The atmosphere was serene and the weather was flawless. Roughly 30 Ignite Egypt participants sleepily streamed off the bus after a six-hour ride, but as soon as we caught a whiff of the salty sea air, our yawns transformed into smiles and a sense of excitement became palpable. Trailing behind the fitness enthusiasts, the hotel concierge unloaded intimidating weights from underneath the bus. We exchanged apprehensive glances when we saw the growing stack of weights piling up on the front desk, but Hussein Abdeldayem and Seif Tamimi (the lead trainers) reassured us that these would seem measly by the end of our training.
Ignite, founded by Abdeldayem, offers intensive performance training programs. The coaches seek to challenge “Igniters” and to push them beyond their comfort zones. Abdeldayem has trained countless athletes on an international scale and the results are nothing short of astounding.
“I began with the vision of training athletes in Egypt, but soon my vision began to encompass athletes from all over the world,” Abdeldayem explained to me. “I have seen so many people undergo transformations and it is so rewarding to see their progress and to know that I contributed to their well-being.”
This particular Ignite training, #Ignite_The_Beach, took place at the gorgeous Almaza Bay on the North Coast, an ideal setting for a fitness bootcamp as the stunning panoramic vistas allow for a harmonious balance between body and mind. Even while exerting superhuman effort in back-to-back-to-back exercises, the soothing lapping of the waves, the revitalizing rush of the sea breeze, the gentle cushion of the sand and the comforting rays of the sun acted as reminders that exhaustion can be a beautiful thing.
“At Ignite, we hold two fitness camps per year outside of the city, by the beach, and I was approached by Almaza Bay several months ago. The place here is amazing and provides everything that we wanted and more. It really couldn’t have been better in any way and the staff made things efficient and easy,” Abdeldayem said.
While the hotel staff assembled two giant speakers, Abdeldayem and Tamimi set up a slack line and TRX cables around palm trees and positioned about 50 kettle balls in weighted-pairs along the path before leading a shoreline run down the length of the beach and back. Each wave that crashed on shore soaked our feet and an endless line of footprints followed in its wake.
When everyone finished the warm-up run, the real workout began. Abdeldayem and Tamimi walked up and down the row of Igniters, inspecting our form with ruthless encouragement, sometimes even using the soccer ball as “friendly punishment” whenever someone quit. The overlap of Hussein’s beckoning voice, the energizing rhythms blaring from the speakers and the distant waves inspired everyone to push far beyond their preconceived limits.
“Ignite has provided me with so much education and knowledge so that I am able to inspire others,” Tamimi told me. “It is one thing to gain knowledge, but another thing altogether to learn how to impart this knowledge on others. Hussein [Abdeldayem] really helped me understand how to do that effectively. He taught me how to be a coach. I have seen people who couldn’t jump rope one time at the beginning do hundreds of consecutive jumps now. I have also seen people who couldn’t run a half meter lap complete half marathons.”
The next morning began at 9 AM with a warm-up jog and an intense superset workout broken down into kettle ball swings, jump squats, burpees, lunges, shoulder press thrusters and more. Igniters repeated the superset of exercises four times, driven by the continuous bellowing of Hussein’s voice. After the fourth set, sweat cascaded down everyone’s cheeks and some of us ran directly across the beach and into the sea to refresh ourselves.
Following an exquisite breakfast and a brief period of rest for digestion, everyone met on the beach. The Igniters could choose their activities: most kayaked or surfed, while others settled into beanbags with books or tanned. Eventually, we organized sports competitions, beginning with football, then rugby and, finally, volleyball. The levels of energy were truly remarkable; everyone was overjoyed to be surrounded by such positively-spirited people.
After a quick dip in the heated indoor pool, it was time for the second workout of the day. The exercises were similar to those mentioned above, but this time we were divided into teams of five and competed in timed relays. Each team was led by a coach and the teamwork and positive morale were contagious. The sequence of exercises was extremely tiring, but the unrelenting support inspired everyone to persevere. I heard many Igniters say things like, “Wow, I didn’t think I was going to survive that but I feel better than ever!”
Saturday morning marked the last day of the Ignite bootcamp, and some of us woke up at 5:30 AM to watch the sunrise over the vast horizon. It was our last day together and there was a sense of present-tense nostalgia or, as I like to call it, “nowstalgia,” as we reluctantly came to terms with the timeless truth that all good things come to an end.
We knew we had to make the most of our remaining time and began the morning workout competition with the same level of enthusiasm. The most impressive moment was when Abdeldayem’s sister, who is eight months pregnant, successfully completed 100 thrusters (squat to shoulder presses) without a single break and while holding a 12 kilogram kettle ball — truly a superhuman feat.
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When the competition finished, we gathered in a circle and shared our gratitude for Hussein and Seif’s ceaseless efforts and phenomenal ability to inspire. Several of the Ingiters who had been with Ignite from the very beginning gave short speeches to convey their heartfelt appreciation.
One Igniter, Hussein Bassioni, briefly described his transformation, “Ignite changed my life entirely. Five years ago, I was morbidly obese, weighing more than 150 kilograms. I never participated in any sports and I struggled in my social life as well. I used to see things like, ‘A healthy body is a healthy mind’ on T-shirts and social media, but I never believed any of it — until it happened to me. As soon as I began working with Hussein and Seif, I started to lose weight immediately. I lost 15 kilograms in the first two months and I finally learned the benefits of exercise and eating properly.”
“Now, I have a healthy addiction to exercise and I have a newfound happiness and confidence in my life,” he continued. “Initially, I couldn’t lift four kilograms and now I am doing things that I never imagined I would be able to do. Hussein and Seif have so much passion and they always push me to my absolute limit. Thanks to Ignite, I now believe in myself. I learned so much, not only about working out and gaining strength, but also about living successfully and happily. My life was really rough before I was introduced to Ignite and now I’m truly a different person. Even in a literal sense — I was 150 kg and now I’m 75 kg, so I lost an entire human being in weight! Honestly, it feels like I’ve been born again.”
The entire endorphin-fueled weekend was filled with an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. At breakfast, each place mat had a colorful post-it note in the corner with an inspirational quote or nutritional fact. And after breakfast, we all ran to the heated indoor pool to make the most of our last few remaining hours with a water-polo match.
The three brief days we spent together along with the creators of Ignite made a tremendous impression on us all. The experience was euphoric from start to finish, even as I experienced body pains on my journey home. Ignite forces you to be enthralled in every passing moment through deep self-awareness and tenacity. The results speak for themselves.
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