The Wordsmith

Level Up is the newest, biggest, mostest fitness hang-out by Kenny Sia in town. Every single blogger in Kuching got invited to sample what Kenny had in store for Kuching gym buffs one sunny Sunday. Yours truly, by virtue of owning a low-key, seldom-updated blog and a more active website, elbowed herself an invite from Kenny. I’d never met Kenny before Level Up come up on my radar; I just knew of his blog fame. He turned out to be a very pleasant guy with a nice smile.

My appointment said 12 noon. Having just popped out of a plane the night before, I stumbled in at 11am for two main reasons:

1. Another engagement at noon.
2. Because of 1., I chose to suck in the aura and calm of Level Up-ness (or whatever you call it) before other bloggers came storming in. I wanted an unadulterated take on the place.

The downside was, I didn’t get to be in the blogger group photo. The upside: I got a more personal, quiet feel to the place.

First off, the place is huge. It takes up a significant chunk of the Everise Building (10,000 square feet, to be exact), behind HSBC and opposite Travillion in Kuching.  There are three storeys of gym equipment, weights, cardio machines and group fitness rooms for gym-thusiasts to play around with.

I walked in through the front door, passed the turnstiles and stood in the middle of weight room. The equipment are so new, they almost sparkled. There’s a pleasant feel to it. One or two early bird  members were already at it. Second floor –  perfectly aligned treadmills and cross-trainers stood at attention in front of four plasma wide-screen TVs. Members can hook up wireless headphones to get personalized volume control from whatever’s showing.

Upstairs were two group-fitness rooms and the management office. The main room is humongous, with an impressive sound system. Pump it up loud enough and you could easily shock people into an intensified cardiovascular state. At the moment, classes include yoga, pilates, Body Pump and Body Combat; the last two with instructors from KL.

Next door is a smaller room, for possible spinning classes in the near future.

Level Up is the manifestation of Kenny’s dream and took two years in the making. Kenny intends for it to be a gym for the every-man/woman. It’s objectives are to be affordable, conveniently located, and with enough machines for everyone anytime.

So, with such an impressive giant, what does that mean for numerous other gyms in town? My personal opinion? Well, a lull in membership for the others is to be expected, but plenty of Kuching folks gym-hop a fair bit anyway. I’d say that Level Up would be a great and convenient choice for people who work in town; and for those who are looking for a standard, affordable workout. Most other gyms are scattered around Kuching. They will have their own loyal following, if they take note of establishing relationships with their clients. In general, people tend to gym-hop when:

• The new place is more convenient
• The new place is cheaper
• They never really liked their old gym in the first place
• They are unhappy with the direction their current gym is going
• Their old gym doesn’t maintain their equipment
• The new gym has better trainers and group fitness instructors

On the other side of the coin, people tend to stay loyal to their old gyms when:

• They have established a relationship with personnel and personalities at their old gym
• They derive a great amount of value from their old gym. This could be mental, physical, spiritual and of course financial values. It’s usually a combination. I’ve been at the same gym for nine years. No plans for shipping out yet. You gotta ask why.
• It’s convenient. My office is within walking distance to my gym. In a traffic jam, I still get to the gym in 10 minutes. How much more convenient can it get?
• The old gym has better trainers and group fitness instructors

On and off (more on than off), I’ve been a gym buff for about 20 years. I have developed rather clear reasons why I stay or move on from a gym. So Kenny, you’ve made a good head start. The next steps are maintenance and sustainability. Keep on levelling up!

Clockwise from top left: The Level Up reception area; Juice Up is the drinks and juice bar; Kenny Sia, the man whose dream and vision came to be; a view of the ladies’ locker room.