It’s that time of the year again. Starting October 18, residents of Dubai will challenge themselves to be healthier for 30 minutes every day for 30 days as part of the annual Dubai Fitness Challenge.
Targeting all ages and fitness levels, organisers have also announced a spate of activities to be held across the city, most of them free, urging residents to take on active-driven, wellness-focused habits under the theme ‘City is a gym’.
To help you get the best of the month-long challenge, here’s your ultimate guide to all the events happening across Dubai:
DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY FITNESS VILLAGE
Opening hours: 12 to 10pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 12pm to midnight from Thursday to Saturday
Activities here will span both indoor and outdoor sections of the mall. There will be seven zones, which contain activities that assess fitness skills, along with yoga classes, beach activities and cycling along the waterfront.
- At the Dewa 30x30 Skills Zone, visitors can try and test nine different skills and fitness-based activities with challenges that will be available during the day as well as a daily ‘Hero Competition’.
- There will also be a Fitbit Fitness Zone and Fitbit AI Zone, where visitors can also try out a mix of daily circuit sessions. Fitbit will lead a challenge designed to achieve a total of 1 billion steps across the 30 days.
- Outside, the festival promenade will turn into a large workout space as part of a daily programme which will include a series of workout sessions such as sunset yoga (participants to bring their own yoga mats), HIIT and boot camp sessions.
- Imagine, the mall’s daily sound and light show, will also introduce an Imagine Fitness workout that combines choreography with water and visual effects. The Imagine Fitness Workout will take place daily at 7.15pm and 9.15pm.
- At the Dubai Chamber Cycling Hub, visitors can rent a bicycle upon free registration and handing in a valid ID at the Hub and cycle along the promenade on a trail leading towards Marsa Beach.
- There will also be a Dubai Chamber Ultimate Mile, where visitors can perform up to 10 workouts and cycle, walk or run along the trail.
- At the Beach Sports Zone, visitors can play volleyball and tennis among many others every day from 3 to 7pm.
KITE BEACH FITNESS VILLAGE
Opening hours: 7am to 9pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 7am to 11pm from Thursday to Saturday.
This outdoor venue will have 10 different zones.
- At the Etisalat Beachside Basketball, there will be daily tournaments, free play and coaching sessions as well as events.
- The Go Sport - Adidas Boxing & Martial Arts Centre will include daily coaching sessions, training with free equipment and competitions.
- The Open Beach Gym will be for to all fitness abilities and will have daily group classes and open workouts for everyone.
- At the Water Sports Centre & Aqua Park, visitors can try free activities from kayaking, surfboarding, stand-up paddle boarding, with equipment and trainers available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and will open from 7am until sunset.
- The Yoga and Meditation Zone will be dedicated to promoting holistic health and wellness
- The Fitbit Beach Spinning Hub will feature spinning sessions throughout the day led by fitness partners and instructors with changing themes coupled by a night-time amplification programme powered by light effects and increased intensity.
- There will also be a Dubai Chamber Kids Zone featuring a variety of skills, fun and play elements for children.
- For fans of obstacle courses, the Enoc Mudder Village, with separate zones for adults and kids, will feature 10 obstacles and workout stations by the world-famous Tough Mudder brand.
- A Dewa Beach Sports Arena will host football, volleyball, beach tennis where corporates, social groups and clinics can play upon booking a slot.
HIIT 30X30 WITH JOE WICKS
The best-selling author and Instagram fitness star, well-known globally as ‘The Body Coach’, will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class on October 26 at Skydive Dubai. Wicks currently holds the record title himself with a class of 3,804 participants he led in London in 2017. The session will be moderate in intensity and it will feature a series of short and intense periods of anaerobic exercises, with little recovery time to spike metabolism and increase weight loss. The session is free-to-attend for 18 years and above, but it requires registration at platinumlist.net.
MAI DUBAI CITY HALF MARATHON
The first ever Mai Dubai City Half Marathon will take place on October 25 in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). There are different distances — 2.5km, 5km, 10km and half marathon (21km), starting in front of The Gate Building in DIFC. The 2.5km category is aimed at encouraging individuals who are new to running to enjoy their own ‘marathon experience’ without any time constraint and solely for the purpose of being healthy and having some fun.
BEST BODY CO’S BOOTCAMP & BITES
The Dubai fitness start-up, run by head coaches Olivia and Adam McCubbin, have launched a fitness programme at the Native Club Gym, Zabeel House by Jumeirah, in the Greens. To be held every Saturday, from October 19, from 9 to 10am, the fitness couple will run a strength and conditioning workout, followed by free healthy smoothies and snacks for participants to enjoy post-workout. There will be weekly prizes for achievers. Each class is priced at Dh30. Register at bestbodyco.com/bootcamp.
