Formosa Fitness

[GuyInTaiwan]

They didn't show you once in that video.

Being Apple Daily, it's probably because they were concerned about your foreign hotdog.

[Formosa Fitness]

They didn't show you once in that video.

Being Apple Daily, it's probably because they were concerned about your foreign hotdog.

You know what they told me? I kid you not: they said I was too big and a bit fierce looking so they didn't want me in the video or pictures. Seriously. But I took that as a compliment. Some of us actually have testosterone in our systems, thank God.

But I was a bit disappointed with the skinny little stick model they had demo the moves. My female trainer could break her in half.

[GuyInTaiwan]

Yeah, I figured it might have been something like that. I watched that video of you doing the Olympic lifts. I don't know how tall you are, but you must look like two or three Taiwanese people put together in real life. Likewise, with the model, I was really scratching my head. It's funny how perceptions vary. In Western media, when they want a fit/fitness person, they seem to go for bigger is better. Here, it seems people find that extremely intimidating.

Yesterday, I went to a local shop with the military service guy at work and the owner (also stick thin and pale) asked who I was. Then, she realised she knew my wife. She asked him if my wife is fat. I was like, WTF? My wife weighs 53kg (which obviously makes her a hippopotamus!), runs, and does yoga. She's done a four day hike carrying all her own stuff through the Icelandic wilderness. She probably actually has a lower bodyfat percentage than the average 45kg woman here.

[Formosa Fitness]

Well I'm not all that tall but I guess I'm packing a lot more muscle than your average Taiwanese. Heck, my kids have more muscle than average but it might be the fact that I feed them protein powder.

Don't let them get you and your wife down. I absolutely revel in it these days. My new goal is to get so big I don't have a neck. I want to look like John Cena.

He does the Olympic lifts BTW:


I know I'll stick out but I just love it when my kids tell me I'm starting to look like Hulk. And if the locals are intimidated, then that's fine too. It's good for my business to stick out. Like a walking advertisement for my services.

One of the best things about our gym is that it's a group where we aren't held back by these stereotypes that prevent most of the locals from getting fit. Example: a guy yesterday walked in and said he trained in the Juggernaut Method and he was shocked that I not only knew about the method and the guy that started it, but it's one of my favorite programs. Our gym is just like that: we all are gathering in this one really cool place and it's great to see.

I just wish we had some way for people like yourselves to be part of that community so you wouldn't feel isolated in your fitness beliefs. Seriously, don't let them get you down! Subscribe to a muscle magazine or something. Stay strong!

[Icon]

Actually, I am really happy this summer because i see an increasing number of local lads bulking up. Of course, I have my daily eye-icecream with my neighbor and his bike everyday, but short sleeve weather means at the MRT and on the street I have lots to look at. So please keep up with the exercise evanglism.

As to the stick figure girls, it is hard to live in a country that so heavily promotes the 1.70m, 49 kilos ideal as normal. But I guess the West also has this problem. Nevertheless, I am happy to say that I can carry a microwave oven on the MRT, no sweat, all the way home. I do the 30 second, 200 meter, daily commute run without breathing hard. I like to feel strong and healthy and I hope that this idea of helathy exercise can be instilled into the public consciousness, as an alternative to the stick figure, high pitch, pale as death, walking zombie stereotype.

[bismarck]

Actually, I am really happy this summer because i see an increasing number of local lads bulking up. Of course, I have my daily eye-icecream with my neighbor and his bike everyday, but short sleeve weather means at the MRT and on the street I have lots to look at. So please keep up with the exercise evanglism.

As to the stick figure girls, it is hard to live in a country that so heavily promotes the 1.70m, 49 kilos ideal as normal. But I guess the West also has this problem. Nevertheless, I am happy to say that I can carry a microwave oven on the MRT, no sweat, all the way home. I do the 30 second, 200 meter, daily commute run without breathing hard. I like to feel strong and healthy and I hope that this idea of helathy exercise can be instilled into the public consciousness, as an alternative to the stick figure, high pitch, pale as death, walking zombie stereotype.

Times, they are a changing. I also see more healthy looking young bloke and more voluptuous young ladies. I've also been able to convince my SO that merely puttering around on the stationary running machine isn't the way to go, but to change her diet and to use weights is far preferable. She has a larger bone structure and is never going to conform to the 170cm 49kg mold, so I've been trying to get her to work to her strengths, lose excess and accentuate her curvy figure by toning with weights. So far she's taking to it pretty well.

[Formosa Fitness]

Well I'm certainly glad to hear others keeping the fitness faith. And yes, we are having an impact. Slowly, slowly more and more people are coming around to our way of things. I chalk some of it up to the alternatives just not working for folks. Others are like the lady Bismarck talks about -- they aren't built for normal aerobics-only type fitness and never will be. Usually when those types of folks find us it's like a breath of fresh air since they don't have to cardio themselves to death to get in shape.

It'll take time but this kind of fitness is popular everywhere else so it'll eventually catch on here and all of you will be ahead of the curb.

So keep up the good work!

[bismarck]

Well I'm certainly glad to hear others keeping the fitness faith. And yes, we are having an impact. Slowly, slowly more and more people are coming around to our way of things. I chalk some of it up to the alternatives just not working for folks. Others are like the lady Bismarck talks about -- they aren't built for normal aerobics-only type fitness and never will be. Usually when those types of folks find us it's like a breath of fresh air since they don't have to cardio themselves to death to get in shape.

It'll take time but this kind of fitness is popular everywhere else so it'll eventually catch on here and all of you will be ahead of the curb.

So keep up the good work!

I still think we should open a gym in Tainan or Kaohsiung!

[Wheybrotein]

I live and train in Hsinchu. Do you do pay by visit? I'd like to come up maybe a couple times in the future to check it out and train with some like minded people. It's too far for me to come as often as I train, but I'd like to do it once or so.

Also, any idea where I can buy chalk and a decent belt (oly or PL doesn't matter, I left mine at home)

[Formosa Fitness]

I live and train in Hsinchu. Do you do pay by visit? I'd like to come up maybe a couple times in the future to check it out and train with some like minded people. It's too far for me to come as often as I train, but I'd like to do it once or so.

Also, any idea where I can buy chalk and a decent belt (oly or PL doesn't matter, I left mine at home)

Hi and welcome! Our day pass would be for you. It's only NT300, half what our competition charges.

About chalk, we get ours in liquid form at the climbing shops on ZhongShan N. Rd just east of Taipei Main Station. The liquid chalk is good because it's less messy, takes very little to be effective, travels easily, it's just good all around. About belts, I'm not finding any right now. All my links to local sources seem to have dried up. I suggest checking http://class.ruten.com.tw/category/sub00.php?c=000300110005 periodically and if you see something you want, don't wait to get it since it might be gone next time.