up body looks good at the mall and wears well at the office. It can help you stand up straighter and boost your self-confidence. And it can help you maintain good health. These are only a few of the reasons that have led to the rapid growth of the gym culture in Saudi Arabia. Nasser Al-Hashimi, a personal trainer, said that the public is now well aware of the importance of working out. The gym culture has developed out of more media openness to other cultures around the world, he said. “Given the right training, nutrition, and determination, it is safe, fun, and easy to be a bodybuilder,” he said. The rule of thumb in the gym is to have tried-and-true exercises that keep trainees going and growing, he said. Al-Hashimi, however, warned against using drugs to boost muscles without proper consultation. Well-built actors, models, singers, or TV personalities have for years tempted young men to follow suit. Everybody, at one time or another, has wanted Sylvester Stallone's body. And there is no magic bullet, but hard work at the gym. “You can't become a muscleman overnight. It takes a while,” said trainer Thamer Hilmi. “Many young men come to the gym with a muscular figure in mind or to just have fun with the weights,” he said. Most of those who go to the gym are not professional bodybuilders; they just want to be healthy and in good shape, he said. The road to a perfect body is not paved with supplements, but with a total concentrated body workout that may take a long time, he added. Yousef Abdu, a 21-year-old student at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, said he wanted to be like his muscular navy officer father. Abdu, who is 188 cm tall, said he wanted more muscles to go with his height. It has now been almost five years since he hit the gym. “I played basketball in the past, but I only got thinner,” he said. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, 22, would not have worked out had the gym been away from where he lives. “It just happened that they built this huge gym next to my house,” he said. “I never thought I would do it, but I feel now it is really fun and challenging to stay the course,” he added. Some students with a lot of homework still find time for the gym. Abdulmajeed Sindi, a 22-year-old KAU civil engineering student, said he goes to the gym every weekend. “But it is discouraging when the people around you warn you against bodybuilding,” he said. Sindi's family has many times advised him to quit the supplements he has been taking to complement his workout, he said. “My family doesn't know much about, yet they make judgments,” he said. Al-Muataz Zare, a senior student at the Yanbu Industrial College, said he initially got involved in bodybuilding to be able to show off a better body. But the more he worked out, the more he found how his whole lifestyle was changing for the better, he said. “I never thought I would ever go to bed early and get up early. I never thought I would cut back on rice, fries, sweets; food I was raised with,” he said. Gyms are usually packed with customers during the holidays, especially those between the ages of 16-25, said gym receptionist Muhammad Al-Wahidi. With many gyms providing good discounts to students, many show up for the training. “We slash our prices to help promote the gym culture,” he said. Okaz/SG __
