Gym at the forefront of change in Baghdad
As protests rage across Iraq and the death toll mounts, a fitness revolution is happening in Baghdad’s uptown Karrada district.
Australian fitness chain F45 has set up shop in the city, seeing an opportunity among the capital’s increasingly open and driven young population. The gym is carving out its niche not only as a place for people to improve their health but also to be part of a community.
“With so much negativity around us, it’s nice to create something where people are able to vent and get positive vibes from a healthy environment,” Yazen Al Timimi, owner of the F45 branch in Baghdad, told The National.
The US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 opened Iraq to the world after a quarter century of political and cultural isolation. Healthy living was never a priority for the country while it was cut off from the international community.
The invasion was followed by years of civil unrest and conflict, most recently a wave of anti-government protests. But the increase in the number of health and fitness clubs is a sign that Iraq is slowly emerging from its hardship.
“It’s a place where people can come in, block out everything around them, focus on their exercise and sweat out all the negativity,” Mr Al Timimi said. F45 has become a mini community where people can come and feel safe, he said.
Although members come to the gym to relieve stress, there are some who come to train and then join the protests, Mustafa Salam, one of F45’s personal trainers, told The National.
Despite their daily encounters with road closures, traffic and protests, people are committed to attending their classes, he said.
“When we first opened, people were surprised when they saw the gym because it’s a new concept in Iraq,” said Mr Salam, who has been involved in the fitness sector for 10 years.
Since the early 2000s, bodybuilding has grown in popularity and is practised in more traditional gyms.
But with upbeat music, no mirrors on the walls and friendly hosts F45 differs from other gyms.
High-intensity group workouts for men and women last 45 minutes. Before the start of any class, new members are introduced to each other with a round of applause.
“Members have a lot of encouragement and motivation from us to help them improve their fitness level, lose weight and maintain their health,” Mr Salam said. But security is still a concern for residents across the capital.
Some people have let that get in the way of maintaining their health and fitness.
But Mr Al Timimi says Iraqis are resilient.
“Some days when I hear there’s been a bloodbath on the streets, I think that no one will show up,” he said. “But I head to the gym and I see the classes are full.”
Years of hardship have left people with a feeling of numbness, he said.
As the protest movement has normalised the mixing of men and women on the streets, F45 has attempted to do the same with fitness.
The gym contrasts sharply with Iraq’s cultural norms, where women’s freedoms have been restricted in recent years.
Gyms were not regarded as a place for them, with men and women traditionally training in segregated areas. Some gyms have women-only hours.
“F45 is breaking that cultural barrier,” Mr Al Timimi said.
“Women and men are working out together comfortably in the same room.”