Lagree Fitness Arrives in HK
H-Kore is a new fitness studio in Central specialising in Lagree Fitness, a unique type of workout that's not offered anywhere else in Hong Kong. If you're not into gratuitous exercise, switch off now - it's pretty intense stuff. Invented by Sebastien Lagree, the technique stems from pilates but has since been turbo-charged into a tough 40-minute class. The workout takes place on a specially designed machine without any pauses between exercises, leaving you a panting wreck. Certainly not the time to take a business call.
HK’s First Tailor Made Cycling Studio
Spinning - you either love it or hate it. Frankly, exercise - you either love it or hate it - so those of you who find more solace in a Cadbury's Creme Egg than a calorie burn can switch off now. We're talking about Torq, Hong Kong's first "independent indoor cycling studio". It's a tailor made space for cycling work outs, so whether you're training for the Marathon des Sables or simply making the classic January 'change', they'll make you burn.
Ricky Hatton Hosting HK’s Biggest Ever Bout
Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton, one of the most lethal boxers of his generation, is the promoter behind 'The Road to Glory' - the most significant fight to ever take place in Hong Kong. Scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, the main event pairs together two of the scariest blokes you've ever seen in what is also the biggest bout in Asia since Tyson fought in Tokyo in 1990. The Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre is accustomed to slightly more sedate proceedings.
Learn Wing Chun from Ip Man’s Maestro
Wing Chun is the martial art made famous by Ip Man and now you can learn from one of his tutees at Pangea. Ip Man actually had four in-house students, three of whom have passed away but one remains, 79-year-old Grandmaster Chu Shong Ti. Diagnosed with terminal liver cancer two and half years ago, he was given eight months to live but rejected western medicine and continued to practise. The cancer has since shrunk dramatically - astounding doctors - and he still trains the masters from Pangea every week while also offering valuable seminars. We think he might be the Fifth Element.
On Chinese Vessel Called Big Boat II
It might sound crazy but the best fishing in Hong Kong is located off an oil rig in the South China Sea. Organised by Big Fish Boat, it's an experience that has to be on your HK bucket list. What's particularly appealing is that the shortest trip they offer is three days long, which means three days just with the boys. The only thing you need to be careful of is framing the trip appropriately to your missus, but perhaps a long, girly weekend in Shenzhen is just what she needs.
Comebacks are what sport's about. The euphoria of a team rising from the ashes to clinch victory is unmatcheable. It re-writes history, the crowd goes berserk and we’ve got the 10 best of all time.
Running Coach in your Pocket
Hong Kongers love to run and we've found a running coach that fits in your pocket. PEAR uses a wireless heart rate monitor and foot pod to deliver real time coaching. It's perfect if you've got a marathon round the corner, or if you have mummy issues and get off on someone barking in your ear.
HK’s First Indoor Skatepark
A few weeks ago Hong Kong opened its first indoor skatepark, a watershed moment for the city's skaters as well as all round aficionados of VANS footwear and baggy jeans showing a bit of bottom crack. Situated in Kwun Tong, it spreads over 3,000 square (hence it's location) and has been attracting rave reviews from disaffected sub-culture comrades since its recent launch. Expect a different crowd to Solas.
Guide to Get Through the Weekend
The Rugby 7s descend on Hong Kong this weekend, and if you haven't been before, just be aware that if you're not in a full body condom you'll leave feeling sodomised. You certainly won't be seeing your outfit again, but the most important thing to prepare is still your fancy dress. It's not only the starting point for most of your conversations, but the reaction you get is directly linked to your self esteem. You'll wake up on Monday feeling ashamed, guaranteed, so the better disguised and less recognisable you are, the swifter your recovery. Basically, go big and go bold.
Top Facilities in Kwun Tong
Play is a two floored snowsports and baseball centre in Kwun Tong with fake ski slopes, batting cages and equipment for sale. Hong Kong isn't renowned for its space, or its sports, so walking in puts a smile on your face, particularly because there's an irrelevant mini concert stage. The manager says it's to host events but we're pretty sure they had too much space and the HK consultants were stumped by the novelty.
Kung fu has survived for hundreds of years but the ancient form of martial arts has been trampled at the feet of ‘progress’. Bruce Lee tried to liberate the discipline but the curse on his family, the death of his son and his sudden heart attack tell the story of kung fu itself.
Win Festive Prizes from Pure
Pure, the Hong Kong wellness specialist, is offering a raft of prizes for the holiday season including a free 6-month contract. With Christmas around the corner and a copious amount of turkey, stuffing, grog and family tensions to bear - it could offer your blood pressure an essential escape route.
Official Training Bike for the Tour
Le Tour de France Indoor Cycle is the official training bike for the hallowed competition and you can get your hands on one for HK$18,000-25,000. That’s a lot of money but consider how nutty professional cyclists are in the first place. They sit on a tiny seat pedalling for hours, developing a body shape worthy of a biology experiment and take all manner of performance enhancing drugs. Now’s your chance to join them without the substances or elephant man side effects.
Biggest Climbing Centre in HK
It probably escaped your attention but back in August the biggest climbing centre in Hong Kong opened its doors in Sai Ying Pun. Da Verm is pretty hidden away - it isn’t a place you’ll just happen across - which is just as well because there can’t be too many walk-in climbers. If you think the human spider, Alain Robert, is the man - here’s the place to start living up to your idol.
