On Mental Health Day, GymNation Removes All Weights From Its Clubs

To celebrate World Mental Health Day, the Middle East’s largest gym chain is also hosting drop-in “mental fitness” classes at select locations

On World Mental Health Day, one of the Middle East’s largest fitness chains is asking members to drop the dumbbells and focus on their minds.

GymNation, the UAE-based fitness brand, has temporarily removed all weights from several of its gyms to mark World Mental Health Day 2025 (October 10) part of a campaign encouraging members to “unload the weight off their mind.”

“The only weight we want people to lift on October 10 is the weight off their mind,” GymNation chief marketing officer Rory McEntee said. 

The initiative was launched in partnership with Sage, a regional mental health organization. Together, the two are hosting drop-in “mental fitness” classes on October 10 across select GymNation locations, combining popular physical workouts such as HIIT, Dance, and Bodypump with mental health talks and Q&As.

“For World Mental Health Day, we wanted to do something with maximum impact to encourage people to think about their mental health, as well as their physical health,” McEntee said. “Unloading all the weights on the gym floor caught their attention, and in partnership with Sage, we want to encourage gym users to ‘unload’ and remove the weight off their mind.”

The timing is apt. Previous research shows nearly 60% of the UAE population and 40% of young adults in Saudi Arabia experience at least one mental health disorder, with social media pressure and financial stress cited as leading factors.

Mental fitness classes are open to both members and non-members, with sessions held at GymNation locations in Downtown Dubai, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Bur Dubai.

GymNation is no stranger to splashy, attention-grabbing moves. 

Earlier this year, the fast-growing GCC gym chain made headlines for launching the “world’s coolest class,” a high-intensity group workout featuring frozen weight vests, “Blizzard Sprints” and post-workout ice baths. It also turned heads with an in-gym hotel concept at its downtown Dubai facility.