By Fiona Van Tyne
Gyms. Gyms. Gyms. Many of us have enjoyed working out at gyms in our home countries, we had a set routine, schedule and we were comfortable.
Exercise is not thought of the same in Korea as in the western world. Many koreans take a much lighter approach to keeping fit, and so it is sometimes difficult to find a gym that meets a westerners requirements.
Also, many gyms in Korea are old, they are run down, and their equipment does not work as well as it used to. These get the job done, but barely.
National Team Fitness in Jangsan has been a personal saving grace in Korea. It opened in December 2012 and things are brand spanking new not to mention state of the art!!
The gym itself is small as most in Korea, but offers a wide range of cardio machines including ellipticals and stationary bikes, something that not every gym here is fond of maintaining. Weight machines are easy to operate and although the lifting area gets busy, you can always find coveted mirror space.
The other thing that makes this gym so unique is that it offers a good amount of classes. Pilates, Yoga, Spin and even Zumba are taught at the gym every day and there is no pre regrestration, you just show up at the time and go. The Spin classes do get very full so make sure to go early to reserve your bike.
The locker rooms are clean and taking a shower there is not a brave experience but pleasant.
The staff however, does not speak much english. There sometimes is a girl there that works the front desk that knows enough to get you through but setting up a membership is going to be a longer process than at a gym at home obviously. There are orange t-shirt clad trainers that walk around and help you if you are in need and they are always friendly to ex-pats.
Currently from what I understand they offer two kinds of membership. for 6 months it is 360,000 KRW and for 1 year it is 600,000 KRW. Very inexpensive for a gym in Korea especially one as nice as this.
There is an english speaking Zumba teacher there currently that teaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays but the rest of the classes will be in Korean. They are very easy to follow as long as you keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. For those living in Jangsan this is the perfect gym at the perfect price.
How to get there: From Jangsan (green line station 201) go out exit 5, walk straight and take your first right. Enter the building on the right where the big hallway is (After a few restaurants on the ground floor) and go to level 7 by one of the 3 elevators. The gym will take up most of that floor.
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