Fitness fans: The Leisure & Cultural Services Department's workout facilities have been gaining popularity.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department's fitness rooms have been gaining popularity since the department streamlined the pre-use instruction process in May last year.

The department introduced a three-hour briefing session for people who want to register as fitness-room users, replacing the old induction course and Fitness Gold Card test in May last year.

Attendance in the seven months since May registered increases of 12% to 35% when compared with corresponding months in 2005. Attendance in January stood at 134,000, about 46% above that for the same month in 2006.

The three-hour briefing on proper ways to use fitness equipment was developed with the support of the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong.

Briefing details

The free briefing includes a lecture, demonstrations, a practical session and an assessment test. Those who pass the test become eligible to register as fitness-room users.

The fitness room's admission fee is $17. Frequent users can pay $180 for a monthly ticket which entitles them to unlimited use of designated fitness rooms.

The department runs 65 fitness rooms throughout Hong Kong. They have exercise bikes, treadmills, steppers, rowing machines and weight-training equipment.

The briefings are open to people aged 15 and above. Interested users can enrol at the department's District Leisure Services Offices or any recreation and sports venues with Leisure Link Services. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.