Latest Garmin Sports Watch Heading to HK
Garmin’s latest athletic watch, the Forerunner® 910XT, arrives in Hong Kong in early December but in the meantime you can pre-order it from SportsWorld. Poignantly, despite being much chunkier, the last Garmin we wrote about sold better than the Tamagotchi so you can be sure the new, sleeker version will be just as popular despite its HK$3,700 price tag.
Live Supercar Show Coming to Macau
Top Marques Macau, ‘the only live supercar show in the world’, will be staged at The Venetian from Nov 24-27. Considering the circumstances, you could be looking at the dream weekend, beginning with a blackjack run of Rainman proportions. You'd then saunter over to the supercar show to make to rain it money on your dream Lamborghini before helicoptering back to Hong Kong. You'd sadly have to leave your new purchase behind as there's no bridge to drive it back just yet.
'11' The Beautiful Game
Few will be able to afford it but ‘11’ is the coolest football table in the world - and the most expensive. Priced at €48,500, it looks like a piece of art but it’s essentially an outrageous boys’ toy. We’re sure Joey and Chandler would have loved a kick about, though we’re not sure what the owner would make of it if a couple of their chicks were to get stuck inside.
Parkour is raw and dirty but the extreme sport is building an unlikely following in the luxury obsessed city of Hong Kong
HK Basketball Qualifiers to Play on Alcatraz
The ‘Red Bull King of the Rock’ basketball tournament is coming to Hong Kong with the local qualifiers scheduled for September 13. The winner will then take part in the tournament proper on Alcatraz, a.k.a The Rock - an incredible setting for a one-on-one basketball competition. The qualifier from Hong Kong will basically get to walk in the footsteps of some of America’s most notorious criminals as well as one of the most irritating actors of all time, Nicholas Cage.
Jet Powered Surfboard Makes Paddling a Dream
WaveJet's new surfboard features battery-powered water jets that propel you forward so you don’t have to waste all your time and energy paddling out to sea. You can also enjoy the satisfaction of cruising past your fellow surfers while expending minimal effort which is every bit as enjoyable as overtaking a friend on the motorway in third gear.
Chelsea, Villa & Blackburn Playing Tomorrow in HK
The Barclays Asia Tournament kicks off tomorrow at the Hong Kong Stadium with Chelsea, Aston Villa and Blackburn all in action. And Kitchee. They’re the champions of the 2010/11 Hong Kong First Division League, and though they must be aware of the potential for embarrassment, they must be very excited. Can you imagine sliding the ball off John Terry while breaking the philanderer's leg in two places, then nut-megging Cashley Cole in front of 40,000 people before sticking the ball in the back of the net? It's the stuff of dreams.
Race Formula Renaults in Front of 20,000 People
You can race Formula Renaults in front of 20,000 people at the Audi Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC). These speedsters can hit a top speed of 250km/h which is more than enough to turn your face into a blancmange and demand a precautionary nappy.
Indoor Paintballing in a Former Warehouse
You can go paintballing in a former warehouse in Kowloon Bay... and what could be more exhilarating than that? Out-skiing an avalanche comes close, as does the thought of banishing Sarah Palin to an eternity spinning in space like General Zod, but paintballing in 10,000 square feet with your friends sounds truly Olympian.
Legendary Tournament to Dominate HK
There are few places in the world you can throw a pint of piss on someone, and fewer still where they'll throw one back, but the Hong Kong 7s is one of them. Last year it was quite funny until it developed into an arms race based on mutually assured urine destruction. You can still remember the taste...
Ultimate Racing Console: VisionRacer VR3
The VisionRacer VR3 is perhaps the greatest racing console ever created, a toy that titillates as much as it terrifies. Picture the scene: your mate's just got hold of one of these puppies and he's tearing up Monza while you watch on - needing the toilet - because no one wants to look useless in front of their pals. Which means you need to get one before your mates do.
Rugby Descending on Repulse Bay
Beach based sport is characterised by tanned men with hair that wouldn't pass the thumbs-up-test at Morgan Stanley, holding some kind of floating object – but that's all set to change this weekend with the Beach 5s in Repulse Bay. The inaugural rugby tournament should be a feast of brute force, the perfect aphrodisiac for beer and a rampage round town.
Pheasant Shooting in Southern China
Throughout history, society has gone to considerable lengths to define where each of us stand from a socio-economic perspective. First it was easy; you were either clean or dirty, aptly summed up in ...
Asia's Best Bike Store
So your New Year's resolutions included exploring our city on two wheels. There are worse things to wish upon yourself; despite the city's reputation for skyscrapers and streets clogged like John Candy's arteries, it also has its fair share of bike paths and quiet roads offering hours of cycling enjoyment. But when you're whizzing along at God knows what speed, wouldn't it be good to feel safe in the knowledge that you didn't pick your your bike up from the back of a truck. In Shenzhen.
An Electric Bike That Folds Away
Let us guess, you didn't get what you really wanted for Christmas. You put on a brave face, kept the wrapping intact, and smiled with faux glee at the pair of anti-blood clot socks and the copy of Mao's mistress' sister's cook's memoirs.
