More Chinese go gym for fitness By Wu Yiyao in Shanghai 　 Membership of gyms by males and related book sales onthe rise A growing desire b...

More Chinese go gym for fitness

By Wu Yiyao in Shanghai

　Membership of gyms by males and related book sales onthe rise

A growing desire by men for "six-pack" abdominal muscles iscosting them time and money and expanding the market for thefitness and slimming industries in China.

Liang Zhongxin, a 27-year-old sales specialist at an electronicappliance supplier, paid 6,000 yuan ($952) for membership of afitness club last month. He said it would be a most worthwhileinvestment if he successfully achieves his goal of weight loss.

Young men exercisingon treadmills at an Impulse Total Fitness club in Weifang, Shandongprovince. In China, slimmer employees are favored in manyindustries while overweight workers might be labeled as lazy andnot trustworthy. In the past it was mainly women who were obsessedwith losing weight and shaping their figures but recently more menhave also got in on the act. [Photo/China Daily]

For Liang, 6,000 yuan is no small sum - his monthly income isaround 4,500 yuan.

Liang said he wants to lose 20 kilograms and regain confidenceand a positive self image. He weighs around 98 kg and is about 175centimeters tall.

Liang's boss warned him that being overweight may damage hiscareer prospects.

The salesman said he had noticed that in many industriesemployees with good figures were favored while overweight workersmight be labeled as lazy and not trustworthy, even though it wasunfair.

"In the past only women were obsessed with losing weight andshaping their figures but recently men have also got in on theact," he said.

The slimming and fitness industries in China now look to men asthey attach increasing importance to their weight and personalimage.

"Time changes and ideas change. When I was 40, a man with around belly was thought to be a successful businessman but now anoverweight man, despite his age, is considered to be inferior,"said Lu Qingtian, a 53-year-old senior manager with a garmentfactory.

China has more than 325 million people who are overweight oreven suffering from obesity. The figure may double in the next twodecades. With surging numbers of obese people, the total value ofthe fitness and slimming industries in China may reach 70 billionyuan, according to a report by China Youth Daily.

Sun Xiaoyang, a sales manager at a Shanghai-based gym chain,said in 2011 the company opened three branches in Shanghai. Eachrecruited some 300 members within just one week. The chain isplanning to open five more in 2012, said Sun.

Sun said he noticed an increasing number of men were joiningfitness clubs and spending hours on the equipment and doingaerobics.

"Some of them are trying to lose weight but most of them arealready well-built. They want to become more muscular," saidSun.

Sun said, unlike overweight women, obese men are too shy toexpose their figures in public.

"They tend to hire a private coach or they stop coming after twoor three visits," said Sun.

The price of annual membership for gyms ranges from 800 yuan to4,000 yuan depending on access to training courses andequipment.

Men's preference

"While women tend to buy the cheaper memberships and do onlyyoga and aerobics, men seem to be more inclined to spend money onequipment-assisted workout courses and even private coachingsessions - and they buy fitness products such as protein powdersand L-carnitine more," said Sun.

Hua Yangyang, a 27-year-old communications specialist, said hespends at least eight hours in the gym every week.

"I lost some 10 kilograms in 16 months. It's something that'snot worth boasting about compared with many other successful weightlosers but I do feel better and more confident when I have less fatand more muscles," said Hua.

Hua said he spends about 300 yuan every month on fitnessproducts including L-carnitine weight-loss pills, protein powderand meal-replacement diets, which help him to accelerate hismetabolism, build up muscles and reduce his appetite.

Hua said gyms have become social networks and people talk aboutthe brands of products they use, help one another on equipmentdrills and form competitive pairs to see who can achieve betterresults within a limited time.

Books, video programs and online coaching services for dietshave also experienced an expanding market in China, with manyspecifically targeting men who want to lose weight.

"The best-selling ones are about how to build up muscles and howto keep fit via exercises. Most of the books target male readerswho attach importance to quality of life," said Xu Juan, a shopassistant at a bookstore in the Huangpu district of Shanghai.

A 200-page imported book on diet aimed at men costs 187 yuan butbuyers said it worth the money.

"If it helps me to lose 5 kg, then the cost-efficiency hasexceeded that of those slimming creams my wife uses," said ZhuJinzhe, a reader who bought five books on male slimming oneafternoon in February.

David Kirchhoff, president and chief executive of WeightWatchers International Inc, a company that helps customers to tracktheir food intake through a points-based system and which holdsregular meetings, said the company is considering expanding inChina, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Despite the fact that online diet coaching services cost about200 yuan a month, Zhong Fei, a 36-year-old financial servicesprofessional, bought the service without any hesitation when afriend recommended it.

"I am also thinking of keeping a dog to lose more calories whenI walk it," said Zhong.

Some slimmers believe that losing weight has nothing to do witheating.

"I think all you need for weight-loss or slimming is a pair ofgood trainers so you can walk for an hour after dinner. I lost 15kgwithin nine months doing that," said Guo Shugang, a 65-year-oldretired engineer from Shanghai's Zhabei district.

"Just keep walking and there will be no fuss over theside-effects of pills or losing the fun of eating," said Guo.

The benefits are no medical bills for obesity-related diseasesand the wife's praise, said Guo.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

(Source: China Daily)