FREE ADVENTURE AT TEPFACTOR
Indoor challenge company TEPfactor is encoring visitors to get moving by allowing 30 minutes of adventure for free. From 6.30pm to 7.30pm during the week, and from 10.30am to 11.30am at the weekend, those who want to take on the challenge need only to bring the Dubai Fitness App at the reception upon arrival. A minimum of two players is needed for a challenge as you take on physically-demanding obstacles behind 21 closed doors. Advance booking is encouraged. For details, go to tepfactor.ae
WEIGHT LOSS TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE
NRG Fitness and Dubai Marina Mall are running a free weight loss transformation challenge with the greatest losers (those who lose the most weight after 30 days) walking away with Dh3,000. Those registered will first be get a full body analysis where body fat percentage, weight and height will be measured, along with guidance on how to shift the weight in a healthy way.
NRG is also running free classes twice a day starting from October 20 along the Dubai Marina Mall promenade. The classes will run at 7am and 5.30pm seven days a week and range from HIIT, circuit, boxing, Zumba to cycling. Food and drinks will be provided. To register for the classes and the weight loss challenge, send an email to connect@nrgfitness.me.
WINTER WORKOUT WONDERLAND
Palm Jumeirah will also house a number of activities, many of them free of charge, throughout the Dubai Fitness Challenge month.
- The Pointe will host more than 40 events during the second week of the 30x30 Challenge.
- At Al Ittihad Park and The Boardwalk people can scan a QR code to receive workouts relevant to the area on their smartphone.
- There will also be an open water sea swimming race on October 25 with distances from 400 to 1,600 metres. The event is for teams and individuals, and is suitable for swimmers aged eight and above. Registration Dh380.95 at raceme.ae.
- Between October 26 and November 23, Club Vista Mare will host free-to-attend yoga and HIIT workouts on the beach, hosted by Core Direction. Core Beats starts at 7pm with 50 minutes of fitness beats followed by an hour of yoga beats.
- Al Ittihad Park and Golden Mile Galleria will host a Run & Flo event from October 19 to November 16, featuring free-to-attend cardio and mobility-based workouts to music, hosted by Fitness First. The events begin at 4pm with a warm up, followed by a 45-minute run on the park’s jogging track and an hour of flow yoga.
- On November 8, Trifest at The Palm will see an Olympic-distance triathlon covering a 1.5km sea swim, 40km cycle and 10km run, and sprint-distance event comprising a 750-metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. Open to individuals and teams, registration starts at Dh195 on raceme.ae.
DOWNTOWN DUBAI: YOUR GYM
Downtown Dubai will transform into a giant gym during the Dubai Fitness Challenge, with daily activities such as yoga, contemporary dance, HIIT, aqua bag boxing, running, sound healing and even football coaching for adults and kids. To join, all you need is to download the Switch & Co App on Google Play or the App Store, and book your spot for the number of activities being organised in various locations within Downtown Dubai. There are 60 activities being held over the month, all of which are free for the public.
FREE LES MILLS TRIAL
During the Dubai Fitness Challenge, Les Mills Middle East will be offering a free month trial of Les Mills On Demand, giving the people of the UAE a chance to work out in the comfort of their own home. Perfect for those with a hectic schedule or young children to care for, Les Mills On Demand is a web-based site available on computers, tablets and iPhones where anyone can access more than 800 Les Mills group fitness workouts. Featuring actual classes and releases that would be found in a gym, each class is between 15 to 55 minutes in length, allowing members to workout anywhere, anytime. Subscription to the service will cost Dh55 per month after the Dubai Fitness Challenge. To register, got to lesmills.com/ondemand.
FITNESS HUBS
In addition to the two flagship Fitness Villages, there will be 10 fitness hubs across Dubai, to ensure everyone has access to a variety of workouts within proximity. There will be free exercise classes and activities at each hub. While this list will be updated, the ones confirmed so far are:
- Hamdan Sports Complex: October 18 to November 1
- Dubai Police Officers Club: October 18 to October 26
- The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah: October 23 to October 30
- Sustainable City: November 1 to 9
- Bluewaters: November 8 to 16
- The Block (Dubai Design District): November 10 to 16
- One Central: October 16 to 26
- Zabeel Ladies Club: October 18 to 26
- DMCC (JLT Park): November 1 – 7
- Downtown Dubai: October 18 to November 16
DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE APP
Downloading the app and registering signs you up for Dubai Fitness Challenge, and allows you direct access to all things DFC. The app is available to download on iOS and Android and allows participants access to a world of free citywide classes, and a variety of deals and offers.
You can also create your own social fitness groups, track daily progress and view fitness and health information to assist you in your #Dubai30x30 journey. The App also gives you the option to connect Strava, FitBit and Apple Health, making it easier to transfer your workout data.
