Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
After recently securing second place at a calisthenics competition in Dubai, strong man Mohsen Falee aims to ‘raise the bar’ in the kingdom’s upcoming World Cup battle which will be staged at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa at the end of this month.
The 23-year-old aircraft engineer trainee, known as Faleenation, showcased his strength and flexibility in the XDubai Battle of the Bars against 16 athletes from the UK, Spain, the US, Slovakia, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.
The challenge also included his teammates Murtadha ‘Mote’ Ali, 19, who made it to the semi-finals and Ali Alsari, 20. Falee, from Sanad, said: “I think after the Dubai battle over the weekend, I am now known to other competitors as ‘Falee-nation, no hesitation!’ because I gave it my all!
“The competition was very intense. These athletes were people who I look up to and now I am competing against them so it felt really good to achieve second place. The crowd was amazing and I loved every second of it.”
While Falee is no stranger to the World Calisthenics Organisation’s (WCO) Battle of the Bars contests, having come third in Dubai last year and also performed well in the World Street Workout & Calisthenics Federation event, also in the UAE, he still pinches himself as he competes against the stars of the sport.
Calisthenics is a form of exercise using body-weight training including planks, pull-ups, sit-ups, squat jumps and more. It is intended to increase body strength, fitness and flexibility through movements such as pulling or pushing, bending, jumping, or swinging, using only one’s body weight for resistance.
Falee, who started training three months after he turned 21, said: “I first came across calisthenics on YouTube and at first thought it would be something impossible for me to achieve. But, I learned that with hard work anything is possible.
“My workouts are quite intense. I do weight pull-ups, weighted dips and a lot of handstand push-ups.
“Now, it feels incredible to win medals. The adrenaline rush is great and to compete alongside my idols, it shows just how far I have come and that is the ultimate satisfaction.
“My advice to those wanting to be part of this sport would be to never doubt yourself, stay patient, work out hard and most of all, have a warm heart. Calisthenics tends to build up your ego … but what’s that worth if you’re not humble!”
Now, the bar-master plans to excel along with the Bahrain squad in the Calisthenics World Cup 2015 (CWC) in the kingdom which will include eight teams of fours from the UK, Ukraine, Russia, UAE, the US, Brunei, Poland and Spain.
Falee, the team captain, alongside Ali, Alsari and 16-year-old student Mujtaba Ali, have been training a minimum of two-hours-a day, six-days-a-week in preparation for the contest which will be held on November 26-27. Falee said: “We are really excited to be a part of the CWC event, to be able to raise Bahrain’s name and to show the world what we are made of even though we come from a small island.
“We have been preparing, individually and as a team.”
Event organiser and founder of Big Up Sports, Shehab Saeed, is thrilled to see the CWC, which will be held under the patronage of Bahrain Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Federation president Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, taking shape.
He originally started Big Up Sports to pursue his passion for calisthenics and bring it to Bahrain in an organised way.
Saeed said: “The WCO is known for staging individual competitions called Battle of the Bars 1-7 around the world but no one has ever organised a team competition with representatives from each country and that’s what we decided to do together when we formed the CWC.
“Big Up Sports, Gallure and WCO are the organisers of this event. Our silver sponsors, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), places great emphasis on fitness and healthy living which is what calisthenics is all about. In the lead-up to the CWC, a series of workshops will be held at RCSI Bahrain for fans who want to get some insider tips and tricks from the competitors themselves.
“Also, InTouch Integrated Chiropractic Spine Centre will be providing complimentary treatments for chiropractic, physical and massage therapy on an on-call basis and during the event for all the teams.”
The event, which is also sponsored by GulfWeekly’s sister company, Gulf Digital News’ GDN Online, will also feature celebrity guest judges, while two calisthenics teams will be performing their skills during the intervals. GDN subscribers will be able to watch clips of the captain in action.
Competitors will have the chance to win major prizes, with first place taking home $10,000 and second and third securing $6,000 and $4,000 respectively.
* Tickets to the event cost BD20 and spaces are limited. To find out more, call 33430097, visit www.calisthenicsworldcup.com or follow Instagram @calisthenicsworldcup.
