Chinese Gyms

What's it like working out in a Chinese gym, anyway?

I've been lifting in China for about 6 years and living in China for 9, so I can answer that question pretty well. Chinese gyms are certainly not all positive, but I've made some great friends here and the Chinese fitness industry as a whole is trending towards a more positive and professional place...slowly. :)

Enjoy the video and let me know if you have any questions about Chinese gyms or my life in China.

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[ElenaChiurato]

Funny, I had someone touch the bar when I was squatting here in Italy as well. This dude thought it would be helpful to PUSH DOWN one end of the bar because it was higher than the other one, and of course he did it mid-set and mid-squat, no warning at all. And then when I almost died trying to get back up he lectured me about form. I have good form when no one pushes on the bar, thank you very much

[redred]

I'm just happy you're finally monetized. You absolutely deserve it!!

[jacksonlee]

One time I was deadlifting, the only bumper plates at this gym were ridiculously thick so a bar clamp wouldn’t fit with 4 plates. Someone noticed a couple reps in that one of the plates was sliding a little bit, so they tried to push it back into place mid rep, causing the bar to fulcrum around me, which ended up severely straining one of my lumbar flexors. I couldn’t perform any sort of spinal load for about 6 weeks.

[erockthehorse]

Never bother someone when they're deep into a set
I will start going apeshit when that happens to me

[spandanadhikari]

Lmao at the old man. Took him quite a while to reflect and swallow his pride. I bet you lived in his mind rent free, feeling that you dishonored him.

[oaksaint]

About the personal space thing, most Brazilian gym bros would go like "yeah buddy" and flex if someone grabbed their arm and said they're big lol, it would make their day

[TheAdamk]

This is my experience in the my college's gym too. It's just a Chinese gym thing, even among ultra elite Chinese. When you get past the weirdness it's ironically charming.

[CanaldoDLC]

I lived in Shanghai for a few years, I have some interesting gym stories as well. The touching and staring can get annoying, but plate stealing and plate misplacement are commonplace. Also dudes checking out your junk if you shower at the facilities.

[TheShadoXxWAVE]

I don't live in mainland but I live in Taiwan. I would say the biggest problem for the gym environment in eastern countries is that we don't emphasize free weight training/ barbell movements but cardio. You can hardly find a gym that have squat racks greater more than 3 unless it's a hardcore gym. And the employees always want to sell you classe or product which is super annoying.

[researcher_c]

The whole arm touching thing used to happen in India too. But the insane speed at which India got westernised in the last few years, it would probably be frowned upon at most places now. The plate stealing thing is pretty universal tho. It's called being an asshole..

[redred]

A suggestion - reduce the volume of the music. I almost couldn't hear you

[Invis_Space]

Everything he said is accurate. Gyms in China can be tough. The staring is hard too. Now when I visit pandas in the zoo I just stand there and whisper to him… “I feel your pain brother” 😂 🐼

[chicago]

Confucius say,
“Watch out for old man, he will mess with your squat rack if you make him angry”

Ancient Chinese secret.

[samdajellybeenie]

Wow making the bar twist during a heavy squat is super dangerous!

[Corinna-Mom]

I know you posted this a while ago, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! My daughter was trained by Chinese Olympic Medal Winning Coaches for most her life. We have so many crazy stories from her time with them. We learned to let things go that would be completely inappropriate anywhere else because this is how they’ve been taught and how they coach and it’s just the way it is. So I totally relate to this whole gym situation and the behavior.

[Drengen]

The plate steal thing thing could also be that they dont know you're done. In EU atleast half the people do no empty the bar / rack their weights when they are done. Bad manners i know, but sometimes you just gotta guess whether or not that person is done.

[xeroxboy]

Not sure about China but Korea was pretty "fair" to me. I did stick out like a swore thumb at 6'5 300lbs.

[fathimaabdulrahim]

Yay! Happy you took my suggestion!
I am sure to spread this video in all my WeChat groups! Keep it up man.

[professorquarter]

I had a very normal experience at a gym in Shanghai, much better than what you describe. Biggest difference between the US and China is the age of people who annoyed me. In China, it was mostly older people misbehaving, in the US it's teenagers curling in the squat rack, etc.

[BotkillaK]

I love the bit about how recreational strength standards are lower in China. Nice to know I have a shot at being a trainer in China with me 106kg deadlift, 120kg squat, , and 75kg bench press.

Here in the states I'm on the weak end of average for recreational lifters, but nice to know there are places with lower standards.