Holding Form: How Emirati Entrepreneurs Saleh Al Braik And Yousuf Al Gurg Built Dubai’s First Calisthenics Gym
Under their leadership, Gravity Calisthenics Gym is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
Every business begins with a spark. For Yousuf Al Gurg, it came in the middle of a workout.
“I’ve always been very active, into all kinds of sports from a young age,” Al Gurg tells Inc. Arabia. “When I came across calisthenics, I was instantly drawn to it: the discipline, the creativity, the strength it builds. But back then, Dubai didn’t have a single facility dedicated to it. I remember wanting to learn and progress, but not really having the right space or community to do so. That’s when the idea came: if it doesn’t exist here, why not build it?”
That’s essentially how Al Gurg, together with long-time friend Saleh Al Braik, came to launch Gravity Calisthenics Gym in Dubai, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. As the first gym in the region to fully champion calisthenics, parkour, and bodyweight training as core disciplines, Gravity has come a long way from its modest beginnings, with it doubling in size in 2019. But when looking back on their journey with Gravity, the Emirati entrepreneurs admit that, as much as they’ve learned from the highs, they’ve also grown from the lows.
Yousuf Al Gurg and Saleh Al Braik, co-founders of Gravity Calisthenics Gym.
“The biggest lesson for me is perspective,” Al Gurg shares. “Setbacks on their own don’t define you; it’s how you choose to see them that does. In both training and business, the way you perceive a challenge shapes the way you deal with it. Do you see it as something that consumes you, or as an opportunity to grow, to build something stronger, to prove people wrong? I’ve always leaned into the latter. Whether it was recovering from an injury, or navigating a tough moment in business, I’ve tried to frame those moments as stepping stones, rather than roadblocks. You can’t avoid setbacks; they are inevitable in fitness and entrepreneurship. But you can use them as fuel for your drive. When you shift your perspective in that way, what could feel like a limitation becomes the very thing that pushes you to your next level.”
Al Braik comes at it from another angle. “For me, the biggest lesson is learning to acknowledge my own limitations and lean on the strengths of others,” he says. “In fitness, you quickly realize you can’t do everything alone, whether it’s spotting a heavy lift, pushing past a plateau, or finding motivation on tough days—you need people around you to support you. Business has taught me the same thing. Setbacks are inevitable, but they become manageable when you surround yourself with the right people, your partners, your team, your community. At Gravity, I’ve seen firsthand how much stronger we are when everyone brings their unique strengths to the table. At the end of the day, it really does take a village to build something meaningful. Admitting you don’t have all the answers isn’t a weakness; it’s actually what allows the business to grow beyond you as an individual.”
Pictured in the lead image is Saleh Al Braik and Yousuf Al Gurg, co-founders of Gravity Calisthenics Gym. All images courtesy Gravity Calisthenics Gym.
This article first appeared in the September 2025 issue of Inc. Arabia. To read the full issue online, click here.
