Korean Job Discussion Forums

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

The post about gym membership costs (and I think I'm getting the best deal, woopee!) got me thinking about all the weird things there that now strike me as commonplace. Anyone got anything to add? A line of naked men waiting to blow-dry their balls, grown women playing with hola hoops and jumping ropes, the ass-jiggling machines, having an audience while working out, having an audience in the shower, a Bangladeshi man just standing there starring at me with a blank expression from three feet away while I'm in my underwear, not having slip-on shoes I have to unlace and relace all the time going from lobby to gym to dressing room, people with some of the worst weight-lifing technique I've seen anywhere, and actually being stronger than half the guys in the gym for once.

What do you have to add? And ladies, do Korean women also blow-dry their _____?

Demonicat · Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: Suwon

how 'bout the machines being made for munchkins, I swear I broke the leg press device at my gym.
OR my biggest gripe in the Whole wide world, NO ONE PUTS THE PLATES BACK!!! When I used to lift in the states if someone left a plate out they were given the evil eye, god help 'em if they came when the powerlifters were jamming. But here in Korea, Jebus Christ they NEVER put them away ever!!!

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

how about the guys that look like they weight 97 pounds lifting something about the size of a pickup truck? koreans - the strong ones - are strong.

also the 1950s fat-away machines... ain't nothin' like a jigglin' ajuma wasting her time not doing more cardio.

and i concur with the weights not being returned - it's like a bunch of hagwon kids. is there a weight ajuma who picks up after them?

Gollum · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

korean girls on he treadmill who just walk and chat on their phones..
OHHH drives me nuts!!

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

Never make eye contact with an ajjoshhi while you lift your bench press. They see it as a challenge, and will attempt to lift more than you as soon as you leave the machine, even it it kills them.
If you casually do, say, 10 reps of 80kg, he will pop his hernia straining and contorting his body to match it, and regard even one rep of 85 as an international victory for Korea.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

xtchr · Joined: 23 Nov 2004

Running backwards on the treadmills.

Kiddirts · Joined: 25 Jul 2003

what about the dudes staring at your bleep in the shower?

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

hogwonguy1979 · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: the racoon den

how about the adjuma who glares at you for using "their" treadmill when there are 20 identical ones in the place

Gwennie · Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Location: South Korea...it's got Seoul

Hahaha! This is great! I didn't want to go to the gym because the one in my building costs as much as 3 or 4 months back home, but this makes me want to go to see the fun! (except the drying of the *** and the staring at my parts...). All I know about the gym here is that every morning when I have my window open I can hear "Ooooiii! Eeeeeeeiii! Aaaaiii!" to techno music. My guess it aerobics, but I haven't seen for myself, so it could be anything. One thing I think is awesome is the little uniforms you get to wear...so stylish! Heh.

sparkx · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: thekimchipot.com

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

Crikey...where to start aye?...

The ajumma's using all the treadmills setting the cracking pace of 4.5 km an hour...for fucks sake...just go for a god damn walk...theres only 6 treadmills at my gym and i only want to use them for 20 or so minutes to warm up before weights but most days there full of nattering pissfarting ajummas.

Kids in the gym...that's a big fricken nono in my book...i was doing some flat bench dumbell flys...this can be a bit dangerous with too many people (koreans) around as at the bottom of the rep there's a lot of strain on your pecs and should anyone bump your arm you can easily tear your pec...so along comes a couple of young boys chasing each other round the gym...one wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into my arm...i was so fucked off i intentionally dropped the weight and it hit his foot...good fucking job i say...pity it was only 20 kg and not 50.

A gym instructor who is constantly asking me to go out and smoke ciggarettes with him...and who is constantly going out smoking with the other punters...WTF IS THAT ABOUT????????

Ajosshi who feel they have to dry off in front of the mirror...the passage way from the changing rooms to the showers is kinda narrow...as you leave the showers, that is where the only mirror in the changing room is...i left the showers one day to find 3 naked ajosshi all drying themselves resulting in me being forced into buttcheek to buttcheek contact.

It's not all bad though...i quite like being the only foreigner at my gym...everyones friendly and they soon learnt not to try to practice their english on me when i'm training because i will ignore you!.
The owner of my gym has started english lessons solely because i joined up there....that's kinda cool....i've met some guys who have really helped me out in terms of tweaking my program and other bits and pieces.

I don't really worry about what anybody else does...if they want to try to outlift me for the pride of their nation then go for it...i don't care...training isn't a competition for me...the only person i'm going against is myself.