#circuit25

There are people who like to work out alone (to them, the gym is not a social place nor a place to be seen) and then there are others still who like the motivational (and perhaps even slightly competitive) aspect of group training.

We love inspirational stories, and more than that, getting the chance to meet the voices behind them. It’s always the same good stuff you hear about and admire in these go-getters: strength, determination, willpower, and of course, patience. Proving that results really do happen over time if you set your mind to something, we met with Jeremy Lieberman; businessman by day, and fitness enthusiast...well, always! For him, Circuit25 quickly evolved from a mere curiosity to become a passion, a lifestyle—so much so, in fact, that when its original owner left the city, he asked Jeremy to carry the torch.

We’ll let him tell you more!

Hi Jeremy! Please tell us about yourself and how you got involved with Circuit25.

I came to Hong Kong 10 years ago a very unfit, unhealthy, 300-pound, cigarette-smoking, modern lifestyle-living person. When I started to get healthy I discovered Circuit25. Although I am in the restaurant business as a full-time career, I had become a great supporter of Circuit25 and became friendly with the founder, a gentleman named Davide Butson. Davide is a world-class triathlete; he is also a professional photographer, a graphic designer, and instructor; he was operating Circuit25 and I became one of "our" regular members. A couple of years ago, Davide relocated to New York and he asked me—based on my enthusiasm for our brand and our concept—to take over the management. What was your reaction? Thrilled! Because I was and still remain convinced that one of the future business opportunities lies in fitness, and there are a lot of things that I love about the Circuit25 model. I was very humbled to pick up the torch and carry it forward. What are your responsibilities now as the owner? Well, if you include the classes that I attend, I probably spend 8-10 hours a week in total in gauging Circuit25 business and fitness. For me, it's a part-time responsibility but it's a full-time commitment.

Do you have anyone else helping you? I manage the business side and I work hand in hand with a group of 4 or 5 of our regular trainers. Did you personally select the trainers? I inherited about half of them and the other half I've developed since I've taken over the brand. What IS Circuit25? Circuit25 is an outdoor group fitness experience. We have classes that range in size from 3 or 4 members up to 18 to 20 members depending on the time of year, the location, and the time of day. We have hour-long fitness classes that are full-body, outdoor, motivational group experiences. We focus 25 minutes on cardio and core, and we focus 25 minutes on strength training and stretching.

(Note: We realize that only adds up to 50 minutes, but they leave a bit of cushion time for everyone to arrive, get settled, and warm up!)

How did you discover it? Living in Hong Kong, I had seen some of the marketing material. The outdoor part of the workout really appealed to me; I went to my free trial on a Saturday afternoon and it was such a hard workout that I went home and fell asleep for 6 hours. I was unfit at the time but I was really touched by how the other members encouraged me to give it my best. And on my very first workout I knew that it was the kind of challenge that I needed to work on to be able to keep up with the team.

What kind of client base do you have coming through? We are a fitness experience that is geared to accommodate people of all fitness levels. When Circuit25 was first envisioned, it was a reaction to the CrossFit phenomenon, which is known for being super hardcore. And Davide wanted to be able to have a fitness group that anyone could join and be able to progress their ability. So, our members range from the unfit who want to become fit right through to people who have recently completed the New York Marathon; we have members that have just finished a 10k run around Angkor Wat; we have rugby players; we have fitness enthusiasts of all levels. We are a racially and culturally diverse team—we have local Hong Kong people, we have overseas Chinese people, members from Europe, from North America—from different parts of Asia! Generally, the youngest regular members are in their early 20s, although sometimes on the weekends our members who are parents will bring their children who will join the workout. I'm bringing up the rear end in my early 50s and several members are in their late 40s or early 50s. We tend to be 60% female, although there are classes that are overwhelmingly female sometimes. Somehow the boot camp phenomenon, as it's commonly understood, seems to appeal more to females. And that's a myth that I hope to continue to break down. I really find outdoor circuit training is appropriate for both sexes, and all ages. How long has Circuit25 been around for? We are 5 years old. It took about that long for Circuit25 to evolve from a small group that Davide was working out with/guiding to become a more gelled, organized structure.

Do you always meet in Vic Park? No, we also have regular classes on Bowen Road in the Midlevels as well as a popular class in Kowloon Park that's held in the mornings 3 days a week. Is this the only type of exercise you do? I work out with a PT once or twice a week too—and I surf! Working in the F&B industry, is it hard to remain disciplined with all the delicious food you are constantly surrounded by? The hardest thing I do is control my eating—and actually I don't do it well. I never have a hard time convincing myself to come to a workout but I have a really hard time being surrounded by good food; I have a hard time making good eating decisions. I'm much more disciplined when it comes to fitness than eating. And I'd like to think that my heavy fitness schedule compensates for my bad eating decisions/ideas.

We know how you feel, Jeremy! And we salute you for staying disciplined and maintaining your motivation—enough to accept taking over the business—all these years! Keep up the good work, and we hope to see you out on the concrete soon.

Come on, Cruisers! It’s for everyone, which means you!