founders are participating in: Zena is going on a Roadshow with Reebok in the UAE covering Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, make sure to check her out talking about Easytone, Reebok's latest technology and how it can help you!

Ziggy is going to be speaking at the "Make It Happen" event on June 5th, a powerful high-impact event focusing on raising your standards and living a better life. Click here for more details.

Since it's our 3rd year anniversary, we are launching a special promotion this summer to cater for the people who leave Dubai to go home for the summer break, buy any two months package (June, July or August) and save 500 Dhs, the offer is valid until May 31st.

Al Shalal club at the Palm Jumeirah is also extending Fitness O2 customers with a unique offer: read the newsletter here.

Sports: How to Get Going?

2010-04-04T17:40:00.008+04:00

OK, so you want the results with out the hard work! Not going to happen people, so let me tell you how I roll.

Have your goal in mind...make it a short goal first like "i need to be fit for a football game in 3 weeks or i need to lose 5kgs in a month for that boat trip" (the beach in Dubai is so nice)!!!

Next you need to tell your self the training plan, training 1hr per day for 6 days a week with 1 day off for recovery... I will do 1hr of high intense cardio/resistance and really push my self and eat to the best of my ability.

Always keep your goal in your mind and when you feel like giving up just have a hard look at your self and push hard and I promise you that after the session you will feel like a Superstar and before you know it, you will look and feel awesome!

How Taking on a Sport Encourages You to Watch Your Diet

2010-04-04T17:32:00.006+04:00

It happens to most of us: we reach a point in our lives where our bodies start changing, we start gaining weight for no apparent reason. There are many reasons to this, and studies and opinions range from decrease in metabolic rate, to a sports-inactive lifestyle, and so on.

Whatever the reason, we feel we need to start watching our weight. Yet how many of us get on a "diet" only to break it soon? The choice of restaurants in Dubai is too tempting isn't it?

Sports to the rescue! Besides the physical benefits of sport activity, people often overlook the very important psychological one:

My personal experience has been that when I do some forms of sports on a regular basis, I am much more committed to watching my diet. How so?

After training, I feel so happy to have burnt so many calories, but at the same time, feel I have spent so much energy, effort and time. Would I really want to throw all this investment out the window by eating uncontrollably? Most times (we're all human at the end of the day), not! Get going, do sports and have fun!

Workout Does Not Have to Be Boring, Especially in the UAE

2010-03-31T14:48:00.005+04:00

Many people believe workout or sport is a boring, repetitive activity. What people don't realize however, is that "your fitness workout is what you are".

There are infinite ways and fitness exercises that I'm sure you will find something which suits your personality. Take me for instance, I like to socialize, work in a team, and stay fit that's why boot camps are a perfect fit for me, especially that in the UAE, and Dubai in particular, the venues are simply breathtaking like Safa Park, Jumeirah Beach or JBR.

But if you are a person who is motivated and driven by targets, then perhaps a personal trainer, with a well crafted workout / fitness exercise plan and a thorough follow-up is what suits your personality.

If your work environment is very stressful and you need fitness exercises or workouts that let you "get it all out", then you may want to consider Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) workouts or boxing / kickboxing workouts.

In brief, fitness exercises are boring when you are doing what you don't like, so think of your personality, what drives you and energizes you, and select the program that best matches you, especially that you have the option of working out outdoors in the UAE (at least for about 6-8 months per year!).

Instead of pouring energy into your training program, you'll end up energized! That's why our motto is "Making Fitness Fun"!

March Newsletter is Out: Fitness Keeps Evolving, Benefits of Nuts and More

2010-03-27T16:39:00.005+04:00

Our March newsletter is out, with an editorial on the ever evolving world of fitness, just like hair styles, fitness also changes, who would've thought, right?

The dates for the launch of our April bootcamps are all there with some special promotions as always, make sure you have a look and see how you can benefit from a discount.

The newsletter has some interesting motivational tips on why you should start working out, we hope you will enjoy it, you can read it here.

UFC 112 Abu Dhabi

2010-03-17T11:38:00.003+04:00

Its on...UFC 112 INVINCIBLE is on! So you get your fight on with Fitness 02 MMA Fit.

