Dubai’s Secret Training Gurus

We’ve tracked down the people behind some of the city’s top athletes

The Swimming Guru
Seth Chappels
Ex-Commonwealth Games swimmer Seth is the guy that triathletes turn to when they want to raise their game. He is the manager of Dubai Sports City’s Swimming Academy. Whether you want to score a personal best or just look more confident in the pool, Seth is the guy to get you there. And with first-rate facilities at his fingertips, it’s no surprise that one of the athletes that uses his pool was training for the Olympics. Perfect your front crawl by logging on to www.dubaisportscity.ae

The Weight Lifting Guru
Natalia Tsoulia
Natalia represented Greece in weight lifting at the Olympics. She no longer competes, but now gets her indulge in her weight lifting passion by passing on the techniques she’s learnt to others. Greece has a rich heritage of weight lifting and if you are lucky enough to take part in one of her classes, it’s pretty clear that you are getting a masterclass in technique. Natalia is also inspired to hold these workshops so that she can show women that they can lift weights without worrying about turning into Schwarzenegger.  Natalia holds classes at www.evolveuae.com and The Burn Room.

The Mind And Body Strengthening Guru
Marcus Smith
When triathletes and endurance runners need to learn how to cope with the moment they hit that wall, they turn to the High Performance Coach Marcus Smith. The ex-Fittest Man In Asia knows what it’s like to dig deep and push through to reach your goal. One ultimate marathoner said that even during the toughest moments of a race she knows that she has experienced a lot worse with Marcus.  If you want to learn about the tools you need to strengthen mind and body, visit www.innerfight.com