Dubai athlete does tyre flipping while fasting to test human endurance
Flipping a tractor tyre weighing between 250-400kg is a staple in strongman competitions
Dubai: A Dubai-based athlete and fitness instructor is doing a tyre flipping challenge today while fasting before the end of Ramadan — in open air, with no shade — “to prove that there’s no limit to what a person can achieve, as the saying goes — if there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Seena Akbary, an American expat from Atlanta, Georgia, who is of Iranian descent, told Gulf News he’s doing the tyre flip challenge today, from sun up to sun down at Kite Beach in Dubai.
Tyre flipping is a punishing test of physical and mental toughness, where one will lug or flip a tractor tyre that weighs between 250-400kg. A staple in strongman competitions, tyre flipping is a whole-body exercise, combining strength, power and endurance.
Akbary said he will have no food and water the entire day of the challenge and he will do it outdoors “to endure difficult circumstances, such as doing a strenuous physical activity, while under the hot sun.”
‘Finding a way’
“My philosophy is that there’s no limit to what a person can achieve — if there’s a will, there’s a way,” explained Akbary, adding: “I am an Under Armour athlete and I founded my company Global Star Fitness in July 2018, where I teach a training method that mixes psychology with strength conditioning for optimal performance. I strongly believe that the first step towards growth is welcoming suffering and pain, rather than running away from it. Welcoming pain and suffering forces my mind and body to adapt and change — without that, I wouldn’t be able to grow.”
Akbary also said he will do tyre flipping to approximate how people in the past endured fasting during the hot summer months, when there were no AC or electricity yet to help beat the heat. “In the past, people had to work outside under the hot sun but they still managed to fast. Putting that into perspective, I decided to simulate what the people of the time felt like. I wanted to bring it into action. To me, they showcased perfectly that when there is a will, there is a way,” he added.
Akbary further explained: “The challenge is about constant work, not about how many tyres I’m going to flip. I’m going to be doing this in open air, with no shade, from 4.08am (Suhoor) to 6.55pm (Iftar). So as long as I am able, as long as I have my arms and legs and my joints are working, I’m going to be flipping.”