Perceptions on gym etiquette in Taiwan

[g8rman05]

Hey all! I've been in Taipei for a little over a year now and have been weightlifting for a good 4 years now. In this past year being here I've noticed that the gym etiquette here in Taipei can be minimal to non-existent. Things like leaving the weights on the floor, leaving the bench is still loaded, people using multiple things at one time, doing the same exercise for 30 minutes at a time seem commonplace to me. Wanted to know if this is particular to the gym I go to? You guys have any stories of bad etiquette? g8rman05

[greenmark]

I've been to gyms where some people would leave "presents" in the shower.

But that was in China. Can't tell you much about TW.

[Mother Theresa]

g8rman05: that's been my experience too in Taiwan. It may not make much difference to you, but at least it's my understanding that such rudeness stems from ignorance more than malice. That is, gym culture and pumping iron are newer in Taiwan than the west and have fewer hard-core participants, so unspoken rules and etiquette just haven't developed here yet. They're not trying to be assholes; they just don't know better.

Incidentally, the same can be said for cycling, too. New exciting hobby here, everyone suddenly wants to try it, they go out and buy their 100K carbon fiber bikes, but they don't buy a helmet or cycling shoes, or they end up pushing the bike uphill or walking it down hill, or they threaten to knock over MT as he rides past them because they don't realize they're supposed to hold their line, etc.

Give them time. Their culture is 5000 years old. In another 1000 years they'll figure it out.

[TaipeiD]

Hey all! I've been in Taipei for a little over a year now and have been weightlifting for a good 4 years now. In this past year being here I've noticed that the gym etiquette here in Taipei can be minimal to non-existent. Things like leaving the weights on the floor, leaving the bench is still loaded, people using multiple things at one time, doing the same exercise for 30 minutes at a time seem commonplace to me. Wanted to know if this is particular to the gym I go to? You guys have any stories of bad etiquette? g8rman05

sounds about right. atleast they dont smoke cigarettes or chew 'binlang'. i really give them credit for that.

[Hightop]

Compared to the gyms I went to in Korea the gym I attend here is great. Pretty much everyone follows etiquette norms except for this one guy. You all know the type, he comes 3 times a week and from what I can tell he does 4 exercises every time, smith machine bench press 10 reps 10 sets 70kgs 3 inch range of motion. This is followed by the barbell curl 10 reps 10 sets back and shoulders swinging the bar up, Dumbbell curl 10 reps 10 sets back and shoulders swinging the dumbbells and last but not least the seated dumbbell curl with his arm supported by his leg. It is not his routine that bothers me so much but the fact that he never de-loads the smith machine, leaves the dumbbells on the floor and when he is doing his seated curls he sits right in front of the weights stacked up so other people can not get to them. The changing rooms here are a much nicer place to change clothes than in Korea too. All in all I like The gym experiences I have had in Taiwan.

[Deuce Dropper]

typical Taipei gym scenes (bear in mind I go to the cheaper gyms, so at California Fitness it may be different):

-douchebag flexing triceps in mirror shamelessly between every set.

-poseur sitting on the only freeweight bench, doing two reps of too much weight per set (bringing it about halfway to his chest) in ten minute intervals. No one else will sit on that bench during your visit, including you.

-sawed off little stocky fellow puts every freeweight in the gym on the leg press and keeps it there for your entire visit.

-redundant hip hop or sappy mando pop ballad blaring so loud it is hard to hear the track on your IPod.

-sweaty out of shape guy drips all over the machines and benches because his 'towel' is actually a face cloth.



I would say 85% of the people are cool and considerate, but those other 15% really make their mark.

[g8rman05]

Deuce:

I think we may go to the same gym! lol I've come to believe that most of the 'poor' (by my standards) etiquette comes from ignorance rather than malice like Mother Theresa said.... though some of it is pretty common sense to me. For example I was using a bench and in the middle of my reps a guy comes and sits down on the bench, keep in mind I was laying down on the bench lol! I don't speak Chinese well but my expression told him everything he needed to know lol.

[Flicka]

The bodybuilders are the ones that can't follow etiquette? How about the personal trainers who use empty machines as clipboard and gear holders? Anyway, look on the bright side--you never have to feel bad if you forget to wipe down a machine or leave some weights on a piece of equipment, and no one will yell at you for it. My favorites are the ones who scream and yell while they are lifting. I know it has been said one way or another here, but you just don't understand Chinese gym culture.

[TaipeiD]

keep in mind you may have shared the same pair of chopsticks with some of these guys in your friendly neighborhood eatery.

[Belgian Pie]

Compared to the gyms I went to in Korea the gym I attend here is great. Pretty much everyone follows etiquette norms except for this one guy. You all know the type, he comes 3 times a week and from what I can tell he does 4 exercises every time, smith machine bench press 10 reps 10 sets 70kgs 3 inch range of motion. This is followed by the barbell curl 10 reps 10 sets back and shoulders swinging the bar up, Dumbbell curl 10 reps 10 sets back and shoulders swinging the dumbbells and last but not least the seated dumbbell curl with his arm supported by his leg. It is not his routine that bothers me so much but the fact that he never de-loads the smith machine, leaves the dumbbells on the floor and when he is doing his seated curls he sits right in front of the weights stacked up so other people can not get to them. The changing rooms here are a much nicer place to change clothes than in Korea too. All in all I like The gym experiences I have had in Taiwan.

Does he arrive in a Beamer, Benz, or other out of this world car? It's called rich man's syndrome ... don't give a shit about etiquette ...