Chinese Getting Stronger

Just coming back from the gym, all I want to do is watch bad Chinese sitcoms and drink a chilled Coca Cola but before I do that I just want to mention a frustration of mine. I go to the gym earlier than most people so I can take advantage of the machines. Otherwise the place is congested with long waits to do certain exercises - a clear disrespect of quality control by the money-grubbing management. But even during the slow hours I have to wait because the trend in fitness is changing. 5 years ago Chinese people started getting obese and so when gyms first opened, the majority of the machines were treadmills and bikes. But as the younger crowds became more influenced by pop culture and became more self-aware of ones body and image, they learnt that a toned and athletic figure gave them sex appeal. More and more guys are becoming conscious of their narrow Asian frames and are hitting the weights.

Unfortunately, my gym is lagging in updating their layout of a few dozen treadmills and only one bench machine and one squat machine - the two most basic pieces of equipment used for weightlifting. So this corner, packed with buff Chinese men (who's elbows can't even touch) and me, use most of our time waiting for someone to finish.

Cardio workouts will always be an important part of any gym, but Chinese society is just beginning to learn the benefits of muscle building and having a more athletic body - clearly the Chinese Olympic Weightlifting gold medalists have helped inspired more gym lovers, I just hope that gyms around the country could spend more time on quality rather than the number of members.