With the health and fitness industry functioning at an all-time high in Hong Kong, it’s no surprise that one of the darlings of the bunch, spinning, remains a crowd favourite in a thriving sea of workout trends.
Thankfully, enthusiasts of the indoor cycling movement such as Margaret Kao have created safe, fun, and personable spaces like TORQ Cycle where—pardon the pun—they have taken a more hands-on approach to the individual workout, really concentrating on the growth and development of each body that takes a seat on one of their bikes.
Hi Margaret! Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm Taiwanese, but I grew up in New Zealand. I went to Duke University in the U.S. where I studied Psychology, Chemistry and Japanese—I was pre-med, so after I graduated I was at Harvard for a year and then I transferred to Columbia. It was then that I decided to change careers from medicine to finance. When I was in New York, I worked for a venture capital firm for nanotechnology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals...and then in 2007 I decided to come out to Hong Kong because my family's business has always been in Asia.
When and how did you first discover spinning?
It was in the U.S. just before 2005—I used to do it in New York at my gym. There was a famous instructor there so I decided to try it one day and I really enjoyed it. I also had a PT at the time; I was into getting healthy and fit while trying to keep up with my studies and work. New York City is very health-conscious, there’s a strong fitness community there.
Were you always into fitness yourself?
No. In high school, I was always studying! Then when I went to Duke, it just so happened that most of my friends were athletes—it’s a very athletic school. And because after that I went into health care, it just naturally developed.
What made you decide to open Torq?
I was a member at a mass market gym and I just felt like for the price you were paying, you weren't getting good customer service and quality. So I opened Torq about 3 years ago because I wanted to create a boutique studio which I believe at that time was missing in Hong Kong; where customers could pay as you go and in packages, not locked into 1-2 year memberships. A place where we care about our customers and what we provide: great classes, great facilities, and great instructors.
What were some of the major challenges you first faced when you opened the studio?
There's been a lot of competition because Hong Kong is small—Central is small. Thankfully, we've done very well and have been able to create our own community. Another challenge is trying to convert people who already have 1-2 year memberships to join boutique studios. And of course, rent is high!
How do you differentiate yourselves from other independent studios?
Some people will just do spinning with us because our quality is better—we are different because we combine functional training with indoor cycling whereas other gyms don't provide that. We track all of your performances on your profile. We track your speed, your power, calories burned, and it's synced with your profile—we email you your data after you take a class. We also stream the data in front of the class so there's a competitive element as well. It gives you an extra edge, a push to perform better in class.
What if some people find that intimidating?
You have the option to take yourself off the board, but most people are focused on their own fitness so it’s not an issue. It's also a good teaching tool for the instructors.
How often do you spin a week?
3-4 times a week. When I first opened I spun every day. Now I integrate yoga or Pilates into my workout because my muscles were getting tight and I wanted more of a balance.
What are some rewards of the job that you’ve experienced?
Being a part of the entrepreneurial community and creating the brand and the company in Hong Kong that wasn't there before. Creating an indoor cycling fitness community and an amazing team as well. Our instructors are the best, they've been doing this for 10-15 years. High quality. Also seeing results in our customers, seeing how hard they work in class, getting feedback after class. We've helped a lot of people lose weight or meet their fitness goals, and we have the results to prove it.
Just out of curiosity, how much spinning would it take before one might begin to notice significant results?
About 3 months of training plus a healthy diet. Spinning 4-5 times a week. It takes a lot of dedication—we have some people coming in for doubles!
You seem very disciplined all around. Any guilty pleasures, cheat eats?
I'm lucky that I don't like sweet foods but I love salty foods—salt and vinegar chips! The saltier, the sour-er the better. I'm not a big pasta/bread person but I like rice. Sushi with rice is another thing I enjoy, but I’ll try and substitute that with brown rice and quinoa.
TORQ Cycle is conveniently located on the 26th floor of 9 Li Yuen Street East, just off of Queen’s Road Central. For a complete schedule of classes and more information on the benefits of cycling, visit their website.
