Saleh Hussein Al-Raidi is fighting Yemeni odds to make his bodybuilding dreams a reality.
Released on September 4th, 2025
In Yemen’s dim, choked and hot gym, bodybuilder Saleh Hussein al-Radi wraps his hands around rusty barbells and trains with a steel-eyed determination for his dream of entering major competition overseas.
However, the 24-year-old, who works two jobs to support his family, lacks the means to buy the supplements and protein-rich foods he needs to build in bulk, setting him for a tougher battle than many of his enemies.
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Barefoot in a battered machine, he sweats as he runs through his workout in the blue singlet, ignoring the traffic noise coming through the open door.
Al-Raidi is fueled by passion rather than the strict nutritional regimen needed for his sport. His diet is often limited to small fish with rice.
To support not only his parents but his wife and children, he unloads the boat from morning to night at the port of Mukara in South Yemen and maintains a side hustle where he has free diving for octopus and squid.
“I work hard, but still, I don’t scrape together enough to buy the supplements I need,” Al Radi said.
The longstanding civil war and a crippling economy have put all sorts of ambitions on the millions of divided Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
Due to the common power outages, Al Radi often trains in Mukara’s cramped King gyms without using fans.
Despite his muscular physique and small waist, the bodybuilder situation did not give him a chance to emulate his idol: Egyptians, and six times Olympia Christopher “Cbum” Bumstead.
Al-Radi was the 18-year-old who first competed for Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, which has been ruled by Iran-backed Hooti rebels since 2014. It was a seven-year-old experience.
“They gave me medals, certificates and 12,000 Yemeni Riyals (less than $50),” he said.
When Al Radi was later chosen to compete in nearby Saudi Arabia, the plane tickets were too expensive, so he took the bus.
However, he was stuck at a border intersection for two days. There, Yemenis undergoes strict checks and runs out of protein-rich food stocks while he waits.
By the time he arrived at the venue, he had lost 2 kilos (more than four pounds). “My body just collapsed,” Al Radi said.
“I was exhausted and placed 7th because I couldn’t afford the right travel options.”
Supporting his family is already a daily struggle, even before he pays for the small specialized foods and supplements he can afford.
When times are tough, he must cut down on his workouts to avoid fatigue. We must push our goal of reaching top regional competitions, such as the Dubai Pro Bodybuilding Championship.
But “My body responds to (to workouts) and improves it keeps me moving no matter how tough it is,” Al Radi said.
“Bodybuilding taught me discipline in every part of my life.”
