Lifting in China -- A Tale of Frustration

Many of you know that I have been an active powerlifter for the past few years. Although for many powerlifting appears to just be a lot of testosterone-rich men trying to pump up their frail egos with iron, it has become a life-changing activity for me -- a way for me not only to reduce my stomach but also to rejuvenate my body so that I feel much better physically than I did five years ago.

So, when we arrived in China, one of my priorities was to find a gym at which I could continue my powerlifting. As it turned out, there was a new gym opening across from the university, a gym that had new equipment and much of what I needed. So, after receiving assurances they would get more plates (they had about 400lbs total for the gym) and some better bars, we signed up for a year, costing about $15 a month. Not bad.

I also should note that lifting styles in the US and China vary drastically. While the weight room in China is still frequented mainly by young men intent on improving their physique, their idea of how to accomplish that is much different. Their focus is on controlled lifting, which means low weight and high reps. Those few who want to develop power are hindered by their genetics. Most of the young men have minimal muscle mass in their chest, which is demonstrated by the fact that I have only seen about five of them attempt to bench press two plates (135lbs) or more. So, the requests I made were primarily for me since the extra equipment was not really going to benefit most of the lifters.

It took a couple of weeks, but (to my delight) they made good on their promises doubling the plates and the dumbbells and adding a good deadlift bar. Everything seemed great. Then, one day when I was deadlifting, I was approached by a businessman in a dress shirt and tie. Now, the gym is located on the third floor, which could be a concern with heavy weights except for the fact that most construction in China is concrete. Well, the businessman proceeded to tell me -- in broken English -- that the weights were hitting the floor so hard that the people working below were scared the ceiling would collapse. He then asked if I could maybe lift less weight. For a powerlifter, that suggestion goes against every concept we have of lifting. So, I sat down with the manager and told him that if I couldn't lift heavy weights, I wanted a refund. He assured me that he would take care of the situation if I could just take a break from deadlift for a week. I agreed, and in a week he had brought in extra rubber mats for padding. All was good -- I thought.

A few weeks later, while working out, a middle-aged lady burst into the gym shouting and wildly gesticulating. I gathered that she was upset. It turned out that someone had dropped some weights (not me) and she was bent on making sure it never happened again. It turns out that she was the landlady and that she had several bouts like this some directed at a colleague of mine. My basic thought was, "You rented out the space to a gym. What do you expect?" But I was pretty sure logic like that would have limited effect. So, she was given assurances, signs about not dropping weights were put up, and extra padding was added to the floor. All was good.

Except that it wasn't. She got angry again, so the gym purchased large pads for deadlift that would silence any weight noise, and they were very effective. And they added extra padding beneath the rubber mats on the floor. Now, I should mention here, most of the noise came from people dropping plates or dumbbells into the floor. Most of the lifters in China have never been taught basic lifting courtesies such as replacing weights where you got them and not dropping weights. So, the problem was finally solved...right? Well, I thought it was. I could live with the situation. But, I'm guessing at the landlord's insistence, the gym removed all six 55lb plates and all but two of the 45lb plates.

Now, I am just about in the same situation I was at the beginning where there just aren't enough plates to go around when I want to deadlift. As I look at this next year, it looks like it's time to find a gym that is a bit more friendly to powerlifters -- if such a facility exists.