36 July 2013 www.bahrainthismonth.com happeningssportsrecreation If you are looking to get in shape for the beach season, who better to learn from than one of the Kingdom’s most recognised bodybuilding champions. Abbas Maki has left no stone unturned in the bodybuilding field. His achievements include a second placing in the 2008 world body building championship and a fourth placing in the 2007 Asian Olympic Games. Currently a personal trainer at the Al Nakheel Gym, the Bahraini native has helped countless individuals find a balanced and healthy lifestyle. “Fitness is addictive. The point is to find the balance between working out a sufficient amount of time and not overdoing it. If you spend eight hours in the gym, then you aren’t building your muscles, you are exhausting them,” he explains. After a highly successful run on the bodybuilding world stage, Abbas now specialises in fitness. “Bodybuilding training has its seasons and is geared towards people who are looking to get into the sport as a profession, andtaking part in championships. This involves rigorous workouts and a strict diet. With my training sessions, I focus on health and maintaining a fit body,” says Abbas. Among his many contributions to Bahrain’s sporting world, Abbas hosted segments on the popular Bahrain TV morning show Hala Bahrain that was very well received by viewers. The show saw him sharing his expert tips, focusing on at-home fitness, where he discussed and presented routines that can be done outside a gym and without any equipment. Abbas also had a stint with the General Organisation for Youth and Sports as an adviser and participated in local, Asian and international championships. Abbas’ advice to young bodybuilding hopefuls is to remain ambitious. “It’s about aspiring to it; they can reach even further than I and other Bahraini champions did,” says the trainer. Having been interested in athletics since his childhood, he was initially a handball player, until 2003, where he started training for bodybuilding championships with the encouragement of his coach Tareq Al Farsani. Abbas explains that with a healthy and active lifestyle, once you start there is no turning back. “Many people have the wrong assumption about being athletic. There is no specific age where you can start; you can get into shape at whatever age and you don’t spend your entire day at the gym. It can take as little as an hour a day,” he explains. Abbas is a certified TRX trainer, being qualified to work with an intense and functional mechanism that uses suspension training equipment. It delivers a fast, effective total-body workout and helps build a rock-solid core and muscular endurance. For a beach-ready body, get in touch with the sought-after trainer to book your sessions. E Call 39 666-172, email [email protected] or follow Instagram/Abbasmaki. Get Fit with a Champion Abbas Maki Top teams will go head-tohead in this year’s edition of the Indo-Bahrain Volleyball Tournament, from July 1-5 at the Kerala Catholic Association. The teams will be split into two groups and will battle it out for top honours to go ahead to the semi-finals. Trophies will be handed out to the winners and runners ups as well as individual prizes to the best performing players. Cash prizes of US$1,000 will be given to first place winners while US$500 will go to the runners up. E Call 39 397-467. Volleyball Challenge
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