Exercising with Zhang Linghe? Pilates studios in Singapore attract students with creative move

Some pilates studios in Singapore are now creating a fangirl's paradise within their spaces.

The concept? If you're going to suffer through a plank, you might as well do it with your celebrity crush staring back at you.

The trend began in China, with netizens saying that it motivates them during their pilates sessions.

Singapore studios like E-Five Pilates have adopted the creative move, promoting their trial sessions on Xiaohongshu.

"Zhang Linghe on Monday, Wang Yibo on Tuesday, Eddie Peng on Wednesday. Seven days a week, a different handsome guy helps to train my core every day!" said the studio in a recent post.

The studio's reformer machines are lined with mats bearing the faces of Chinese heartthrobs such as Linghe — who's been stealing hearts in recent hit C-drama Pursuit of Jade —, The Untamed's Xiao Zhan and Romance in the Alley's Wang Anyu.

In an interview with 8days, a representative from E-Five Pilates said that the trial will run at their West Coast outlet for a week before moving to their other branches in Woodlands, Lavender and East Coast.

Blue Pilates at Sunshine Plaza is also holding trial classes using the same concept, and has a poster of Blackpink's Jennie plastered on the wall for good measure.

If the studio you go to doesn't have such "incentives" for a workout, similar mats can easily be found on the Chinese e-commerce app Taobao.

You might just find a celebrity of your choice to motivate you too.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com