Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jst]

I like working out, and I prefer lifting weights.

I have experienced common Korean gyms that are small with tiny free-weight areas that require waiting to use the equipment.

Which gym is the best in Seoul? I don't mind the travel tine, and I don't mind paying a high fee if it means being able to get a solid workout.

P.S. Must have a squat rack.

[T-J]

Here ya go. It's private membership so you'll need two existing members to sponsor you and then pay the $60,000 a year fee.


http://www.seoulclub.org/

[jst]

[Vix]

The Kongo franchise is awesome. Find a branch near you and ask for a tour before you join. My new apartment doesn't have one close and I am gutted

[CanadaSteve]

MF Fitness, with a branch in Mokdong and one in (I believe) gangnam, is where a lot of the Korean bodybuilders go.

Pros:

- They have at least one power rack, plus a squat rack
- the have all the main Hammer Strength machines, including the V-squat
- they have tons of plates
- they have a full complement of Life Fitness machines if you go for machines
- they a rack of pre-weighted short bars and ez curl bars so you don't need to constantly load the plates
- lots of space and the GX rooms are far away from teh free weight area

Cons:

- they STILL don't have dbs that go above 40kg... wtf?
- too many cardio machines. that space could be used for a duplicate set of dbs so I don't have to wait for a weight
- expensive-ish, at about 100k a month


You might want to consider one of the raw bodybuilding/powerlifting gyms I've heard of around Itaewon/HBC... but I dont have names. If you are too hard core, just make sure the place has a power rack, plenty of plates and a complete set of dbs (not this skipping 8 kilos crap and maxing out at 35s) and you're good to go

[cdninkorea]

I'd go with SAP (Speed and Power) near Kunkuk University Station (line 2). They don't have a great selection of dumbbells, but they do have tons of kettlebells, several power racks (for squats, etc.), trap bars, fat bars, ergometers, glute/ham raises, a Prowler (look it up if you don't know what it is. It's awesome), gymnastic rings, etc. They do a lot of Crossfit classes, and they also specialize in powerlifting and Olympic lifting.

Drawbacks? As I said, dumbbells don't go heavy enough. For me, that's it. If you like treadmills, well, there aren't any.

http://www.speedandpower.co.kr/newSap/subpage/main.asp

I think memberships are 70,000 won/month. If you want specific directions, let me know (in this thread or by PM) and I'll post the details.

[jst]

[Noise]

What is up with gym prices? I was living near Acha Mountain, in Gwang-jin gu, and there was a free (really!) gym near the mountain top. Now I've moved to Daechi and there are two gyms near me--both cost around 175,000W a month, with a hefty first-month fee in addition.

All I want in a gym is an array of barbells, a bench, and a plain bar for doing chin-ups, and that's all. I do not want treadmills, aerobics classes, a golf-training room, personal trainers, nautilus machines and other rigmarole that presumably justifies these prices. Surely a room with some old bars and plates should not cost a fortune. In Hanoi and Bangkok there were such gyms and they cost around a dollar a day.

What to do?

[Mike_Jones]

I'm looking for a gym near Seoul Station. There is one opening up in May right across from Lotte Mart but its too long of a time. Anyone know of one in the vicinity?

[cdninkorea]