A rota sets your calendar, so start there
Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital is a hospital, and the route box measures from a directory listing that places it beside Zayed Sports City. If you set off from another entrance, or from home, time your own trip. RPM is a separate business with one club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, and the route box rates the drive a longer trip across the island.
A club athlete plans around fixtures. You plan around a rota that may change shape every month, which calls for a different kind of plan: fewer fixed days, a short list of lifts that never get dropped, and recovery placed where the rota allows it. For the checks that apply to any start point, read the one-club basics for anyone working rotating shifts.
Which rota pattern are you on?
| Pattern | Strength days that tend to survive | Recovery day | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed day shifts on weekdays | Two set days, the same each week | The weekend | Overtime creeping into training evenings |
| Rotating days and nights | The day before nights, and the second day off | The first day off after nights | Lifting on short sleep |
| Long shifts packed into fewer days | Days off only, two of them | The day after the last long shift | Heavy leg work straight after a run of long shifts |
| Weeks with on-call duty | Evenings you are not on call | Whenever sleep allows | Booking coached slots you may have to cancel |
| A rota that changes every month | Two sessions placed fresh each month | The day after the hardest stretch | Waiting until the week has already filled |
These are general patterns used to plan training, not the hospital's own shifts. Use the rota you are actually given.
Whichever row is yours, the aim is the same: two strength sessions in most weeks, placed on days you are rested, with at least one easy day between them.
Two lifts that stay, whatever the rota does
Progress on a rota comes from repeating a few movements often enough to improve them. Pick two anchor lifts and do both every week you can:
- A lower-body lift: a squat at the rack with colour bumper plates, or the plate-loaded leg press if you prefer a machine.
- An upper-body pull: the plate-loaded pulldown or a row at the cable towers.
- Then, if time allows, a push such as a dumbbell press on a bench, and some core work.
Add a little load only in weeks when both anchors felt solid. In a week of nights, repeat last week's weights rather than chasing more. The strength training page shows the floor, and a coach can turn the anchors into a monthly plan.
Heat, cold and the rest day
On a recovery day, the recovery suite offers a Finnish sauna, an aroma steam room and an ice bath. A visit can fit that day in the table above, but it does not replace sleep, food or a day with no training at all. If you are pregnant or have a heart condition, get your doctor's advice before using heat or cold. Ask whether your tier covers it.
Avoid it straight after a night shift or before a long drive when you are already tired. On a day off, a strength session followed by the suite makes the longer trip feel more worthwhile.
| 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.
Making the longer trip count
From the listing beside Zayed Sports City, the mapped route heads along Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street before a final stretch on Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street (Airport Road). Park in AD HUB's free on-site parking and ride the lift to Level 4.
- Make each visit a full session: warm-up, both anchors and any extras, rather than a quick stop.
- Pair a visit with something else you do in central Abu Dhabi that day.
- Pack a change of clothes and a separate bag for scrubs or uniform. Keypad lockers in the changing area hold valuables, and the team can say whether towels are provided.
- Women who prefer to lift away from men can use the women-only Ladies section, which has its own strength and cardio equipment, if their tier covers it.
Questions, answered.
Is RPM linked with Mediclinic or with Zayed Sports City?
No. RPM is an independent club with one location, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, and it has no arrangement with either.
Why does the route box start beside Zayed Sports City?
Because that is where the directory listing used for the hospital sits. Your own start may differ, so time the drive from where you really leave, at the hour you would go.
My back aches after long shifts. Should I still lift?
See a doctor or physiotherapist first if you have pain. RPM's coaches are fitness professionals, not clinicians, so they work within whatever limits your doctor or physiotherapist sets.
Can I follow this plan on my own, without a coach?
Yes. The Floor tier covers the training floor if you will lift on your own. If you want someone to rewrite the plan each month around a new rota, ask about Engine or personal training. Ask the team what each one includes and costs.
Should I train on a workday at all?
Only after a shift that leaves you with energy, on a day you had already planned for it. On most rotas, the days off carry the strength work.