GymNation has removed all the weights from selected locations across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, bringing awareness to World Mental Health Day.
The aim is to create meaningful talkability around mental health. The fitness hub wanted to use its platform and large member base to spark real conversations about mental wellbeing, demonstrating that the brand stands for more than just physical fitness.
“The only weight we want people to lift on the 10th October, is the weight off their mind,” said Rory McEntee, CMO at GymNation.
He explained that the campaign’s inspiration draws from research that revealed that almost 60 per cent of the population in the UAE and 40 per cent of young adults in the KSA suffer from at least one mental health disorder – with social media and financial stress both blamed as significant factors.
Therefore, GymNation grabbed the opportunity to place a timely emphasis on mental fitness.
“This campaign aims to position GymNation as a catalyst for change, aligning with our purpose of being ‘The People’s Gym’ – accessible, human, and socially responsible,” said McEntee.
To do this, GymNation released a series of images this morning which showed empty weight racks, revealing all their dumbbells piled-up outside the gym. Mental fitness classes, organised in collaboration with Dubai-based mental healthcare services provider Sage Clinics, further support the activation.
The classes will focus on both mental and physical health starting with a selection of popular group exercise classes, followed by a mental health talk and Q&A session.
“The decision to make this an in-person, experiential activation stemmed from our belief that the most impactful mental health awareness comes through unexpected, emotional disruption – not passive viewing,” said McEntee.
“We loved GymNation’s bold idea to ‘take the weight off’ this World Mental Day,” said Dr. Gurveen Ranger, at Sage.
“Physical fitness is crucial for mental health providing a natural boost to mood, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improving self-esteem and cognitive function – it’s the perfect time to remind people about the importance of talking, or unloading, to support their mental wellbeing,” Dr. Ranger added.
Furthermore, GymNation leveraged its newly launched Ambassador Program, engaging key influencers and fitness personalities to seed the campaign message and amplify awareness.
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“We also partnered with local social pages and community voices like ‘iknowuae’ and ‘vibesinsaudi’, ensuring the campaign reached audiences beyond our members,” said McEntee. “This influencer participation generated strong organic reach, conversation, and authenticity, helping the campaign trend across both Instagram and TikTok within hours of launch.”
In terms of results, GymNation is monitoring the activation’s success through: Online engagement and earned media, in-gym participation and overall public sentiment in terms of the volume of conversation generated around mental health and unloading on social media.
“Ultimately, the goal was achieved: to start conversations about mental health in the fitness space – and make GymNation synonymous with the movement to prioritise mental as much as physical fitness,” McEntee concluded.
GymNation’s mental fitness classes, in collaboration with Sage, will be available at the following locations on the 10th October and are open to members and the general public:
- Downtown Dubai – Les Mills Ceremony 6pm
- Dubai Silicon Oasis – Zumba 6:45pm
- Bur Dubai – Les Mills Bodypump 7:45pm
Those interested, can book a class on GymNation’s website.
