The western corridor, and who drives it home
Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street is the long corridor along the western side of Abu Dhabi island towards the bridges. At the end of the working day, many of the people on it are leaving the island for homes in the mainland suburbs. This page is for them: people whose office is on the island and whose front door is not.
RPM is one club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, and by the mapped estimates it sits close to the corridor. That makes it a candidate for a stop between the office and the bridge. For where RPM sits in the city and what a first visit involves, start with the main location page.
The route box counts from the point of Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street nearest RPM, so add your own stretch of the corridor from the office. The mapped route then takes Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Street for the final part into AD HUB, where parking is free and on site and a lift goes up to Level 4.
Leave straight away, or train first and drive later?
An off-island commuter makes this choice every evening. Set the two options side by side before you decide which evenings go to which.
| Question | Drive straight home | Train first, then drive |
|---|---|---|
| When you get home | Earlier, unless the bridges are slow | Later, by the length of the session and the stop |
| How the drive goes | Often in the thick of the evening traffic | Varies by evening, so test it rather than assume |
| The evening at home | Longer, though you may be too tired to train | Shorter, with the training already done |
| Food | Dinner at the usual time | A snack before the session and dinner later |
| What usually goes wrong | The home workout that never happens | Staying late at the office and losing the slot |
Commuters who make this work tend to keep it to set evenings rather than every evening: two or three weeknights of training, and straight home on the rest. For the crowds and fatigue that come with an evening session, see training after work.
What a later homecoming asks of the people at home
The cost of training before the bridges is paid at home, so agree a few things with the household before you sign up.
- Which evenings you come home later, fixed in advance rather than decided at your desk.
- Who covers homework, dinner or bedtime on those evenings.
- Which evenings stay untouched, so the week does not tilt towards the gym.
- What changes in the school holidays, when evenings at home may matter more.
If the household cannot spare those evenings, the honest answer may be a gym by your home on the mainland for weekday sessions, with RPM kept for what a local gym lacks, such as coaching or a women-only floor. Weighing a gym by work against one by home walks through that trade-off.
When the car home is shared
If you share the drive off the island with a colleague, partner or neighbour, a session before the bridges has to suit everyone in the car.
- Agree the training evenings together and keep them the same each week.
- If only one of you trains, settle what the other does for the length of the session before the day starts.
- If you both train, men and women can share the Mixed section, and women who would rather train only among women have the Ladies section.
- Set a leaving time and stick to it, so the drive home does not creep later every week.
Kit, food and the drive after the session
- Keep your kit and a water bottle in the car, so the stop needs no planning on the day.
- Eat something light in the late afternoon, so you neither train hungry nor drive home hungry.
- Leave work things in the keypad lockers in the changing area, and use the hairdryers and products at the grooming hub if you are going on somewhere afterwards.
- Ask the team about showers, and whether towels are provided, before you count on either.
- Drink water before you get back in the car, especially from May to September.
| 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.
In Ramadan, many off-island commuters drive straight home for iftar, so the pre-bridge session may not fit that month. Check the adjusted hours and consider moving training to the weekend. Fridays bring shorter club hours and the midday prayers, so for most commuters they are a day at home.
Questions, answered.
Does RPM have a club on the mainland, at the home end of my drive?
No. RPM is a single club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, on the island. If you want a gym at the home end of the commute, it will be a different gym.
Is it worth training on the island if there is a gym by my house?
It can be, if you would otherwise get home and not go out again. If you already train reliably by home, keep doing that, and use RPM only for something your local gym lacks.
Will the drive home be quicker if I train first?
Sometimes, but do not count on it. Traffic changes with the day and the season, so drive home after a session on a few real evenings before you build the plan on it.
I only come onto the island on some days. Can RPM still work?
Yes, if the sessions sit on your office days. Ask the team which tier fits that pattern, since inclusions and prices are confirmed on enquiry.
Could I train in the morning instead, before work?
If you reach the island early, yes. Compare your arrival with the hours above, and leave time to get ready for the office after the session.