THE GYM POD: A PRIVATE, PERSONALISED
AND PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE
My experience exercising in The Gym Pod, a small, private gym that is influencing Singapore's fitness scene.
By Luqman Mashren
Located at JTC Launchpad, the first ever Gym Pod comprises the essentials of a gym.
PHOTO CREDITS – LUQMAN MASHREN
Feeling unfit, you decide you want to start going to the gym, but you feel shy to work out in public gyms. You search for a gym where you can exercise alone without the presence of strangers. Then, you discover The Gym Pod.
The Gym Pod is a miniature private gym built inside a yellow shipping container. There are numerous Gym Pods located around Singapore.
From a running station to a strength station, inside each Gym Pod is almost everything that you expect when you go to a normal public gym, equipment-wise; the only exception is the amount of weights is rather limited compared to a public gym.
The Gym Pod was founded in 2018 with the first-ever Gym Pod built at JTC Launchpad. Since then, a total of 11 other Gym Pods have been set up.
The Gym Pod, just like any other business, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic impacted them in a good way.
Before the pandemic, their target market were people who want to work out but feel shy to go to public gyms, according to Mr Peter Lam, executive member of The Gym Pod.
Mr Lam says that their target market has “extended to people who are a little more health-conscious, because they want their own personal space due to COVID and health [concerns].”
“The demand is so high; if you open the app and try to book [a slot], you’re probably gonna have a tough time booking, because everybody is booking [their slots] so fast.”, says Mr Lam, on their current overwhelming success.
The Gym Pod’s popularity caught my attention and therefore, I decided to try it and decide whether it is worth going to, compared to public and home gyms.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to visit the public gym near my house almost weekly. During the circuit breaker period, I had to use a home gym in order to maintain my fitness. I liked the peace and privacy of exercising at home, but my home gym simply didn’t have the equipment that public gyms had, which is why I wanted to try out the Gym Pod.
Booking a session using The Gym Pod app was relatively easy and straightforward; the only difficulty I faced was finding an open and suitable time slot, as Mr Lam warned.
Upon reaching the Gym Pod, there was a smart-screen next to the door that scanned my body temperature, for safety purposes. Then, I scanned the Safe Entry QR-code using the Gym Pod app to verify my entrance to the Pod.
I had planned to start my session with a run using the treadmill, but upon entering the Pod, I noticed a smart-screen on the wall that provides many different types of workouts.
‘Quick HIIT’ is one of the pre-recorded beginner workouts formulated by The Gym Pod team, and is on display for users to try at The Gym Pod. The numbers under the names of the exercises indicate the duration of the exercise.
PHOTO CREDITS – LUQMAN MASHREN
These workouts are paired with pre-recorded video demonstration clips, which shows the user exactly how to do the exercise listed.
Personally, I find this feature to be quite useful as it saves time because I didn’t need to search online to find a workout to do.
“It just feels really good knowing that I'm alone and no one is judging me. I can do my own workouts at my own time and pace and play my own music [using the speaker] and basically do my own thing,” says Adriana Chong, 18, who is a gym beginner and is shy to go to a public gym.
However, the convenience and flexibility comes at a cost. Currently, their prices range from $5.50 to $9 for each 30-minute session.
For only half an hour, this may be considered expensive, compared to ActiveSG gyms which costs $1.50 for students, according to Dollars and Sense’ Gym Membership Cheatsheet.
Sulaiman Teo, 18, is a gym rat who claims the only thing preventing him from visiting The Gym Pod often is the price.
“I'm paying three times more [at The Gym Pod] than I am at ActiveSG, for a smaller duration.”
Personally, the price does not affect me. I feel that the overall experience of complete privacy while exercising with equipment found in normal gyms, as well as the extreme convenience, makes a session in The Gym Pod worth its cost.
I definitely recommend going to The Gym Pod, but only if you’re willing to pay a higher price to exercise in peace.