"At the step class, he started out at the back, but now he's moved forward. For the cardio class, he knows he's a pro at it, so he'll be all the way at the front."
Fifteen years on, the gym - like the rest of Kingston and, indeed, all of Jamaica - is now Bolt's manor. He is king.
Not since Bob Marley has one person done as much to improve the Caribbean island's global reputation and its people are clearly grateful.
That can be seen in the sea of gold and green that adorns the stands whenever Bolt steps on to an athletics track and it will be in abundance today (New Zealand time) when 30,000 people fill the National Stadium to pay tribute to him at a "Salute to a Legend" meeting that will mark his final run on home soil before impending retirement.
Bolt is a nation's hero. But, away from the public arena, there is a paradox at play.
"People in Jamaica, we love him so much," says Soyini Phillips, the gym's front desk manager. "But it's like a 'yardie' thing - people respect him but they don't go crazy over him. It becomes normal to us. When he comes in here, we all know it's Usain Bolt, but we allow him to work out. He's so cool with everybody."
Just a couple of miles from the gym - past the stray goats and colourful roadside shacks selling fruit and vegetables - it is a similar story at the restaurant bearing Bolt's name.
Located in a soulless Kingston food court, Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records is a homage to the country's favourite son.
A gaudy sports bar serving a mix of local fare and generic international cuisine, the restaurant does not so much pay tribute to the sprinter as ram his every accolade down your throat.
His record-breaking performances play on video loop at each table, a Bolt voice-over invites you "into my yard" and a shop peddles everything from replica Jamaica running shirts to a Bolt-endorsed razor - "Feel like a champion".
Yet even here, in a gauche, Las Vegas-style world of make-believe divinity, the man in question adopts no airs and graces.
"He's like a friend," says waitress Dajah Dodd. "There is a VIP bit but he mixes himself with the locals and doesn't think he's better than anyone else. He's just a regular guy and everyone loves him because of that. And he's fast."
Those legs do not turn as quickly as they once did though and, despite protests from his coach, retirement is on the horizon after the world championships in London this August.
It was little surprise to hear Jamaican sports minister Olivia Grange plead with him to rethink his retirement plans this week, before suggesting he "settle down, start a family and make some
little Bolts".
Like so many others, Grange was quick to acclaim not only Bolt's achievements on the track, but his manner away from it.
"He is just a special human being," she said. "He has a dynamic personality and he is awesome in how he performs and yet so humble. It is almost as if he is above everything else, but his feet are firmly planted on the ground."
As they do every time their hometown hero runs, the inhabitants of Sherwood Content will gather in the middle of the village, among the free-roaming cows, and watch Bolt's final Jamaican race on an outdoor screen.
Around 110km from Kingston, his old teachers will tell tales of how they helped to set him on the path to greatness and, just as importantly, keep him humble.
To millions worldwide, Bolt is the ultimate showman. But as Ming insists, to those who come across him: "He is just a normal person."
The men fighting to replace Usain Bolt
Justin Gatlin
United States, 35
100m PB: 9.74s
200m PB: 19.57s
A former Olympic and world champion, Gatlin topped the 100m world rankings last year but it is hard to see him getting any quicker.
Andre de Grasse
Canada, 22
100m PB: 9.91s
200m PB: 19.80s
De Grasse has only ever been beaten by Gatlin and Bolt at major championships and has already claimed world and Olympic medals.
Yohan Blake
Jamaica, 27
100m PB: 9.69s
200m PB: 19.26s
Injuries meant Blake barely ran between the London and Rio Olympics, but he bounced back to take fourth in 9.93s in Brazil.
Trayvon Bromell
United States, 21
100m PB: 9.84s
200m PB: 20.03s
Bromell has run 9.84s in both of the past two seasons, but picked up what appears to be a serious injury at Rio 2016.
Akani Simbine
South Africa, 23
100m PB: 9.89s
200m PB: 19.95s
The world university champion continues to improve every year and has run under 10s five times already in 2017.
