As Emiratis prepare to embark on nine months to two years of national service, UAE fitness instructors say a good base of all-round fitness is crucial to new recruits who will be pushed to their limits during gruelling military training. The emotional and physical challenge is one these conscripts are eager to take on with women eagerly stepping forward to serve alongside Emirati men. Melanie Swan speaks to trainers and recruits alike about how to prepare for national service.
UAE fitness instructors say preparation for national service is key
DUBAI // Preparation to a good level of physical fitness will be vital for national service recruits to help them cope with what promises to be gruelling military training, say experts.
Running several miles a day, weapons drills, fitness tests, desert treks and obstacle courses are some of the standard exercises the new Emirati soldiers will take.
Phillip Robson, a sports performance coach based in Dubai who was a military physical training instructor in the British army for 22 years, said for the new troops, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.
“You have to work on your upper body strength, your cardiovascular endurance, having a strong core and being able to carry weight because that weight will turn into carrying equipment and potentially a comrade.”
He said a good base of all-round fitness would be vital for the new recruits before they embark on nine months to two years of national service.
“Even during a 5km or 10km run, stopping every kilometre and doing something like 10 push-ups, sit-ups and burpees will help you. Gradually you increase the reps and the distance so you go longer and get faster.”
Not only will the body be pushed to its limits during training, said Mr Robson, recruits will be tested emotionally and mentally.
Physically, the young soldiers will be put through all manner of body weight movements to allow them to endure challenging situations out in the field. They can expect everything from pull-ups to rope climbs and squats, all to be done in a particular way and time.
Swimming in full combat gear and even with weights will also be part of the challenge, although those at the bottom two tiers of the four levels of fitness and skill will have a scaled-back version of the physical challenges undertaken by the elite ranks.
“A big part of this is learning about nutrition,” said Mr Robson. “Learning when to eat, what to eat, how and when to hydrate.”
Richard Palfrey, who served as a British military engineer for nine years and is now a sports performance coach in Dubai, said though training will vary according to unit, in the early stages it is not about breaking people down, but rather building them up gradually, keeping them injury free and setting goals for the end of each month.
“It has to be progressive and constructive,” he said. “You have to accommodate the lowest common denominator and then lift them up to the level you want.”
For raw recruits who have not prepared and who have lead a sedentary lifestyle, training will be a harsh experience, said Mr Palfrey. “You need to at least be doing circuit training to build up strength and body awareness, things like timed runs.”
Though the troops are unlikely to train every day, there will be a lot of physical education involved such as marching and even handling weapons. “They will be surviving on less sleep and they need to recover too,” added Mr Palfrey.
Emirati Marwan Al Marri, 24, has seen friends and family go through national service training. He said it is helping to create a new generation of fitter, healthier Emiratis, in addition to training people who can defend the country if needed.
“It’s about 50/50 of those who are prepared going in right now. Some people are coming from quite an unhealthy lifestyle and are looking at service as a time to start turning their lives around,” he said.
However, training has been tough even for those who have prepared, said Mr Al Marri, not least for the elite recruits who have only around five hours’ sleep a night or less.
Drills such as sleeping out in the open in foxholes, trekking through water, desert runs and exercises in hyperbaric chambers help to lift those in the super fit elite ranks to a whole new level of physical and mental strength.
“Everyone should prepare,” said Mr Al Marri. “You don’t have to be the fastest person but get active and be ready. They have to learn to discipline themselves, to sleep early, to get up early.”
In spite of the challenges ahead, he said he is looking forward to serving and is keen to sign up.
“I hear of people crying and they want to leave, but it’s part of the training. We have to get used to being ready to leave the country to serve.”
Emirati women up to military challenge
DUBAI // Emirati women are fit, ready and able to serve in the military alongside men, according to female veterans and fitness coaches.
Although women are not required to take part in national service, experts say they have a lot to offer the UAE’s Armed Forces and are just as capable of handling the physical and mental rigours of basic training as men.
Eva Clarke served 13 years in the Australian forces as a physical training instructor. The 35-year-old has witnessed the development of Emirati females in fitness over the past four years and said the time was right for women to shine.
“There’s been a huge amount of change. I’m seeing more women in mainstream fitness and competing. They don’t feel they need to be on the sidelines watching.”
Ms Clarke said role models such as the fighter pilot Maj Mariam Al Mansouri will inspire other women to join the military.
