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Health & Fitness

Olympic Weightlifting & Powerlifting Gyms in Asia

A list of gyms for foreign weightlifters and powerlifters visiting Asia.

Eduard Fastovski

• 2 min read
Olympic Weightlifting & Powerlifting Gyms in Asia

Outside of elite university teams, you won't find many weightlifting clubs in Asia.

Powerlifting is also not a big sport in Asian countries that value staying lean over being strong.

I'm a digital nomad living in Asia and happen to be into strength sports. Here is my list of places I've trained at or plan to visit. I'm including:

  1. Olympic Weightlifting clubs or coaches
  2. Powerlifting clubs or coaches
  3. Gyms with platforms, bumper plates, or high-quality benches and barbells.

I'll add to this list if I discover more. If you know of a place I can add to the list, please contact me.

IronHive - Bangkok

A facility dedicated to the sports of weightlifting and powerlifting. This is not a CrossFit or bodybuilding gym.

This is one of the best gyms for casual weightlifters in Asia. They even have a competitive amateur weightlifting team.

It's located in the heart of Bangkok, near Sukhumvit road and some of the most touristy areas. It's easy to get to using the BTS Skytrain (Sukhumvit line).

Their instructors have all competed in their sports (one of the powerlifting coaches - Opor - is a IPF world champion), and all speak English.

BlackShips - Japan

Two gyms owned by the same company, both in the Tokyo region.

Blackships Choujin - Tokyo

Home gym of Toshiki Yamamoto. It's really a Crossfit facility with a strong focus on weightlifting.

BlackShips Tsurumi (Agito Weightlifting) - Yokohama

Just south of Tokyo is Yokohama, technically a different city but not really.

This club is also owned by Blackships, but it seems to be even more focused on weightlifting.

Watch Clarence Kennedy, Zack Telander, and Sika Strength train here on their Japan tour:

Tumaz Strong - Taiwan

I haven't been here yet, but I'm very excited to visit.

The head coach has great technique in Olympic weightlifting, but they also do a lot of Strongman-style training, such as Yoke carries and Atlas ball lifts.

What I found interesting about Taiwan is that they seem to have a good Strongman sport scene, with @SBDTaiwan organizing various amateur Strongman competitions with lots of weight classes and females competing.

District 13 - Malaysia

There seem to be plenty of good powerlifting gyms in Malaysia, but not many Weightlifting gyms.

District 13 is a huge CrossFit-style gym that offers classes in Olympic Wightlifting, amongst others such as functional training and calisthenics.

Venus Weightlifting - Shanghai, China

It's hard to get into the weightlifting scene in China. There are the camps organized by Ma Strength, but not many options for regular gym visits if you're already living/staying there.

One club in Shanghai that might be foreigner-friendly is Venus Weightlifting.

Their social media targets English speakers, and most of their content focuses on adult beginners or amateur athletes. This is rare in China.