GymNation, the leading gym in the Middle East, has unveiled its newest hardware – designed specifically to support the mental health of exercisers ahead of World Mental Health Day 2026.
The “Worry Bench”, a first for the region, is encouraging members to be more mindful of their worries – and feel the weight lifting off their mind through pushing weight plates embossed with worry admissions generated from a new GymNation study across the UAE, KSA and Bahrain.
GymNation asked 2,000 members to reveal the “worries” on their mind each time they step onto the gym floor – with “concerns about the future” (21%) ranking highest. “Imposter Syndrome” (17%) made up the top two, while “Unhealthy Comparisons” (11%) and “Doom Scrolling” (4%) also made the list.
Gymgoers will find four different weight ranges, jumping in 5kg increments, as worries are ranked by those weighing heaviest on gymgoers’ minds (20kg) all the way down to the more routine day-to-day stresses (5kg).
20KG
● Imposter syndrome
● The future
15KG
● My to-do list
● Comparing myself to others
● Never enough
10KG
● Starting over
● Loneliness
● Losing my job
5KG
● Rent
● My inbox
● Doom scrolling
It’s these worries that will be embossed on actual weight plates – giving members a visual cue for things that affect their mental wellbeing the most.
And while exercise is a proven antidote to relieving stress, not all members are turning to the gym. In fact, more than one in four admitted to quitting exercise due to a “low mood”.
It’s this mindset that Rory McEntee, Chief Marketing Officer at GymNation, hopes the “Worry Bench” concept will challenge.
McEntee commented:
“The insight behind the concept equipment is to put those everyday worries we all suffer from front of mind – and help exercisers visualise and be more mindful of those worries, while lifting weights.
It’s proven that lifting weights reduces stress through lowering stress hormones, and releasing feel-good brain chemicals – just over half of members (52%) admitted that their gym routine is focussed on reducing stress, anxiety, and improving their mental health so we wanted to remind the other almost 50% about the powerful benefits of lifting weights.”
The theme of “lifting weight” off our minds is in GymNation’s creative DNA. Ahead of World Mental Health Day 2025, the gym chain shocked members by unloading weights from the gym floor, to encourage them to “unload” themselves – a campaign that went viral and caught the attention of mental health campaigners.
McEntee added:
“This concept is a continuation of what we did in 2025. Gyms have an important role to play in the mental wellbeing of the community, and when a global event pushes the topic up the agenda we’ll always step to support our members and the wider region”
The Worry Bench will be available at GymNation’s flagship clubs in [locations] during Mental Health Awareness day – reinforcing the gyms wider commitment to championing physical, and mental fitness across the GCC.
GymNation is the Middle East’s largest low-cost gym operator, with close to 50 locations and over 200,000 members across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Founded in Dubai in 2018, GymNation was built on a simple mission: to make world-class fitness affordable and accessible to everyone.
GymNation’s vision is to be The Region’s Movement Partner, championing active, healthy lifestyles and the connection between physical activity and mental wellbeing across the communities it serves.
For more information, visit www.gymnation.com
callum@gymnation.com
GymNation