“I see her as a benchmark and see women aiming even higher than that. They’ve watched her climb to the top and they might want to do that. She’s become a mentor for women.”
Fatima Al Mutawa is considering national service, although she concedes there is still some reluctance among Emirati families to allow girls to serve.
“It will be a challenge and I always seek a challenge,” said the 27-year-old from Abu Dhabi. “If you see how Emirati women have entered all fields like men here, you find them in leadership, in government, ministries, I don’t think there’s anything women here can’t do, it just depends on their personal interests.”
A self-confessed fitness fanatic, Ms Al Mutawa takes part in wide range of sports and activities, from kick-boxing to indoor cycling, CrossFit to weightlifting.
“I’m not sure how much I’d be able to use the skills from doing national service but I see this as a fitness challenge,” she said.
Emirati Asma Lootah, owner and founder of the Hundred Wellness Centre in Dubai, anticipates that in time there will be many more women volunteering.
“I agree with the fact it’s optional and I think the girls are capable of doing it, no doubt — not all of them but this is why it’s optional. I don’t see it conflicting with religion, culture, beliefs, but maybe some parents will be overprotective because it’s seen as more of a man thing, but families are becoming more open minded.
“I think as the project develops more women will volunteer. It’s totally something new so I think the more people know about it, the more they will enrol.”
Sandra Gonzalez served 20 years as a drill instructor in the US Marines, bringing female recruits up to scratch to compete on a level playing field with men. She sees no reason why Emirati women cannot perform at the highest levels of the military.
“There are some amazing women here that are in sports and are slowly competing with the men. They’re also getting their education and it’s phenomenal,” said the 39-year-old, a personal trainer and life coach based in Dubai, adding that her years in the elite fighting force helped to build solid discipline, confidence and determination.
“As a woman it’s an empowering experience.”
Although training for raw recruits as part of national service is not expected to be as tough as the US Marines, they will still be put through their paces physically as well as learning military rules and discipline.
“It’s a shock at first,” said Ms Gonzalez. “The discipline, the physical and mental sides, it’s all part of being in the Marines. We taught them how to eat, when to eat, how to march, how to assemble and disassemble weapons.”
Becoming a marine involved a series of gruelling physical readiness tests including running three miles in less than 30 minutes and carrying an 85lb pack over 12 miles.
“One guy who was on the run said he would give me until two miles before I dropped out as we all had the same weight packs,” said Ms Gonzalez. “At nine miles, who should I see drop out? It was him, and it just spurred me to keep going.
“I had about six blisters on my feet and I could feel them burst, the blood on my feet, but I wasn’t going to be beaten.”
Case study: Emirati fitness fanatic trains in preparation for national service
DUBAI // Saeed bin Sulaiman will be more than ready for whatever military life throws at him when he begins his national service in three months.
Discipline and fitness are a major part of the 24-year-old’s life.
After he finishes his full-time job as an engineer at 2.30pm, he heads to the gym where he spends another seven hours training.
The CrossFit enthusiast has altered his regime to be better prepared for the military, training a mix of sprinting, swimming, jiu jitsu, gymnastics, cycling and weightlifting. He varies from high to low and medium intensity during a session.
“I’m comfortable being uncomfortable,” he said, confident he will be heading straight for the elite rank of recruits. “If you fail to adapt, you’ll be dropped. It is that simple.”
His father is a high-ranking officer in the Armed Forces, so Mr bin Sulaiman is well aware of what awaits him but said he cannot wait to join up and test himself in desert survival and other military exercises.
“It’s literally just another adventure; a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
However, Mr bin Sulaiman realises that with his three degrees up to masters level and high level of physical fitness, his time in the military may go beyond his nine months’ national service, possibly even leading to a long, high-ranking career like his father.
“It will test my limits and I need to enter and prove this is easy and that we can do more,” he said. “I’ll push myself to the limit. This is a one-time experience so why not push it and take it to the extreme?”
He said there will be major life changes for people joining the service. His brother, who is not such a fitness fanatic, has been undergoing the 21 weeks intensive training and has lost 7kgs.
“He wants to make it part of his life now,” he said. “By the end of the nine months these people will be fit, and service is opening people’s eyes to being interested in sports and is making for a fitter generation. In addition to giving back to the country, they’re getting fitter and smarter.”
mswan@thenational.ae
