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Gyms, fitness centers and health clubs are three of the venues where men and women go to do their best to make their bodies fit, perfect and healthy. The gym, short for gymnasium (meaning ‘place to be naked’ in Greek), was historically considered an important location for young men’s physical and intellectual education, with the ancient Greeks believing that it prepared them for two things; athletic competition or army service.

Physical exercise in ancient Greece was customarily considered a male pursuit to be performed naked, with the belief that men’s bodies should look fit, healthy and strong to gratify their gods.

For the Greeks, physical education was considered as important as academic learning. One can understand why since the earliest records of athletic competition originated in Greece, with the first Olympic Games being held there in 776 BC. This article is not concerned with the Olympic Games, however, but what it takes to get fit in the modern day and why men want to look attractive and muscular.

Meet 29-year-old Kuwaiti Mahmoud Ali, who began attending the gym at the age of 15. Gym became a place where he could realize his burning desire for physical perfection, he says. He never tried any steroids or other enhancement drugs to look good, but he works out daily and, for him, a day without a visit to the gym is incomplete.

Mahmoud began training in a small gym in Maidan Hawally at a time when there were only a few gyms available in Kuwait. "I remember when I was trying to convince my friend to go with me to the gym; he’d tell me that I would gain nothing by torturing myself and sweating would result in nothing," Mahmoud said. "I was a bit disappointed, but I continued because I felt good and they hadn’t tried it anyway.

Mahmoud began with a program to build muscles in his arms and legs, but concentrated most on his abs. "Each day I looked forward to visiting the gym until I managed to convince some of my friends. When I started, I didn’t want to stop. Instead I managed to convince some of my friends to work out. I love what I am doing," Mahmoud said.

Doing well for yourself

He noticed some disadvantages in attending the fitness center with friends, however. "When I was alone, I could finish the program quickly. But when I worked out with friends, the seven hours wouldn’t be enough. You know, it’s good to work out with friends, but seven hours in the gym is not good at all!
Working out so much not only makes him attractive to the opposite sex and keeps him healthy and strong, but also helps him to cope with stress in his personal life. "If I work out every day, it helps unload heavy burdens in life," he explained. "When I lift heavy weights I feel that every problem I’ve got in my life is also drained along with my sweat, so I feel satisfied.

To better manage his time and effort, Mahmoud decided to transfer from the small gym he had been attending to a larger, more expensive one with better facilities. "When I transferred here, I was able to reduce the length of the workout," he said. "I was able to concentrate on doing my program daily without friends chatting. So the usual seven hours becomes two hours and the seven days a week became five times a week," he said.

Mahmoud admitted that during his early years attending the gym, his primary objective was to attract women, but says that his current aims are more focused at maintaining his peak fitness level as a professional basketball player.

(As) a professional basketball player, I need to keep my body fit, because if not I’ll be out of this career. My coach advised us to visit the gym to help us in our careers," he explained. The attention from the opposite sex is certainly a bonus, however! "I feel good when women are looking at me not once but many times! It builds my self-confidence.

As with other weightlifters, Mahmoud does use dietary supplements to help him cope with the strenuous efforts involved in lifting heavy weights at the gym, but stresses that he never uses or would use drugs.

Basically I eat everything, except for sweets and cola; otherwise, I eat and drink whatever I want. I eat meat, fish and chicken. According to my instructor, it’s okay to take fatty foods, since I usually burn them off during my routine workout." Mahmoud loves his abs, and never ends his day without lifting weights to maintain them at peak level.

This is my asset, I feel good when I check it and actually strong and heavy," he told the Kuwait Times Asked whether he had any plans to take part in any bodybuilding competitions, he said, "No, I wouldn’t be interested even if I had the chance. All I want is to satisfy myself and work out every day.

Ben Garcia, Staff Writer