Next week we will have 2 UFC fighters coming down to train! So get on down, go to www.fitness02.com to register.

Bootcamp Blog - Andrea's Wedding Day Approaches

2010-03-08T17:09:00.006+04:00

Andrea joined our new Palm Jumierah Bootcamp at the end of February, with the goal of fitting into her gorgeous wedding dress.

Read all about the sessions, her progress and what she thinks of our Fitness O2 Renegade Bootcamp.

Click on the link below to follow her progress.

Andrea's Bootcamp Blog

Job Post: Trainers Needed

2010-03-08T08:24:00.003+04:00

Fitness O2 is expanding. If you are a qualified fitness trainer with minimum 2 years experience and would like to join a young, dynamic and creative team changing the face of fitness in the UAE, call us on +971 4 347 3440 or email us.

Fitness O2 specializes in alternate fitness, focusing on outdoor boot camps (including Mixed Martial Arts / MMA), personal training, corporate fitness, and more.

Picture courtesy of iStockPhoto.com.

New Fitness02 Bootcamps start on the 7th of March 2010!

2010-03-06T10:18:00.009+04:00

The New Fitness 02 Bootcamps start Sunday the 7th of March 2010.
We have Military Renegade Bootcamps 6am & 730pm, Booty Bootcamp for the ladies! 830am, MMA Fit bootcamp 730pm!
Dont forget we have Dubai's best Personal trainers....so get fit with a company that is down to earth and has heaps of fun getting you fit!
80% of our clients have been with us since we started 3 years ago.....not bad ha! We must be doing something right.

email maegan@fitness02.com

How Not To: Essential Tips & Techniques - Squats

2010-03-01T12:28:00.013+04:00

This is the second part of Fitness O2's "How Not To" series (you can read the first article about the plank here) posted by our loyal bootcamper, Hadi Hmayssi. Our focus in today's post is on the notorious, squat, an exercise many of us don't like, but a very important exercise in strengthening part of our core muscles as well as our legs, here is how not to do a squat:

Your legs should not be very wide apart nor very close, the right distance is shoulder width
Your hands should not be on your waist but rather crossed on your chest or extended straight in front of you to help you balance yourself
During movement up and down, your knees should not cross your toe line meaning you go down with and not by leaning forward. The motion should be a straight up-and-down motion.
Do not arch your back to the inside, look straight ahead with your chest up, shoulders to the back, stomach to the outside and your bottom pushing outside as you go down.
Do not go all the way down; your bottom should not go lower then your knees or you will put unnecessary pressure on the knees.You should make a 90 degree angle with your legs.
Inhale going down and exhale going up
Do not do it fast, the slower you go, the more resistance you create on the muscle this means better results. When going down, do it in 4 stages (4 seconds) and when going up do it in one stage.

What do you think of the squat? is it worth spending time making sure the technique is right?

Picture courtesy of iStockPhoto.

Videos Part 2: Renegade Bootcamp on Jumeirah Beach

2010-02-26T19:42:00.003+04:00

This is another video of what Fitness O2's Renegade Bootcamp is like, this one is filmed during the day on Jumeirah Kite Surfing Beach (Dubai), quite an old video, but still captures the spirit of fun workout / boot camp.

How Not To: Essential Tips & Techniques - Planks

2010-02-25T13:17:00.010+04:00

The benefits of boot camps are well known to many of us, but what we don't realize is how important it is to mind the technique of the different workouts. This post, by our loyal bootcamper Hadi Hmayssi, is not about how to do an exercise, but rather how NOT to do it:

The Plank:

Do not lift your bottom in the air, your body needs to be straight like an arrow.
Elbows Elbows Elbows....they should be aligned with your shoulders.
Don't hold your breath: breath in and out while keeping your abs contracted, this is a core exercise so you should feel a burning sensation in your stomach.

Stay tuned for more tips, coming soon :).

