HKU B ACTIVE REVIEW:
GYMMER'S PARADISE
Brandon Lee
If I were to use one word to describe my first impression of HKU Active (the gym on the third floor of Jockey Club Tower in Centennial Campus), the word is “disappointment”. What shocked me the most was there wasn’t even the “essential equipment” – barbells, squatting racks and bench press racks. Instead, it was full of machines I’ve never used and will never use. Not to mention, instead of the traditional weights, the machines use “hydraulic weight”, which is not only hard to use, but also insufficient for strength training.
Soon after, I was introduced to the gym in Stanley Ho. It was better than Active. It had proper equipment and actual weights. Just one thing though, it was way too far from campus. In order for me to get to the Stanley Ho gym from campus, I had to commute for half an hour. In half an hour, I can watch two episodes of The Office. I didn’t want to waste my time like that.
In dismay, I had to accept the sad reality. #Ripgainz.
However, that all changed on the February 17th, 2021.
After the Hong Kong government lifted some social distancing measures, gyms could finally reopen. As usual, I went to the CSE website to book a time for the gym session. Though I was delighted that I could finally get back to the gym grind, I was still unsatisfied with the lack of options HKU provided. Then, I saw a name I’ve never seen before: HKU B-Active. A new gym? I thought. Out of curiosity, I clicked the link to see some photos of this new gym.
It had barbells. It had squatting racks and bench press racks. It was right next to the HKU MTR B1 exit. Is this a dream come true? I immediately signed up for the earliest time for the next day and forced myself to fall asleep.
The next morning, I woke up with anticipation and went to the HKU B-Active. In fact, I went there 5 minutes before the opening time. Making me, the very first person to step inside this newly made gym.
I toured the facility as soon as I got in. And I have to say, I was impressed. Two aerobic exercise areas and a spacious resistance training with both free weight zone and machine zone. They even had Eliko weights (the Gucci of gym equipment) and Rogue racks (the Louis Vuitton of gym equipment). It was much better than I expected. In fact, it was one of the best gyms I’ve ever trained in.
That morning gym session was one of the most intense sessions I’ve had. Although I wasn’t able to go to gym for the past two and a half months, I renewed my bench press personal record. It must be the Eliko weights, I thought.
Here is my verdict on the gym. If you enjoy working out or are planning to start working out, then this is the place to go. It has the best equipment and location an HKU student can ask for. In my personal opinion, it is better than most of the external gyms. So, if you are deciding whether or not to sign up for an external gym, I’d suggest you go check out the B-Active. I promise it will not disappoint you.
Of course, there are still some cons. The biggest con is that you have to sign up beforehand if you want to use the gym. Also, although there are racks, they don’t have a lot of them, meaning that you might have to do your squats or bench press with another person. Nonetheless, I believe the pros outweigh the cons. If you are interested about HKU B-Active, there are links to its introduction video and the sign-up link at the end of the article.
First semester gym life was rather disappointing for me. I had to deal with unfamiliar equipment and a long distance. However, after the opening of HKU B-Active, I can confidently say that all the “gainz” I lost will soon be back. And lastly, to my fellow HKU gymmers, train hard, work hard, and grind hard!