Top outdoor places to exercise during the UAE summer

Courtesy Zayed Sports City

Delores Johnson / The National

Antonie Robertson / The National

Antonie Robertson / The National

Satish Kumar / The National

Ravindranath K / The National

Pawan Singh / The National

Summer shouldn’t be a deterrent when it comes to exercising in the fresh air, provided you stay in the shade and drink plenty of fluids. Afshan Ahmed rounds up the top places to sweat it out in the great outdoors.

Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

www.yasmarinacircuit.com / 800 927

• Entry: free

There’s never a dull day at Yas Marina Circuit – especially with Daman ActiveLife outdoor fitness activities lined up throughout the year. Runners, cyclists and boot-camp enthusiasts can choose from several free sessions during the week to participate in with family and friends. Athletes can use the F1 track as their personal training ground every Tuesday during the TrainYAS events, while women of all fitness levels can join the ­ladies-only GoYAS Wednesdays for the Mom+Me run with their children, the #TheADmovement health and wellness activities, or the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy’s fitness camps.

Zayed Sports City – Abu Dhabi

www.zsc.ae / 02 403 4200

• Entry: free

Joining a community fitness programme is an effective way to stay motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle. When not hosting a thrilling match, Zayed Sports City is open to residents who want to use its grounds to stay fit. The stadium is a hangout spot for skateboarders and rollerbladers trying to perfect their moves, as well. Daman ActiveLife also organises monthly vertical training – it involves running up and down stadium stairs for a high-intensity interval workout. The next session is May 26.

Vogue Fitness and CrossFit – Abu Dhabi

www.vfuae.com / 02 583 2380

• Entry: membership costs Dh950 per month

Why squat, bench-press and row in a stuffy gym when you can do it with the breeze blowing gently on your face? Vogue Fitness Centre on Yas West takes its gruelling CrossFit classes outdoors to its 160-square-metre, purpose-built box that overlooks the ocean on one side and Yas Marina Circuit on the other. The area has a custom-designed rig with 12 lifting stations that are used for its introductory programme, regular CrossFit lessons and boot-camp style workouts. The outdoor area is also stocked with bars, plates, kettlebells, rowing machines, ropes and medicine balls for a full-body workout. The centre runs four sessions throughout the day and, in summer, will host classes outdoor in the evenings.

Abu Dhabi Corniche

• Entry: Free

Your goal to stay fit doesn’t have to rely on free weights and complicated machines. Bodyweight exercises, such as pull-ups and push-ups, are equally effective. The Abu Dhabi Corniche provides ample space for resistance training and street workouts that require little more than your body’s strength. If you want to put your fitness to the test, join one of the free parkour or calisthenics sessions that are held every weekend on the parallel and pull-up bars set up on the Corniche near the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce.

DropZone SkyDive Dubai – Dubai Marina

www.skydivedubai.ae / @skydivedubai

• Entry: free

SkyDive Dubai has created every fitness enthusiasts dream playground at this DropZone in Dubai Marina. In January, the recently renovated outdoor gym opened to the public and it is equipped to break the monotony of regular indoor gym classes. The network of rigs can accommodate large groups for street workouts and strength-training routines. The pull-up and push-up bars and dip stations are geared towards the calisthenic crowd and TRX bands are set up for a total body resistance exercises, too. Gymnasts and yogis have plenty of open padded space to practise their moves and postures. Residents can comfortably train at night with the outdoor lighting switched on until 8pm every day.

The Warehouse Gym, The Beach – Dubai

• Entry: a one-time day pass costs Dh60

Right in the middle of The Beach in JBR Dubai is a box where the muscly lot congregate to pump iron. The hip Warehouse Gym in Al Quoz opened the UAE’s first muscle-beach gym last year and it has become the home ground for CrossFitters and bodybuilders who prefer a sun-and-sand workout. Modelled on the muscle-beach fitness rage in California, the weightlifting platform is equipped with a rig for pull-ups, rope climbs and compound lifts and has barbells, free weights and medicine balls to host community competitions. The gym is open from 6am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am until 8pm at weekends.

Barsha Pond Park – Dubai

• 800 900

• Entry: free

This family park, popular for community food and artisans’ markets, also doubles up as a free workout space for residents in Al Barsha. The park’s two-kilometre padded jogging track wraps around the pond and makes for a refreshing morning or evening jog. A cycling track runs alongside. There is also a fitness station with basic equipment for bodyweight exercises and upper body and lower body sets. The park also has basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, a football pitch and shaded children’s play areas. The park is open from 8am to 11.30pm.

Al Majaz Waterfront – Sharjah

• Entry: free

This recently renovated, lively hub in Sharjah attracts fitness enthusiasts who want to start their day on an energetic note. The jogging track around the waterfront is 750 metres long and made of 6,000 recycled tyres. The track is surrounded by tress and an attractive open landscape where people can spread their mats for a yoga session or resistance training. A representative of Shurooq, the development authority that manages the park, says it will be extending the jogging track in the next phase of Al Majaz Waterfront project. Residents and tourists can also rent a bike from a service at the entrance of the waterfront and ride along the Corniche (but not within Al Majaz Waterfront).

Umm Al Quwain Corniche

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• Entry: free

The outdoor fitness trend has spread to all corners of the country. Umm Al Quwain isn’t far behind in promoting well-being with a free gym at the Corniche. The Al Bayt Mitwahid society in UAQ set up a free gym at the Corniche last May and residents have been taking full advantage of the equipment. The complex consists of eight machines, including a shoulder press, chest press, cross-trainer and spin bike.

Read The National’s Weekend section on Friday for 10 fun fitness activities designed for all the family