Editorials 
Something for people who love when the script is hikarious and real!!!
You wouldn't find this drama topping chart or having fans build edits or swoon over romance.
But,
If you like reply 1988 for it reckless abandon with acting -- if you stories which are not the same themes rinse and repeat --- and if you like wholehearted tears while laughing.
This is the one for you.
It IS super common in k drama spaces to shut down any constructive commentary on any weight or health issues and when it is done - it is half baked and almost coated under being healthy.
This drama confronts with straight forward and it has themes which encompass health and mental health and familial wellbeing and most importantly found family themes.
It is truly well done because it shows real struggles in a very light but with gravitas. a very rare feat and remarkably done.
It is truly beautiful as you wouldn't know what to expect the next moment and when you do - you'll not be able to stop laughing.
Stick it out with the first episode, it gets better and better as you go on.
The characters are very nicely baked - do not change personalities in half season, there is no love triangle horribleness and it shows both the extremes and where the middle path is.
I love the actors and their struggles are very real but very entertaining.
I endorse it very much. Please watch it.
YOU'LL COME OUT SAYING - WHAT THE.....
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This review may contain spoilers
Give up on giving up!! Hilarious and refreshing drama
No spoiler summaryI found myself rewatching this drama while it was still airing that's how good it was. I enjoy how it is mainly a comedic drama with some romantic and serious aspects written in. The plot is not too heavy and is easy to understand. It does not contain too many tropes and when it does, it makes fun of them. It feels like the cast were having fun and doing a lot of ad libs. As a gym goer myself the way they played around with common "gym community" tropes was hilarious and how they explored different ways in which exercise can be the foundation to improving other aspects of your own life. "Ones body reflects ones life"
Spoiler area
The best parts come from Do Hyun Joong's arc from a typical gym bro who starts off being insufferable, making them do heavy reps until failure and forcing chicken breast upon them to someone who is able to understand people's mental wellbeing, guilty pleasures and that not everyone's life revolves around exercise. At the start he would bail on dates and refuse to eat cake just because it would ruin his gains but by the end, is able to appreciate his partners favourite foods even if they are high calories. The drama has romantic aspects woven throughout but they are mainly stopped by comedic timing which may throw a lot of people off who wanted a normal rom com. I have never seen a drama where the kiss happens in epsiode 11/12 but I didn't go into this drama with heavy romance expected as I had seen only funny clips of it at first.
Mi Ran's arc is great because she mainly exercises to escape from being unloved but is able to finally start to exercise because she wants to and to start loving herself more. For example she is often saying that manager Do believes in her more than she believes in herself. Then she is able to stand up without falling when the bus stops she realises how her body has been slowly changing even when she doesn't realise it. The turning point is when she realises she has just been exercising in order to get over her ex and takes a break to reflect on her own reasons.
A highlight episode is where both Hyun Joong and Mi Ran realise going all out and forcing willpower and can hurt one's lifestyle and maintaing a balance is key. This is where Mi Ran stops eating flour and starts hallucinating and going insane, even affecting her work life which is referencing many of the extreme diet culture that goes on in social media and various fad dients influencers are trying to push. Hyun Joong's moment is where he tries to look after the baby using only his strength and willpower and realises how difficult it is to be a mother with greater priorities than the gym.
The side characters are really great and each have their own side story which weaves their personal struggles with connection to the gym. Kang Seol's story was really sad but it did break the drama's flow which was comedic the majority of the time. They could also add to Alex's story as well as I wanted more from the short backstory they gave him. However these were introduced late and given the episode constraints it would shift the story too much away from Mi Ran and Hyun Joong.
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It's okay
The first episode wasn't great but I enjoyed the 2nd episode which even made me laugh. That is when the FL starts exercising and it is quite relatable. However, somewhere down the line, I stopped enjoying the show as much. Might have been around episode 5 or 6.There isn't much of a story here. Just the FL turning to exercise because of low self-esteem when it comes to love. I do appreciate them showing that the path to fitness isn't easy and your mood can also hinder your progress. To be honest, the characters are nice. But the show isn't that enjoyable. The male lead is also over the top so people find find that to be a big turn off. For me, it was just bearable because I was focusing on the female lead.
I enjoyed the character of the influencer. She added a nice touch to the story.
I like one of the main OSTsof this show - I Can't Stop This Feeling. It's quite nice.
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They tried too hard with the comedy, the plot was all over the place and really dragged, and it was kind of cringe. It was supposed to be a romance, but they barely touched on that it was a waste of time honestly
They tried too hard with the comedy, the plot was all over the place and really dragged, and it was kind of cringe. It was supposed to be a romance, but they barely touched on that it was a waste of time honestly
They tried too hard with the comedy, the plot was all over the place and really dragged, and it was kind of cringe. It was supposed to be a romance, but they barely touched on that it was a waste of time honestly
They tried too hard with the comedy, the plot was all over the place and really dragged, and it was kind of cringe. It was supposed to be a romance, but they barely touched on that it was a waste of time honestly
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DROPPED: a story that needed more romance and depth
by episode 7, I realized that I didn't want to waste my time on something that dragged on too slowly without adding any real story development.so, the idea itself is cool, and for the first 4 episodes I was with the characters, experiencing this story. but then everything was repetitive, and at every moment where there was a chance to add romance, there was something funny or even stupid. so I just quit knowing that the dramas that are coming out now are much more interesting, and wasting my time on them would be better than watching this.
