In Egypt, sport is becoming a main part in the life of many of its new generations. More and more young men are hitting the gym nowadays. They dedicate time, money and a lot of hard work for sport in order to get in shape and be healthier. In the gym, they work out so hard, go through a lot of pain and suffer and most importantly give everything they have not just show up.
Through this series of photos, I am trying to explore the stories of these young men as well as documenting the pain and suffer they go through in the gym on the way to make themselves better and achieve their goals.
Mahmoud Eldakroury is a 23 year old man who hit the gym for the first time 5 years ago. "I loved this sport after trying it for the first time. I have been training for the last five years but sometimes I stop and don't train regularly due to my work. Sport makes you a respectable person wherever you go. I recently got married but I didn't stop training and started hitting the gym again only 5 days after the marriage. I just love it." Mahmoud says.
"It is like cigarettes for smokers. When I don't train for a while, I feel there's something missing in my life. The gym has become a main part of my life. I used to be in a much better form before joining the army about a year and half ago to finish my military service. I lost a lot of muscles in the army as I don't have the chance to train there but hopefully I'll leave the army in 4 months and I'll be able to train regularly once again." Ahmed Ewais (21) says.
Mohammed Mansour is a 24 year old man who works now as a guard at a mall in Cairo. "When I was younger, I loved watching wrestling and martial arts. That's why I became interested in such sport. I also tried to play boxing for a while. I can remember when I used to work in a farm in a rural area, I built my own gym there with very simple equipment to keep training. My workmates loved the idea and joined me in training. I just finished my military service a few months ago. I gained fat in the army because I couldn't train regularly but now I'm working so hard to lose it again." Mohammed says.
Eslam Rabie is a 23 year old carpenter who started going to the gym about 6 years ago. "I'm addicted to this sport. Although I always come back from work exhausted, I still go to the gym. I can't get away from it. This sport changed me a lot in many ways. It made me get closer to God, respect those who are older than me, help those who need help and think in a better way indeed." Eslam says.
Ahmed Zizo is a 26 year old personal trainer and bodybuilder who started working out when he was only 16. "This game is the love of my life. For most of today's young men, they turn to drugs when they feel sad or upset from something. For me, I turn to the gym as a way out of the pressure and bad feelings." Ahmed says.
"When I was younger, I was too small, short and skinny. I used to be bullied in the street and school. Nobody wanted to be a friend with me. I got fed up with that and I decided to hit the gym. With training hard and regularly, I gradually gained muscles and weight and became much healthier. Being that new person, I got more respect wherever I go and more people wanted to be friends with me. At the current time, I can't train regularly as I'm now doing my military service in the army. I already lost a lot of muscles because of that but I try to train as much as I can in my days off the army." Bassam (22) says.
Eslam Ramadan is a 20 year old university student who started training in the gym 2 years ago. He practises Kung Fu as well. "Practising sport has changed me a lot, not only with the physical part but also with my personality. Now I can think properly and act fast." He says. Eslam's role model is Jean Claude Van Damme and he dreams of having a body and skills like Van Damme's one day.
Abdo is a 21 year old university student who just started working out few months ago. "It isn't always easy to find time for training as I study and go to university. I do my best to manage my time in a good way so that I can go to the gym. Working out helped me a lot. It gives you much self-confidence and makes you believe that you can achieve whatever you want if you just work hard." Abdo says.
Mohammed Elshemy or "Abu Habiba" is a 30 year old man. He had a daughter and works as a barber. He started going to the gym not so long ago. "Training in the gym is really good for me. Sometimes I used to get tired while working in my shop but now I no longer feel tired. I feel much healthier now." Mohammed says.
Eslam Alanbshawy is a 22 year old university student who started working out about one year ago. "I hit the gym because I wanted to get fit and healthier. I also wanted to keep myself away from drugs and other bad habits that many young men turn to nowadays. When I look at my old pictures before the gym, I don't believe that it was me. I even laugh at these photos as I used to be so skinny. Now I am happy to be that new person who cares about sport." Eslam says.
Ahmed Salah is a 22 year old university student. He first went to the gym when he was at high school. "When you practise this sport and see progress, you can't stop and you will be eager to train more and more to move to the next level. " Ahmed says.
Mohammed Ewais is a 23 year old man who started training about 5 years ago. "I am in love with this sport. It helped me so much overcome a lot of difficulties I faced in this life. It actually makes life easier for me." Mohammed says
Mohammed Abu Taleb is a 31 year old man who works as a bodyguard. "I love training not only because my work requires to be in a good shape and health all the time but training also makes me feel better." Mohammed says.
"Sport is my life. It's my oxygen and I can't live without it. I have always loved sport since I was a boy. I played football and I was about to join a club but my parents wanted me to focus on my study instead so I didn't continue with football. Later, I concentrated more on the gym and I started training regularly. I believe the gym is the mother of all sports. If you practise any kind of sport, mostly you will have to hit the gym." says Ramy (30) who works now as a teacher. "Sorry, I can't. I'm not this kind of people who like to show off" Ramy told me when I asked to take a photo of him shirtless.
