F3 Morocco

• What are Moroccan Night Clubs called in Morocco?
• How did F3 make its way to Kenitra, Morocco?
• How can we support our Moroccan brothers?

Italian Job asked these questions and more below. TClaps to Milan of F3 Ashland (OH) for translating the questions and answers and <spoiler alert> for planting the seed that has grown into the our first ever North African region.

Italian Job: What is your F3 story?

Zreg: My name is Driss Bensaid. I have lived almost all my life in Kenitra, Morocco. When I was in my teenage years and my early 20s, I exercised almost every day, playing soccer and lifting. Once I quit college, got a job, got married, then had my child, my exercise routine started to diminish gradually until I stopped completely.

Last January, I was going through severe stress and anxiety that it affected my physical health. When my brother Milan came to visit this past May, he shared the concept of F3, and along with a couple of friends, we agreed to hold our first Q and we loved the nature of the workout and comradery that comes with it.

IJ: How did you get your name?

Z: My F3 name is Zreg, which translates to “Blue,” but in Moroccan the word means “unskilled” or a “failure.” I got this name because one time as a teenager I was playing against a former coach’s team. Before the game, he instructed his players to guard me, but once the game started and I wasn’t in my best form, I missed a lot of opportunities to score, so he was yelling, “Leave Driss alone; he is “zreg” today.”  After I shared this embarrassing story, I got this name.

IJ: Tell us about F3 Kenitra.

Z: F3 Kenitra is a growing PAX. We started with 3 guys, and now we are averaging 7 guys per workout. We would like to recruit those who are in need to F3 most, guys who might mistakenly think their life is behind them and their physique can’t improve. We live in a coastal city, so sometimes we go on road trips to different beaches in the area to hold our workouts and have a great time.

IJ: When and how did it start?

Z: Our very first “official” workout was on June 5, 2022. My brother Milan who lives in Ashland, Ohio introduced F3 to my friend Fingerprint and me. We loved the concept since we both were struggling to find time for workouts and also going through hard time, so F3 introduction was timely.

IJ: Where do you work out?

Z: Our official Area of Operation is in the Saknia park in Kenitra. This is a safe, clean place where people of all ages go to exercise especially during the weekend. Currently, our official Q day is Sunday, hoping to attract more guys, but we also organize trips to nearby locations to make the workout more fun. For example, we have been to Mehdia Beach, Chlihat Beach, and Moulay Bousselham Beach, and after the workouts, we had delicious fresh fish.

IJ: What Moroccan names do you have for some exercises? Burpees? Merkins? Side straddle hops? Are Moroccan nightclubs just called nightclubs?

Z: Most exercise names are in French. “Traction” is the word for pull-ups, “extension de bras” for push-ups, but we have started using some English words like “jumping jacks” and “burpees.” We didn’t know about “Moroccan Nightclubs” until Milan told us about them.

IJ: What challenges have you had to overcome since you started?

Z: So far the challenge is having a consistent PAX. Some guys post one time and then don’t come back. While Kenitra is a big city with a large population, it is hard to convince people to post regularly especially when there are fitness centers all over the city.

IJ: How do you EH?

Z: We try to target guys who really need F3, be it they are going through emotional issues or are in bad physical shape. I find myself inviting them to work out and buying them coffee or lunch, thinking that after they try a workout, they’d like it.

IJ: How can your American brothers assist your growth and development?

Z: We are very thankful for the support we have received from all of our F3 brothers in the U.S., and we can’t wait to receive our F3 Kenitra shirts.

Maybe one area we might need help with the most right now is publicity on social media. So far, we don’t have any tech savvy guys to help set up a website or regularly post on social media. We would like to invite others in neighboring towns and why not have other F3 guys from Europe or the Americas work out with us whenever they visit Morocco?

For anyone interested in helping, reach out to Zreg’s brother Milan (F3-Ashland) on Slack. He’ll make the connection.