Chen Shao-ren, a postgraduate student in the TKU Department of Electrical Engineering, possesses rippling biceps and pecks. He is a permanent fixture at the TKU Weights Room, where he can be seen, daily, wearing his professional weights gloves and pumping iron.

When asked of how he got started in weightlifting, he explains that it all started in his fourth year of undergraduate studies. He recalls how during exam periods, his friends would all be busy, and so he decided to try a sport that didn’t require teammates, like weightlifting. “In my last year of university, I received much fewer assignments and less homework, so I started to feel a bit bored in life. One day, I decided to give weights a try”.

His first trip to the weights room left him with a lasting impression: “I was so excited. There was a large range of gym equipment, so you never had to wait to use any of the machines and could exercise to your heart’s content.

Laughing, he commented that “by doing weights, not only do you get a stronger, more muscular body, but the chances of catching a cold or getting sick become smaller. Best of all, you can meet a lot of like-minded weightlifting enthusiasts”, and together, “challenge your personal limits”.