Friday and Saturday (December 7 and 8) are all about the Dubai Active Show and the Dubai Muscle Show, two dominant fitness events running at the Dubai World Trade Center. Expect fitness celebrities, special seminars, free workouts and plenty of free protein snacks. The Dubai Muscle Show emphasizes bodybuilding and all things strength. There are competitions in boxing, powerlifting, strongman, calisthenics, MMA and more. The Dubai Active Show is more about health and wellness. There’s a GuavaPass wellness zone, a yoga festival and free workouts from Les Mills Live.
Both will draw 25,000 attendees to roam between 200-plus exhibitors with around 600 athletes in the World Trade Center. There will be plenty of product samples, cool technology and loads of workout kit throughout.
Famous people
The Dubai Muscle Show draws some of the biggest names in fitness. You can expect to see Dana Linn Bailey (Ms Olympia 2013), Kevin Levrone (two-times Arnold Classic Winner), Rich Gaspari (Arnold Classic Winner), Jay Cutler (four-time Mr. Olympia), Brian Shaw (four-time World’s Strongest Man), Michelle Lewin (a social media fitness superstar), Kai Greene (three-times Arnold Classic Winner) and plenty more.
Cool seminars
Want to be a fitness influencer or boost the audience you already have? Sessions range from how to grow your social media presence to tips on pitching yourself to brand. For everyone else there are seminars on biohacking, the gut-brain connection, social media fails, how to stay fit while having it all and running injury free.
Pole dancing, f45 and Kangoo Jumps
Into the challenging, acrobatic sport of pole fitness? Head down to the Dubai Pole Cup, the Middle East’s first and only pole competition. This amazing event mixes acrobatics, strength and dance over five competition categories. If you’re a pole fit athlete, you can enter to win.
F45 Playoffs invite you to test your HIIT strength over 10 stations. It’s free to compete and registration happens on the day.
If group workouts are more your thing, check out the GuavaPass stage. A mix of free fitness will be hosted throughout the day, including the low-impact, high-intensity Inferno Pilates, Kangoo Jumps (jump fitness using special bouncy shoes), holistic boxing, Afro Fit with Gbemi Giwa, Beyonce Fit with Ewa Golan, HIIT with social media duo MrAndMrsMuscle, and a full body workout with Lilly Sabri.
Yogis have a ton of options to stretch out and get inspired at the Yoga Festival section. Throughout the weekend, there will be deep stretching, energized power yoga flows, a gentle flow with Core 8’s Sara Otto, meditations on peace and more.
For even more core work, check out MeFitPro’s TRX Fusion and TRX Fit classes. The group is also running a super-trendy Animal Flow session.
Calisthenics pros can battle it out with Gravity’s 16-man knockout competition. Even if you can’t do handstands on bars while flipping through the air, this is definitely one worth watching.
Les Mills Live
A bit like a festival within a festival, Les Mills Live is running all day on Dec 8, drawing hundreds of Les Mills instructors and enthusiasts for seriously intense workouts. Lisa Osborne, Les Mills program director for BodyAttack, will be in town. So will Dan Cohen, Les Mills program director for BodyCombat. Highlights include Les Mills Barre, a barre-based workout, and The Trip, an immersive cycling experience.
Featured photo: Les Mills Live
