The prospect of only having to exercise for 20 to 30 minutes and it equating to about two hours in the gym, sounded a little too good to be true. That was my sceptical attitude, at least, when I arrived for a trial session at My30minutes workout studio in Dubai’s smart Jumeirah 1 district.
The concept is simple: clients are strapped into an electrode-lined bodysuit before performing a series of exercises for half an hour, much as they would in a gym.
The difference is that through the magic of EMS – Electro Muscle Stimulation – the workout’s intensity is ramped up.
And so it was that I willingly placed myself in the capable hands of my personal trainer (PT) Mauricio Gomez. After filling out a questionnaire, I was escorted to a private, mirrored workout room in the deceptively spacious villa. I was handed matching black cotton cycling shorts and a T-shirt, into which I duly changed in the en-suite bathroom. When I emerged, I was Velcroed tightly into leg straps, armbands and a gilet containing eight pairs of hidden electrodes.
The instructor then pumped up the music and switched on the current, which flowed from a free-standing unit and into my high-tech gym kit. He gradually increased the impulses around my main muscle areas until the intensity became just barely tolerable. The sensation was akin to pins and needles in some areas and like firm repetitive squeezes in others. It’s not meant to be comfortable but neither is it meant to debilitate you.
After a quick warm-up, I was asked to do a series of squats, lunges and arm-work with weights. Given the extra effort, my heart rate soon skyrocketed and maintaining good breathing was key to keeping up with what was to come.
As the music increased in volume, so did the tempo of our workout. It followed a wall chart of supposedly simple moves, made ever more challenging by the constant muscle stimulation.
After a surprisingly exhausting 20 minutes and a five-minute cool-down, it was time to shower and change before a final debrief.
My PT revealed that the sessions were particularly popular with Emiratis, not least for the privacy closed-door sessions provided as opposed to public, or even segregated gyms. He also mentioned that the idea had caught on with expatriates who aren’t able to spend hours in the gym or who lead a particularly sedentary lifestyle. That said, as with any exercise regime, the benefits of EMS are limited unless accompanied by a sound nutritional plan.
Two to three sessions a week for a sustained period, he advised, would result in a client tightening tissue, losing excess pounds and activating their metabolism. For men, in particular, the machine’s promise of sculpting abs and arms in record time, compared with using only free weights, has also proved especially popular since My30minutes opened in April last year.
As for me, well, one session wasn’t enough to cause me much muscle pain, although I have no doubt a week of classes would have. Which is no wonder, considering the full-body programme is said to activate more than 90 per cent of muscle fibres simultaneously during every contraction.
If you’re time poor and cash rich, this could be the trend to make you fit and keep you current.
Don’t let the discomfort or volts put you off – just keep in mind the PT’s reassuring words that with this type of post-workout pain, there is rapid and measurable gain.
• My30minutes is located on Al Wasl Road, Dubai. Individual sessions cost Dh515 and a package of 10 starts from Dh3,600. Sign up for your free EMS trial at www.my30minutes.com or call 04 385 5353 for more details
artslife@thenational.ae
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
