Your sport sets the calendar, and the gym follows it
Zayed Sports City is a sports complex in Abu Dhabi, and the route box above measures from it as mapped. This page is for athletes and club players whose sport already takes them there on fixed days, and who are wondering whether a gym across town should sit alongside it.
RPM is not part of the venue and has no arrangement with it. It is a single club, set on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal. For the basics of the trip, see how RPM's single club looks from a club training schedule.
One principle runs through the rest of this page. Your sport and your club coach set the calendar, and gym work fills the gaps they leave.
Off-season to finals: what the gym is for in each phase
| Phase | What usually changes at the club | Gym work to plan with a coach | Gym days to aim for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Fewer team sessions, or a full break | Building general strength on the squat rack, the plate-loaded machines and the cable towers | Two or three a week |
| Pre-season | Team training ramps up | Conditioning on the turf lane with the sled and battle ropes, with some strength kept going | Two a week |
| In-season | A match most weeks | Shorter sessions that hold on to strength, kept well away from the day before a match | One or two a week |
| Cup run or tournament | Matches packed into a short spell | Little or no heavy lifting. Easy movement only if your coach asks for it | None, or one light visit |
| End of season | Rest | A proper break first, then easy sessions before the next off-season block | Whatever rest allows |
This is general training information. Your club coach and the club's medical staff have the final word, and anyone carrying an injury should get the go-ahead from a doctor or physiotherapist before adding gym work.
Take the last column as a starting point to discuss with your coach. A goalkeeper and a distance runner will end up with very different weeks.
Around a match: one player's week, worked through
Here is one way a player with a weekend match and two club sessions in the week might place gym work. Adapt it with your coaches.
| Day | Club | RPM |
|---|---|---|
| Match day | The match | Nothing |
| The day after | Rest, or a light session if the club runs one | Rest, or the recovery suite later in the day if your tier includes it |
| Early in the week | Club training | Nothing, or mobility work at home |
| Midweek | No club session | The main strength session of the week, coached or from your programme |
| Later in the week | Club training | Nothing |
| The day before the match | A light team run, if there is one | Nothing heavy |
| Days | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Saturday to Thursday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Friday | 09:00–22:00 |
Hours can change, for example during Ramadan. Confirm with the team before a late or early visit.
Early-morning and late-evening opening gives you room to lift before school or work, or after a late club session, while Friday hours are shorter. If your match falls on a Friday, the week shifts round but the order stays the same.
Briefing the RPM coach on your sport
A coach can only plan around what you tell them. Bring these to the first session:
- Your sport, your position or event, and the dates that matter this season.
- Which days the club trains and plays, and roughly how hard each session is.
- Anything your club's own strength staff already set, so nothing is doubled.
- Any injury, and the name of the doctor or physiotherapist looking after it.
- What you want from the gym: more strength, better conditioning, or keeping what you built in the off-season.
Personal training at RPM covers strength and conditioning in both sections. Female athletes can train in the Ladies section, where Coach Maria is on the roster as a strength and conditioning coach. Issam Almasaalmeh, on the roster as a personal training coach, works in the Mixed section.
Younger players can start with youth fitness, which is coach-supervised and arranged by a parent or guardian. Check the age range of each session with the team before you book.
Recovery, rest days and the drive across
Inside the recovery suite are a Finnish sauna, an aroma steam room and an ice bath. Plenty of athletes like heat or cold after a hard week, but neither stands in for sleep and food, or for rest days, and your club's medical staff may have a view on timing around matches. If you are pregnant or have a heart condition, talk to your doctor before using either. Ask which tiers include the suite.
The mapped route follows Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street and ends on Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street (Airport Road) into Al Manhal. It counts as a longer trip, so a gym day usually works better as its own outing rather than a second stop after club training. On arrival, park in AD HUB's free on-site parking, then head up in the lift to Level 4.
Questions, answered.
Does RPM have a link with Zayed Sports City?
No. RPM is an independent club with a single location, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, and it has no arrangement with the venue. The route box above shows the mapped trip from it.
Can I lift on a day I also train with my club?
Some plans do and many keep the two apart. It depends on your sport, the session and the gap between them, so agree it with your club coach and tell the RPM coach what the club session involved.
I am coming back from an injury. Can I start at RPM straight away?
Get clearance from the doctor or physiotherapist treating you first. RPM's coaches are fitness professionals, not clinicians, so they work within the limits your physiotherapist sets rather than replacing that care.
Can a whole squad train together?
Arrangements for groups and organisations are set up one at a time and confirmed on enquiry. A coach or team manager should contact the team with numbers, preferred hours and which sections the players need.