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Made to make you laugh
this is such a good vibe to watch. its made for you to laugh at it hence the over-acting unrealistic expressions, like you're watching a cartoon or an anime. at first, i thought it would be really cringy, but i enjoyed it as the series goes. i also love that despite "losing" some of the characters, it wasnt as sad or as stressful as i thought it would be. another thing is, i couldnt imagine at first how JunYoung would act in a romcom, since he always play villain roles in the past kdramas that i have watched, but he is such a good actor!! love the ending as well. it was satisfying.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Most Entertaining Watch of this Year!!!
My Wednesday’s & Thursday’s are going to be so boring!When I started with this show, it didn’t enamour me. The storyline seemed slightly dry with excessive emphasis given to exercising. But with time, the characters slowly grew one, especially Do Hyeon Jung. He might seem like a dim witted guy who nothing except training his clients, but underneath he is a kind-hearted man who cares for one of his customers. He caters to their needs, prepares them training schedule according to their body needs and even if they themselves give up, he doesn’t. To me, exercising is a religion, and he is the fitness fanatic. His entire life revolves around his 24 Hrs Gym and its members. I liked how the show didn’t entirely focus on the romance between the main leads, it was subtle and unhinged; instead the storyline was focused on their individual struggles. It shaped them and their choices, but in a way it made the show so much more enchanting!
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/06/06/pump-up-the-healthy-love-series-review/#more-1871
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is not bad, but it's also nothing special
A rom-com set in a small, bit shabby gym and shows the struggles of its members and trainers. While the setting alone is interesting, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a romance. If you’re looking for a lighthearted comedy to watch, then go for it, but be aware that the romance starts towards the very end of the drama, really.When I read the plot summary, I honestly thought the FL would be severely overweight, like 100+ kg. So, I was surprised that that’s not the case; she just had a few additional kgs. That is to say, her transformation wasn’t as apparent as Alex’s for example.
The characters are quirky, sometimes even unhinged, but definitely likeable. The goodbye party in the last episode was so endearing - you can certainly grow attached to the gym squad.
The comedy was strong; I had a few moments where I really burst out laughing. However, sometimes the drama was trying too hard to be funny to the point I was cringing. What annoyed me the most tho, is that I still don’t know how much Hyeon Jung weighed when he was born. And the weird no-contact between FL and ML in the last episode. Do phones and Internet not exist anymore??
I liked the OST as well as the overall message of the drama. Overall, it was more of an average watch just to kill some time for me. I don’t think I will be rewatching it in the future.
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Exercise Everyday!
The story is about a man that are crazy about working out and meets a girl who only wants to eat but doesn't want to exercise until her boyfriend doesn't want to sleep with her because of her body. She mistakenly goes into 24-hour exercise club and gets trapped working out when going inside. Not only that, but she also has to pay to be in the club. That's how the story begins.Was this review helpful to you?
When Fitness Culture Meets Comedy”
Pump Up the Healthy Love is a comedic take on society’s obsession with the perfect body, calorie counting, and fat shaming in Asian culture. Watching it honestly reminded me of those fitness apps that calculate every last calorie you eat and guilt-trip you with reminders about how many grams you still need to burn. That constant pressure to be “perfect” is very much the vibe here.I won’t lie this drama can be triggering for some people, especially if you’ve dealt with body image issues. At the same time, I think it does a good job showing how deeply body shaming affects everyday life, often in ways we don’t even notice anymore because it’s so normalized. What I appreciated most is that it doesn’t just stop at fat shaming it also highlights how many people hide behind a “perfect” body, using it as armor while carrying insecurities no one ever sees.
It’s not an extremely deep or heavy drama, but that feels intentional. All the heavier topics are softened by comedy, which makes it easier to digest while still getting the point across. You laugh, but you also pause and think and honestly, that balance is what makes it work.
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This review may contain spoilers
"Pump Up The Healthy Love" is a fitness drama. Mi Ran doesn't have luck with love, she was basically dumped by her boyfriend because of her looks, so she decides to start working out to change her life. The person who helps her is the gym director, Hyeon Joong, a man who is obsessed with fitness and a total weirdo. These two, along with the other gym members, are the main characters in this story.
It was the first drama I watched that focused on a gym and I loved the way they developed this environment, it made it clear that the gym is not just a place for thin or muscular people, that exercising is not just for those who want to lose weight, but to get healthy, that the standard of beauty does not have to be the same for everyone, we are beautiful the way we are, self-love is the first step to healing.
The romance is not really the strong point of this drama. In fact, I didn't care if Mi Ran and Hyeon Joong became a couple or not. I didn't see much chemistry between them, so when they did become a couple, it was cute, but nothing really interesting.
The drama is light, funny and easy to watch, but something that ruined it a bit for me was the way they used CGI in some scenes, especially when it involved Hyeon Joong. Lee Jun Young is a very fit actor, but he doesn't have the body of a bodybuilder, so they just put his head on someone else's body. Why didn't the writers cast a more muscular man or even a real bodybuilder? It would have given the drama more credibility.
Yun Sung Bin's cameo was amazing <3
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A bit cringe but really funny
I don't want to give spoilers, but you need to watch after the 3th episode. The story is nice, sometimes looks a bit cringe, started from Mi Ran's life choice to change her body with sport and diet, but in true the storyline it's about people in the gym and their life's problems. ML characters acting really good and the story is always funny with a positive approach to problems and sometimes you can't not laugh all the time about how "Director Do" acts and solves all of them. What's a Fat!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
