Meet the Saudi Women Putting their Country on the Fitness Map

We caught up with Eman Kayal and Alanoud Zeaiter, trainers and presenters at Les Mills IMEA, living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to talk about their early beginnings into fitness and their experiences at Les Mills London.

Eman and Anoud have been part of the Les Mills IMEA TAP Team since 2018. Joining the team as BODYATTACK instructors, they presented GRIT Cardio 43 at Les Mills Live London in 2022.

Both Eman and Anoud had similar beginnings. They joined the gym as teenagers. Anoud tried BODYPUMP as her first Les Mills class and Eman was drawn to BODYATTACK. It was the music and the idea of moving in unison that kept them going back for more.

‘I come from a family of fitness enthusiasts. My entire childhood was focused on sports, including gymnastics, volleyball, and tennis’, Eman tells me. ‘I loved the experience, the workout, the music, and moving in unison as one group. That's when I decided I was going to become an instructor.’

For Anoud, her experience was similar. ‘I liked music, and loved the idea of people moving together and couldn’t wait to try out more Les Mills classes.’

I was curious to find out what their initial experiences were like, when they first become instructors.

Les Mills masterclass videos were the source of inspiration as newbies in the world of Instructors.

‘Everyone was unbelievably fit!’ says Anoud. ‘Romaine did a hundred pushups back-to-back, and I wondered if I was going to become like that too. It definitely made me work harder.’

‘What I enjoy the most about the masterclass videos now is that they show vulnerability in fitness’, Eman says. ‘Now, if presenters want to take a break from an exercise, they do! This promotes inclusivity amongst Instructors and amongst all levels of fitness.’

From vulnerability to diversity amongst presenters- both agree that Masterclass videos have come a long way in representing our Instructors from the diverse regions. So, when they heard that they were going to be representing Saudi Arabia on the big stage at Les Mills Live London, both had extreme reactions of joy.

‘I screamed!’, says Eman.

‘I couldn’t speak. I was silent. I thought they might have been joking’, says Anoud.

A feat of this sort is not one that Les Mills Presenters take lightly- both Eman and Anoud started working on enhancing their fitness to do the best job they could to represent the region in London. Eman took up running and Anoud worked on deep core muscles. The preparation beforehand was intense and they did what they could to motivate not just themselves but also each other.

‘At some point, you feel like you're not good enough, but we empowered each other, and so did the 230+ presenters in London.’

It should be noted that this was not the first time that presenters from the region had made it to the Les Mills filming stage. IMEA Presenters can be seen in Masterclass videos filmed in New Zealand and Amsterdam.

‘We’ve been attending classes with a Les Mills Presenter!’ some members say to them.

‘Finally! We will see presenters we know!’ Instructors are happy to see familiar faces in these videos.

‘Saudi women are incredibly sociable’, Eman and Anoud tell me. ‘They have built a community for themselves based on their love for our programs and our Instructors. Just before we were due to fly out to London, they prayed and blessed us, and it showed us how much the fitness community has grown in Saudi Arabia.’

The fitness industry in Saudi Arabia started with a few clubs that could be accessed by all, building into one where every district has multiple fitness club options for both men and women.

Luxury clubs, chain clubs, boutique studios- everything exists in Saudi Arabia and continues to grow to support the growing community of fitness enthusiasts and professionals. Saudi Arabia is also home to Fitness Time, the largest fitness chain in the Middle East.

Eman and Anoud’s journey to London was just the beginning. Many big things are expected to happen in the region.

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