Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Marathe]

Breaking the posting hiatus with a short grouping of words about my opinions of the noble Korean people and their actions when confronted with the health club facilities. All are garnered from my own personal observations (naturally).

My personal sources of irritation:

1. Women who wear perfume to the gym. You smell. I can't breathe as deep whilst lifting if there's the stench of chanel no 9 wafting from the station beside me.

2. Anyone who brings their cell phone to the gym with them. Why do you people do this? That should be the one place where you can escape from those who would steal your time. Example: one of the teachers at my school frequents my gym - she's usually there when i am. Most days she come in and spends about an hour there (whilst i'm there) and of this, at least 45 minutes is on the phone (yelling into said phone in the korean style). Other days, she invites a friend to come in and sit beside her on a bike so they can talk. Okay. You have friends. They want to talk to you. Fantastic i'm happy for you - but why did you bother to come to the gym at all? Stay home.

3. People who don't replace their weights after they use them. The freeweight section of my gym is all of 10 square meters - its not the longest walk to take your dumbell and put it back on the rack when you're done with it now is it? I have actually yet to see someone replace a weight when they're done with it over here. Back home you'd get a lecture the first time and suspended from membership there the second.

4. People who take a break from sets or running to go to the washroom and smoke so that the smell of carcinogenic gas fills the gym. Gets to so that you prefer the perfume. Why are you at the gym and smoking? why is this condoned?

5. And the standard thing about koreans who want to practice their english on you - i just tell them that i'm american these days (which gets them to scatter rather quickly).

Anyone else?

[har]

Hi Marathe,

Don't have the same complaints as you about the gym, but what I have had that really bugs me is people competing with me. I get on the tread mill, someone gets on next to me, and starts looking at my speed, and matches it. I do an interval workout, so i'm changing speed all the time, and whatever I do,they do. It's really weird. Sometimes I wish I had the strength to set her way up and go forever and watch them fall off trying to keep up. To me workind out is personal, and non-competitive so this does peeve me sometimes. The good thing is, is that i'm no hero, but I still win every time.

[kylehawkins2000]

I don't like the locker room ettiquette. If they want to check out my member and compare and whatnot fine....but be discreet....don't come up to me and stare blatantly and talk about it in broken english.......that ain't cool!

[howie2424]

I'm definitely in agreement with you. Korean gym behaviuor is a damn site different than back home. I'll add one to the list. Have you seen this guy? He gets on, for example, the bench press machine, lies there for 10 minutes staring at the handles, then pumps 5 quick reps off and rests another 10 minutes ON THE MACHINE before doing another. Unbelievable. My 60 minute workout takes twice as long as it should because of these clowns who are plentiful at my gym. I've taken to going early in the morning. Fewer patrons, though it's cut down on my late night drinking sessions.

[captain kirk]

yes howie, i've seen this guy. i go up to him and ask him if he's finished and he usually gets off the machine. i ask him if we can 'share'. so that when he'd usually be sitting on the bench/machine staring into space/into the mirror i'd be there, using it. and when i'm done, he uses it. so i just bolt up and make myself clear; can we not share. OFTEN they just abandon it to me. snapped out of their own world.
the other night there were two other foreign teachers there. and they talked with each other just about non-stop in 'hearty' loud voices. the gym's a place to zone out of your mind and into your body, so what's with all the talking? damn foreigners

[Duncan McCocinue]

Personally, I love watching the self proclaimed master race struggle to bench 65 pounds. Even better than that are the dudes who bounce their nards in their hand while giving them a blow dry. Love that.

[seoulman]

[sparkx]

I've had two memorable experiences at the gym

The first was during my second month in the ROK after just buying a membership to a local gym. I was in the middle of doing a set of lat-pull downs when I felt a hand start caressing my calf. I let go of the bar, weights falling with a crash, and looked behind me to see a grown man (40 years old or so) on his hands and knees touching and spreading-out the tatoo on my calf. He was completely absorbed in the ordeal and didn't even notice that I let go of the weight. While he was doing this he was emitting little "ooohh's" and "ahhhhh's" in a disurbingly sexual tone with a glazed over look in his eyes.

The other event happened recently. I just finished a set of curls when the gym "instructor" (janitor/security/host/t.v conosseur) grabs my arms and gives me the thumbs up. Next thing I know he grabs a tape measure and wraps it around my arm. Before I know it he is measuring nearly every part of my body responding each time with a "ohhhh" followed by a thumbs up and guy smiley grin. I stood there frozen not knowing what to do and looked around me to see every man in the gym around us watching. After I managed to break free the guy then proceeded to measure each and every man in the gym (arms, chest, etc -- nothing else). It was like an assembly line with the men waiting towards the back checking their watches as if they HAD to do it. Classic.

[Mosley]

I've never had any problems at a Korean gym. Mind, you I've been on the "Winston Churchill Exercise Program" most of my life....

[dogbert]

1. Constant spitting and nose blowing in the shower. Thanks for the snot....not.

2. Blow drying of pubic and armpit hair. This is tacky enough, but an absolute no-no when any part of the dryer makes prolonged physical contact with either region.

3. Using benches as seats or beds while others are waiting to use the equipment.

[SweetBear]

There is no sense of modesty in the ladies locker room. I've seen more than my gynecologist. For all you horNy fellas out there, trust me, it aint pretty. These women sit in the shower with their legs spread, water running, eating lunch. Some of them invited me into the sauna, so they could openly discuss my weygook body. I get dirty looks for wearing a thong and feel embarassed trying to stuff my weygook boobs into bra's designed for little lemons.

[maxxx_power]

[rapier]

Hahaha, this is hilarious in an annoying way coz its all so true..!
What bugs me is the 40-something macho men who prowl around, stern-faced, giving the occasional grunt, and take 2 cigarette breaks every half hour..
The most ridiculous sight is some newbie showing off for all he's worth on the shoulder pull machine. These guys pull down twice their weight by practically hanging on the bars, then get yanked up. Its ludicrous. They have no idea how to use the machines, and think its purely a contest of how much you can lift. And then you don't seee them for a week because they've pulled their muscle out.
The female assistants take delight in showing you how to do everything right, cos they know you're cool. (or maybe a stupid foreigner). But they don't dare try to instruct the superior korean men, no matter how wrongly they do their exercises...
I must say, the average Korean marching style on the treadmill looks ludicrous and unco-ordinated..

[The Cube]

..

[sparkx]

cube wrote: