Worry Bench.
For World Mental Health Day 2026, GymNation built a bench press whose weight plates are embossed with the worries its members say they carry into the gym, from the future and imposter syndrome down to rent and doom scrolling.
- Brand
- GymNation
- Market
- United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
- Region
- GCC
- Year
- 2026
Campaign images
The challenge
GymNation says more than one in four of the members it surveyed had stopped exercising because of low mood, and only around half said their training is aimed at reducing stress and anxiety. The chain wanted to remind the rest that lifting weights can ease stress, and to make everyday worries visible on the gym floor.
The idea
GymNation asked 2,000 members in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain what is on their mind when they train, then pressed the answers into real weight plates. The plates are graded in 5 kg steps: the heaviest worries ('The future', 'Imposter syndrome') sit on the 20 kg plates, while 'Rent', 'My inbox' and 'Doom scrolling' are on the 5 kg ones. The plates are loaded on a branded Worry Bench, so each set is a lift of the worries members named. The chain announced it on 7 October 2026, ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, for its flagship clubs, and says it follows its 2025 Mental Health Day stunt in which it cleared the weights off the gym floor.
Case study source: Health Club Management Source ↗
Credits
- Brand
- GymNation
