Egypt bodybuilders feel pain but no gain in lockdown

Egyptian bodybuilder Ibrahim Sobhi. [Agencies]

Egypt’s musclemen are frustrated with working out from home due to coronavirus restrictions and are raring to get back to gruelling routines at their gyms, where they also earn a living.

With massive biceps and a gleaming six-pack, Mohamed Ali, who goes by his nickname Asab, a reference in Arabic to his bulging veins, is normally an enthusiastic exhibitionist.

The 33-year-old is a personal trainer and veteran participant of several bodybuilding championships with Egypt’s national team, which has a history of garnering gold medals on the world stage.

But when AFP visited his sunny home in an upscale gated community in eastern Cairo, Asab chuckled modestly that he was not in top shape.

Egypt has been under a night-time curfew for the past three months to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the number of infections continues to rise.

The North African country, with a population of over 100 million, has officially recorded over 58,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,365 deaths.

Gyms have been shuttered as part of nationwide restrictions, but that has not deterred Asab from hitting his home gym hard.

He is re-sculpting a taut physique through an extremely demanding workout, in the hope of competing in Mr. Olympia -- the world’s premier bodybuilding competition, tentatively scheduled for December in Las Vegas. 

But more than his competitive aspirations, Asab is worried about his business and his livelihood.

The owner of 16 gyms in Cairo said he was paying several hundred staff out of his own pocket.

Normally buzzing weight machines have stood idle for three months as the lockdown shuttered his facilities and cut off his only source of income.

“We’re like other industries such as tourism and restaurants that have been affected 100 percent,” Asab said.

“I have a whole team who depend on commissions from memberships... I really don’t know if we’ll be able to go on living like before or not,” he said, surrounded by dumb-bells on his living-room floor.

Mohamed Nassim, a 33-year-old Syrian who fled his country after war broke out in 2011, was also somewhat shy about showing off his muscles.