A Michael Johnson fitness centre is coming to Dubai

Four-time Olympic gold champion, Michael Johnson, is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Now, the track legend is bringing his Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) fitness centre to Dubai.

The 50-year-old Johnson announced earlier this week that the 38,750 square feet MJP Dubai will open in the Mina Rashid port area this October.

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MJP was founded in 2007 and this is the first time that the sprinter is opening his eponymous centre outside America. To that end, MJP has partnered with Dubai’s DP World.

I’m getting super excited for MJP Dubai! The Next Generation in Performance & Fitness. Coming October 2018. @MJPDXB @mjp360 pic.twitter.com/UUJLqQ9X1D

— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) July 24, 2018

“The state-of-the-art facility in Dubai is the region’s first sports performance training and fitness centre and it will enable every athlete to achieve their potential, regardless of age, gender, limitation, sport or natural ability,” said Johnson in a press statement.

The decision for DP World to align itself with this project stems from a number of initiatives that the UAE in general and Dubai in specific have already been taking over the last few months to increase the overall fitness levels of its residents.

For example, Dubai’s Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the 30 day-Fitness Challenge last year which involved a host of fitness activities organized around the city.

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DP World Group Planning and Project Management Senior Vice President, Adnan Al Abbar added in the press statement, “The health and well-being of our people is key to enabling national growth ambitions and we’re proud to partake in activities that support the UAE’s vision.”

At MJP Dubai world-class trainers will be on hand to provide individual training and group fitness sessions. There will athletic development programmes to train budding athletes and another all-out high-intensity programme for professional athletes.

MJP Dubai will also offer a sports medicine programme to aid the recovery process of athletes.

It’s likely that the centre in Dubai will feature some of the state-of-the-art tech found in MJP’s North Texas headquarters. This includes a 3D motion capture system which uses 20 HD cameras to record data to help trainers map and recommend a tailor-made fitness programme.

Another tech-driven system uses track and turf force plates to measure the ground force exerted by athletes.

According to its website, MJP offers biomechanical analysis, nutrition assessments and remote coaching. To make sure that its customers learn how to train without injuring themselves, it imparts injury prevention programmes too.

The trend of celebrity-branded fitness centres is gathering pace in Dubai. Last year, champion boxer Mike Tyson announced that he was setting up his own boxing and fitness centre in Dubai.