Training late in Abu Dhabi: hours, sleep and the drive home

RPM keeps fixed hours. It opens early in the morning and stays open into the late evening, with shorter hours on Friday. It does not stay open through the night, so training after closing is not an option. The current times:

Closing time is not the only line to check. Ask whether there is a last entry before closing, whether the Ladies section, the recovery suite and group classes keep the same hours as the main floor, and whether coaches take late sessions. Ask too whether the hours change in Ramadan. For an overview of the club, see RPM Gym in Al Manhal.

A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis in Sports Medicine pooled 23 studies in which healthy adults exercised in the evening and their sleep was compared with nights without exercise. Overall, the studies did not support the idea that evening exercise harms sleep, and if anything pointed the other way. The authors added one caution: vigorous exercise ending within about an hour of bedtime might lengthen the time it takes to fall asleep and reduce total sleep and sleep efficiency.

The studies looked at single sessions in healthy adults, so take this as a general picture. Your own sleep is the measure that counts.

• Finish hard intervals or a tough circuit at least an hour before you plan to sleep.
• Late in the evening, lean towards strength work with full rests or steady cardio rather than all-out efforts.
• Keep a simple note for two weeks: what you did, when you finished and how you slept.
• If you have a sleep problem or a medical condition, ask your doctor how evening training fits.

1. Arrive with the session decided, so the last hour of your day is not spent choosing.
2. Warm up properly. After hours at a desk or on your feet, the first sets can feel stiff.
3. Put the hardest work first, while there is still plenty of evening left.
4. Taper the second half: lighter sets, accessory work, then an easy ride or walk.
5. Finish with five minutes of slow breathing or stretching before you head to the changing room.

Watch the stimulants. Many pre-workout drinks contain caffeine, and caffeine keeps plenty of people awake long after the session. Late in the day, plain water will not cost you any sleep.

• Eating: a heavy meal just before a hard session sits badly with many people. If dinner comes after training, keep it simple so you are not eating very late.
• The drive: roads are often quieter late in the evening, but you are tired. RPM has free on-site parking at AD HUB and a lift down from Level 4, so the trip back to the car involves no hunt for a space.
• The morning after: count back from your alarm. A late session before an early start makes for a short night, so put late sessions before mornings that can begin later.
• Friday: the shorter Friday hours make a late session that day less likely, so check the table before planning one.

If your shift ends after closing, a fixed-hours gym will not cover it, at RPM or anywhere else. The honest options are to train before your shift, to move sessions to your days off, or to look for a 24-hour gym. A 24-hour gym or fixed hours weighs that choice, including who is around at night.

If the real problem is crowds rather than the clock, when the gym is least busy looks at typical quiet and busy windows. Book a free guided tour in the last hours of the evening to see the floor as a late trainer would.