These gym pods could give traditional ones a run for their money

Everybody gets a little self-conscious in the gym. There are the gym rats with muscles exploding out of their tank tops, and then there are the mirrors on practically every surface of the place to remind you that you do not, in fact, have muscles exploding out of your tank top. If you want your self-esteem thoroughly challenged, this is where you should be.

Damian Chow is deeply aware of such trials and tribulations. His self-consciousness would also go into overdrive whenever he would step into a public gym. However, instead of avoiding crowds altogether, Chow has built a gym of his own – a more private one at that.

The perfect gym needs to appeal to regular and irregular clients alike. As such, Chow had extensive conversations with everyone, from gym enthusiasts and busy office workers to former athletes and people who just want to feel less awful about that cheeseburger they had for dinner.

Here’s what he found: aside from privacy, gym goers want guaranteed slots or space, adequate equipment, and convenient locations – preferably near their homes or workplaces. With these criteria in mind, Chow went to work.

In June 2018, Chow’s vision came to fruition. He started The Gym Pod, a chain of all-in-one gyms that are housed inside shipping containers. The gym itself is accessible 24 hours a day, and it is outfitted with a treadmill, a dumbell rack, an Olympic EZ bar (for curl exercises), as well as a Smith machine (for weight training).

All users have to do is to book their desired time slots (of 30 minutes each) via the Gym Pod app, show up at the appointed time, key in their designated PIN, and start exercising.

And since the container can only fit up to three users at any one time, you can either work out alone by booking the entire pod for yourself or with friends you’re already comfortable with – no more gym insecurities.

The Gym Pod is not Chow’s first venture. He used to run a website development firm with a friend as well as an ecommerce software platform called Paywhere, which was later acquired by a company based in the Philippines. But like every other venture he’s been involved in, spending is always a top concern. To keep the numbers in check, Chow made several decisions to ensure that business costs stay low.