Fitness and Health: Finding the Perfect Gym in Sai Ying Pun

Pumpin’ iron

If we’ve learned one thing around here, getting to the gym is less about location – our office is practically attached to a yoga studio that most of us do not frequent and at home many of us have (unused) gyms in our buildings – and more about finding a program that you actually want to go to. Of course, it helps if that program is conveniently located, so for those of us in and around Sai Ying Pun, we’ve rounded up a variety of options from free workouts in Sun Yat Sen to Crossfit on 3rd Street. Hopefully one will work for you!

Anytime Fitness is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although we’ve never felt the need to go to the gym when we are woken up by the kids at 3am, it is good to know that if we can’t get back to sleep, there is the option to work out!

They offer a free personal training session, world wide access, group classes and a 30-minute killer boot camp, so whether you want to do some solo weight or cardio machine work on your own schedule or take a scheduled group class, they have something for you.

How much: You can get a free day pass to check out the club. After that there is a $500 key charge (for the 24-hour access) and a 6-month membership is $650 per month and a year membership is $550.
Hours: While they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week they are staffed during certain times: Monday to Friday: 11am to 9pm, Saturday: 12pm-4pm, Sunday and Public Holidays: Unstaffed

Anytime Fitness HK, Andes Plaza, 323 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, 2812 9700, en.anytimefitness.hk

Ben & Jenny Yoga is a pay-as-you-wish yoga community with classes in Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, Tamar Park, Sheung Wan, Kennedy Town and Wan Chai depending on the day and class.

Classes range from beginner yoga to Ashtanga to calisthenics to arm balancing and inversions so we love them for the many options!

How much: You pay as you wish, seriously!

Ben & Jenny Yoga, check out Facebook for specific locations, 9494 8321, [email protected]

Crossfit is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking to go all out for an hour and actually get results then Crossfit Typhoon could be a great option.

Once you get past the initial soreness, it becomes thrilling to see how much stronger and faster you get each week. You can get started with the bootcamp or CrossFit Lite class, which doesn’t require the mandatory on boarding lessons that you need prior to going into a full Crossfit Workout of the Day (WOD).

If you haven’t worked out in a while, CrossFit is always committed to offering scaled options that can work for every level – think modified pushups, easier angles on dips, etc.

How much: After a free trial, drop in prices for bootcamp are $150 and CrossFit WODs are $250. You can also choose a monthly unlimited $2,600, 12 sessions to be used within 1 month $2,200, among other options.
Hours: Classes start at 6am through 8pm Monday through Friday and in the mornings starting at 9am on Saturday and Sunday.

CrossFit Typhoon, The Bunker, G/F, Fung Yat Building, 38-40 Third Street (enter around the corner), Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, 2858 8864, www.crossfittyphoon.com

We hate to gush but we can’t get over how amazing The November Project is. Every Wednesday in Sun Yat Sen Park, a group shows up for a free workout – their slogan is #justshowup. The 45-minute bootcamp workout starts at 7 and consists of a 7-minute warmup, 30-minute workout and a 7-minute cool down. You can shower in the swim centre and be right off to work or back to the kids before they even knew you were gone!

How much: Free!
Hours: Every Wednesday morning at 7am, rain or shine.

November Project, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, 16 Eastern Street North, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/NovemberProjectHongKong

The Warrior Academy offers a ton of options – Muay Thai for all levels, strength and conditioning and a recover and mobilise programme that include a variety of yoga classes.

You can opt for drop-in classes, unique group classes, structured group training programmes, personal training, online coaching and even the lifestyle consulting services.

We also love that the space has a coffee and health bar, The Elephas, which makes for an easy option if you want to get in a workout and then lunch with a friend on the weekends. They have everything from raw food to gluten-free options to beef salads.

Read more: Win a 2 Month Mentorship Course at the Warrior Academy

How much: After a free trial class, drop-ins are $250 per class and they offer a variety of class and month memberships.
Hours: Classes run from 6:15am until 8:30pm Monday through Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday and 9am to 11:30am on Sundays. Here is the full schedule.

Warrior Academy + The Elephas, 1/F Hong Kong Plaza, 188 Connaught Road West, Shek Tong Tsui, www.warrioracademyhk.com, www.theelephas.com

UTime Fitness is another 24-hour option for busy mamas with a 4,000-square foot, two floor space. It is above The Outdoor Café so you can grab a smoothie or cauliflower rice (our fave!) after you work out.

The studio has a great training area with TRX, ViPR, Trigger Point and Kettlebells. This is also right by the onramp to get to Sun Yat Sen Park, so we’ve often seen people go for a run and then hit the weights in UTime – perfect if you want to mix up your work out.

How much: Monthly memberships is $599 and the one-time processing fee is $499 and the key fob charge (for 24-hour access) is $150.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

UTime Fitness, 2/F and 3/F, 120 Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, 3956 8203, utimefitness.hk They have a second location in Happy Valley.

Although the website looks like the gym is intended for professional fighters, we can assure you that they have something for everyone!

Our mama friends love this place because of the variety of options – from boxing to cross lift to bear camp (Ursus’ version of bootcamp). You can have a ton of workouts all under the same roof. Getting fit and strong without getting bored? Yes, please!

Read moreThe Bump: Christiana Lewis of Ice ‘n Lean:

How much: Drop in classes are $250
Hours: Classes run throughout the day starting at 6:10am on weekdays and 8am on weekends. Here is the schedule.

Ursus Fitness, Unit 2-4, 64-68 Pok Fu Lam Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, 2803 2774, www.ursusfitness.com