Man up for fitness

Dubai’s fittest fella talks about grabbing a well-earned burger and kick starting your training

Meet Grant Goes, the 31-year-old fitness trainer and business owner, who has been officially crowned the Fittest Man in Dubai. Grant claimed the title after winning the Dubai Fitness Challenge, the brain child of HH Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The competition, organised by Fitness First, culminated in a gruesome, sweat-drenched finale on a specially-modified track over the Dubai Mall Ice Rink - in front of thousands of spectators last Saturday.

Grant battered his way through steep treadmill inclines, 120kg deadlifts, plyometric press up jumps, rowing and many more tough exercises to complete the course in a blistering 21.12 minutes. His nearest challenger from a field of 40 completed the course more than three minutes slower than Grant’s time.

Those struggling to get fit will also be happy to know that after winning the contest, New Zealander Grant tucked into a hearty burger.

“I was busted there wasn’t I! It was a Burgerfuel New Zealand Patty. I thought ‘I have to celebrate’. I don’t get the chance to do that very often,” admitted Grant.

7DAYS caught up with Grant a couple of days after the competition as he was picking up the Dhs100,000 prize money.

“I have plans to put it towards some sort of fitness network to raise awareness about fitness,” he explained.

“I want to work with other clubs here and to have more charity events where people become aware of fitness and promote good causes.”

So how do you become the fittest man in Dubai?

Well, it helps that Grant is a fitness trainer and founder of Go Exercise Solutions, so a lot of his exercise is done with clients. However, he makes sure he works out on his own time.

“I do short, 30 to 40 minute, workouts,” he said. “I get a workout in at about 6am and then a late one about 9.30pm. I’m a bit of a no-sleeper as well, maybe about six hours a night.”

As more muscle-bound competitors dropped out, Grant put some of his success down to his focus on sports specific and all-round training, including at least 15 minutes stretching in a session and a solid amount of core and leg work.

“My philosophy is that performance and movement, comes from the lower limbs and from your core and those should be your primary focus,” Grant said.

He is also a big fan of the popular TRX suspension training system and incorporates it into most of the classes he teaches.

“It is one of the best pieces of equipment you can buy and you can take it anywhere. You can do a 15-minute workout which can kick up the adrenaline and change your day for the better.”

Learn to be a creature of habit

Dubai’s Fittest Man is a real action man and has been from a young age thanks to a love of kite surfing squash, cycling and competing in triathlons. Now that Ramadan is almost over, you might want to follow Grant’s lead and fire up your fitness training again.

The most important thing is to make being active fun, says Grant.

“Kick starting your fitness - it is about creating good habits,” he says.

“So to kick start a habit, find an activity or a sport that you enjoy. Go outdoors or to somewhere where you enjoy movement for at least 20 to 30 minutes and that will get you in a good mood and a good place.

“Before you hit the gym, my recommendation is to get outdoors whenever you can. If you like surfing, kite surfing, or you like kicking a football, bike riding or jogging - do the things that you like doing first to get you back into that habit. Then, if you enjoy them, start looking at how you can fit extras into your day that will help you get fitter and enjoy that activity even more.

“For instance, running or gym training will allow you to surf for longer.”

julian.pletts@7days.ae