From Shenzhen to San Diego: The Machine That Helped Me Build My American Dream

When I left China for the U.S. in 2016, all I had was a student visa, two suitcases, and a whole lot of hope.

I was 27, single, and obsessed with strength training.

Not the Instagram-influencer kind of obsession. I mean the kind where you memorize squat angles and cry when you hit a plateau. 

Training was how I stayed sane in college, how I found my people, and, later, how I started my life in a country that didn’t always feel like home.

My gym became my first community

I couldn’t afford much back then. Rented a room in El Cajon. Picked up weekend gigs fixing treadmills and setting up racks. 

But my evenings were sacred—I trained at a small local gym owned by a grumpy but kind guy named Rick who called me “leg guy” because, well, I skipped upper body more than I should admit.

Fast-forward a few years. I’d saved up, married the love of my life, and opened my own micro-gym—a 700-square-foot space behind a Vietnamese bakery. 

We catered to “serious but humble” lifters. People like me. People starting over.

But something was missing in our setup.

Traditional squats? Too risky for half my clients

A lot of our members were older. Some recovering from surgeries. A few, like me, had a herniated disc from their twenties and didn’t want to go back to pain.

Barbell back squats were out. Leg presses were okay, but bulky. Goblet squats didn’t load heavy enough. And I’d tried building a DIY belt squat… it wobbled. A lot.

I needed a machine that was:

• Safe on the spine
• Compact (we didn’t have space for a Pit Shark)
• Affordable for a scrappy gym owner
• Reliable enough to survive 3–5 sessions a day
• Made for people who actually train, not just pose

I almost bought one from Titan. Almost.

But you know what stopped me? It felt... mass-produced. Like buying something from a warehouse, not from a brand that actually gets why this stuff matters.

Then I saw the name: Ntaifitness

Now here’s the twist. I knew Ntaifitness. Back when I was still in Shenzhen, I used to walk past their HQ on my way to the bus. 

Their machines were in some of the better training centers in southern China.

I remember thinking then: “These guys are for real.” You could tell from the build, the polish, the mechanics. There was pride in their metal.

So seeing them pop up online in an American gym equipment search? It felt like seeing a piece of home—but better. More evolved. Ready for the U.S. market.

I ordered the ONEUP-3301 Belt Squat that week.

It showed up 5 weeks later. Heavy. Solid. Beautiful.

I still remember opening the crate with my wife. We joked it was like unboxing a Transformer.

• The frame? Thick powder-coated steel, no cheap welds.
• The motion? Smooth linear guides that felt like commercial-grade machines.
• Setup? Took me 2 hours solo with a wrench and a playlist.
• The belt? Actually comfortable. No weird pinching or slippage.
• The footprint? Way smaller than anything else I compared.

And when I used it the first time, it was like my spine sighed in relief.

I could squat heavy again. I could coach my 58-year-old client with a hip replacement. I could have my 130lb wife use it right after me with one pin adjustment. 

No more fear, no more guesswork.

This wasn’t just a machine. It was a turning point.

We doubled our membership that year. People came because we offered something different—something safer, smarter. They stayed because we cared.

And honestly? That belt squat changed the energy in our gym.

People stopped skipping leg day.

They lined up to load plates.

I started getting DMs from other gym owners: “Yo, where’d you get that?”

I’d just send them the link. And a thumbs-up emoji.

Because Ntaifitness didn’t just deliver a machine. They delivered a solution. 

One built with purpose, not just parts.

If you're building something—maybe even your own dream

You don’t need fancy branding or influencer hype. You need tools that respect your hustle.

If you're like me—someone trying to build a better life, a better gym, a better experience for your community—you might want to look beyond the usual brands. 

You might want to look here.

No promises. But if it worked for me, 7,000 miles from where I started, maybe it’ll work for you too.