Social Workout

Occupied Aggro

Iraq Pumps Iron

Baghdad Neighborhood (Via Army.Mil.)

Oh boy, there's a gym craze in Baghdad. "At least 300 gyms and fitness centers are believed to be operating in Baghdad, compared with about 30 before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion," writes Hamza Hendawi for the A.P. "It's a fad," one gym owner told Hendawi. "So many people now want to work out. They want to look good." Is that a sign of normalcy returning to Baghdad? Cool.

So, after 30 years of military dictatorship, and five years of bungled occupation and brutal insurgency, you might imagine these newly opened gyms would offer some stress-reducing yoga and/or some cathartic spin classes. Ha! Think blaring music, mirrors, and firearm-packing guys lifting weights, guzzling protein shakes, and popping steroids. We're talking gyms with names like the the Arnold Classic, The Hummer, and the "The Dragin G.Y.M. for Body Building and Fituess." Gulp. The genders are separated, but there are some "women's hours" on the schedule....

Of course, it's totally understandable. (Note to sociologists: Bench pressing comes before step aerobics in some hierarchy of post conflict societies.) And, macho or not, more fitness is a good thing. Without the new gyms, Iraqis would still be sitting at home all day, smoking cigarettes, and eating Kibbe Batata (i.e. Potato Beef Casserole.) A bodybuilding fad is a start, and things can change fast.  In the early 1970s, remember, gyms in the U.S. weren't much different, and Arnold was in his prime. We did have the jogging craze, though. They don't quite have that. Apparently still tough with all those roadside bombs and IEDs.