Every time I return to Asia I am reminded how vast this continent is compared to Europe or North America. Just to meet with clients you have to fly 4-5 hours from one capital to the other. In a day you can sometimes cover what would be a round trip from New York to LA. Today is one of those days from Singapore through Hong Kong to Taipei. That also means a mandatory CF rest day…
This endless continent is now springing up more and more CrossFit gyms. The tiny island of Singapore has more boxes than France. On the other hand, China’s count of CF gyms still stands at zero despite having dozens of Chinese cities with over 10 million people… It seems all fitness entrepreneurs here failed at math… This is despite the fact that Chinese globo gyms are doing a brisk business with membership rates in the stratosphere. One such gym with full weightlifting and gymnastics gear in central Beijing charges visitors $70 for a day of drop-ins. Affluent customers are not the issue in Asia especially for something that could be popularly labeled as an American fitness trend. With such a strong weightlifting, martial arts and gymnastic tradition in China, I don’t understand what keeps more boxes from popping up…
I did find a fellow American running a regular gym in Taiwan but with CF gear like pullup bars, kettlebells, Oly bars and the works, plus the passion and understanding on how to use them…
During the long flight I marvel at how Asian carriers like Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific refuse to succumb to the mediocre service of their US or European counterparts and still give us full smiles, great attention and awesome food that is distant memory for our airlines back home…