Videos Part 1: Renegade Bootcamp on Jumeirah Beach

2010-02-24T14:47:00.000+04:00

A lot of people are wondering what Renegade boot camp is like, and here is a short video on kite surfing beach in Jumeirah (Dubai) showing some snapshots of it.

7 Days MMA Bootcamp

2010-02-24T12:28:00.004+04:00

Check us out in thursdays paper,7 Days news paper is doing a write up on Fitness 02 and our new MMA Fit bootcamps with Tam Khan, Dubai's only Pro MMA fighter.

Schedule: Bootcamp & Workout Sessions

2010-02-24T10:56:00.001+04:00

We have released the Schedule for our next workout / bootcamp session cycle, Call (04 347 3440) or Email Us Now to book your seat (info@fitness02.com):

March 7th (Sunday):

March 8th (Monday):

Box O2 Bootcamp

March 28th (Sunday):

Palm Jumeirah Bootcamp

March 29th (Monday):

MMA Bootcamp

Call (04 347 3440) or Email Us Now to book your seat (info@fitness02.com).

Picture courtesy of istockphoto.com

Snapshot of a Bootcamp at JBR

2010-02-22T21:18:00.013+04:00

People often wonder what our bootcamps are like, we thought of telling you a bit more about our famous: Renegade Bootcamp. The Social Media team at Fitness O2 went to JBR to witness a session. We got to the meeting point close to Hilton JBR around 7:15pm , since the session starts at 7:30 sharp, and God knows where our trainers take the bootcampers once the session starts, part of the fun!

We were surprised to see a group of very disciplined bootcampers already mingling, chit chatting, and getting in the mood, with the trainers having all the equipment and props lined up and ready, and even giving some encouraging comments to the avid bootcampers.

A bit later, we met up with two of our most loyal bootcampers, Jamil and Shereef, who were kind enough to pose for our camera, looking very fresh and energetic before the workout guys :). You recognize the veterans quickly: they are always prepared with their bottles of water. In case you don't know, high intensity workout means, a lot of water!

The session started with some warm up run on the nice sandy beach of JBR, then the real deal started: to our luck tonight's session was very focused on boxing, bootcampers teamed up in pairs, one wearing gloves, the other wearing the pads, and off it went, one minute this, one minute that, swap over, recover, quick water, then a mixture of abs with boxing to spice things up. The striking thing about it was how each person was encouraging his / her partner in the team thus motivating one another to perform better, push harder.

The session then moved into some core exercises, with a lot of focus on abs, lower abs, upper abs (we lost track), and finally a cool down and stretch. The bootcamp ended with everyone coming together, the trainers giving some last comments (this week is the last week of the February session, and the final assessment is on thursday, so better give it 'all you got').

We will be posting some videos next time so stay tuned.

Launch of Palm Bootcamp: A Success!

2010-02-21T23:22:00.001+04:00

Today witnessed the launch of our bootcamp in Palm Jumeirah, with a great attendance. The bootcamp was a success in terms of number of people showing up with more people expressing interest to join. To those who are not familiar, Fitness O2's bootcamps blend a mix of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), with muscle endurance, all mixed in an atmosphere or fun and team building.

Main Differences between Fitness O2's bootcamps and group exercises at the Gym:

Fitness O2's Bootcamp	Group Exercise at the Gym
Outdoor	Indoor
Same time, same place means bootcampers become friends after some time	different time, different sessions, hard to keep seeing the same faces
No set choreography or routine, element of surprise	Choreographed, repetitive
Team games and challenges	No team games as such
Ability to talk with other bootcampers, and hence build better bonds with team members	No time to speak, loud music

This is just a few reasons why we all love Bootcamps :)

Fitness O2 Bootcamp Program Mentioned in Ahlan Magazine

2010-02-21T19:46:00.002+04:00

Ahlan! magazine had an article on the famous singer, Pink's workout routine, heavily reliant on army bootcamp style training. Quoting the website:

"And boot camp-style workouts are perfect for those who are also looking for significant results. The variation between weight, cardio and flexibility training helps to sculpt your body and improve overall health."

At the end of the article, Ahlan! mentions Fitness O2's bootcamps. Thank you Ahlan!.