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From Shanghai to Singapore, 5 cross-Asia gyms that keep you fit all year long

FitFam Shanghai highlights community spirit. It has brought together like-minded people in cities in mainland China, and expanded to Hong Kong last year, as well as Taipei, Los Angeles and Dubai.

For gym bunnies, there’s little worse than finding yourself out of town and out of your regular workout routine. While we believe in finding our tribe to motivate us through each and every workout (think Shanghai’s FitFam which has found its way to Hong Kong, or Singapore’s Broc-n-Bells, the social wellness app designed like a dating app but for the sole purpose of matching you with a sweat buddy), what really makes us feel right at home for a workout is the gym itself.

... what really makes us feel right at home for a workout is the gym itself

These five gyms have a presence across Asia – ensuring there is no need to fear that you’ll miss your go-to dose of endorphins while on a short haul trip.

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Pure Fitness & Pure Yoga

 

It should come as no surprise that this yoga-fitness chain, a household name in Southeast Asia among the fitness community, will top this list. What makes Pure stand out for a frequent traveller is the pure convenience of it all. In Hong Kong alone, there are 10 gyms and 12 yoga studios to pick from. Shanghai boasts two gyms and three yoga studios, while Singapore is home to three gyms and four yoga studios. Beijing also has one yoga studio. While each teacher will have their own style, you can guarantee you will be treated to the same spa-like environment in the changing rooms and the same level of expertise across Asia.

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FitFam

 

While not strictly a physical gym, FitFam is worth a mention. Founded in Shanghai, the group highlights community spirit and believes fitness is a fundamental right that should be free for everyone. It has brought together like-minded people in cities in mainland China, and expanded to Hong Kong last year, as well as Taipei, California and Toronto.

From certified yogis within the community to experienced boxers showing the family the ropes, there are over 100 community leaders organising and leading classes across cities in Asia. Focusing on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, its Hong Kong division has attracted over 1,000 members.

What makes the community stand out is that it is truly about finding your tribe and finding the group that holds you accountable for turning up to that gruelling morning and night session, doing that one extra burpee or running that one extra mile. The community transcends cultures and crosses oceans, ensuring that no matter where you are, your FitFam will be working out right alongside you.

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F45

 

Originally from Australia, F45 is a fitness phenomenon that has taken Asia and the world by storm. F45 offers 45 gruelling minutes of high-intensity boot-camp style workouts split into resistance training or cardio training on a daily basis.

As the gyms operate as a franchise, each studio will be slightly different from the next. What makes this workout stand out is that no matter where you are in the world, whichever gym you’re working out at, the programme is the same for the day. Whether at your home studio in Hong Kong or taking a class in Japan, Korea, Thailand or Taiwan, you will be following Cory George’s demos for the day wherever you are.

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Orangetheory Fitness

 

Another cult fitness studio, Orangetheory Fitness marries technology with fitness. As class progresses, your data is displayed on screens across the room showing how many calories you are burning and what heart rate zone you are in. There is no room for slacking here. Each workout is a combination of cardio and strength training, so you know that after one hour of a butt-kicking set you can call it a day.

There are more than 1,000 studios the world over and in Asia you can find your studio in Singapore, Shanghai or Japan. We’re still waiting for it to open in Hong Kong, but until then we’re happy to catch a short flight over to give this one-hour workout a whizz.

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Gold’s Gym

 

If you are after a no-nonsense gym which you can go to across Asian cities, consider Gold’s Gym. This gym originated in 1965 in Venice, California and hasn’t looked back. The franchise chain considers itself a symbol of traditional Americana and is able to use the language of exercise to transcend cultures and language barriers. The gym offers traditional and digital personal training options in more than 20 countries, including Mongolia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

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Make a note of these gyms in Asia so that you don’t miss your endorphins while travelling across the region