Originally used by Thai warriors on the battlefields in South East Asia, later by fighters in the boxing ring, Muay Thai – Thailand’s national sport – is today becoming increasingly popular around the world as a regular fitness activity for young and old! Offering students a multitude of different ways to train, Muay Thai is a perfect cardio workout and an ideal way to get into or stay in shape for people of all ages. If you’re not interested in fighting, no problem, you can still get the kick with Muay Thai!
It’s worth noting here that preparing before you arrive can make a big difference to your learning curve. If you can get started with your basic Muay Thai training at a good Muay Thai gym at home, (once or twice a week will do) then you can start right in when you arrive in Thailand and easily handle two daily sessions twice or even three times a week! As you may or may not know, but most if not all Muay Thai gyms here in Thailand train twice a day – mornings and afternoons. Many students that train solely for fitness and fun, begin with once daily and step up to twice daily as their general fitness improves. Just sayin!
So here are our top 4 training tips for general fitness, suitable for all and easy to get started with. And once you’re started, you’ll find it’s loads of fun, great to make new friends and just a little bit addictive. Within no time at all, you will find yourself back in the Muay Thai gym on a regular basis, losing weight, gaining strength and improving your conditioning – fast! So let’s get right into it…
1. Hit the Muay Thai gym regularly!
One of the most important aspects of training Muay Thai is that if practiced regularly, you can attain high levels of fitness fast, injury free and at a low cost. You will lose fat quickly, strengthen your body from head to toe and gain significant muscle definition within the first few weeks.
Once you get started, try to make it to the Muay Thai gym at least twice a week at first, then three times a week as you begin to get comfortable with the training. Training on the boxing bags is a great starter, for three to five rounds three times a week with a few technical exercises, shadow boxing and some strength training to round things off are an amazing way to increase your fitness levels quickly.
2. Improve your diet.
Stop counting calories, start improving the quality of your diet is a better way to reach your goals. Cut down on sugary foods, fatty or fried food and eliminate fast food if you can. Muay Thai is a high intensity sport that needs high quality fueling and french fries just don’t cut it! Increase your protein intake, eat lean meats and more fruit and vegetables, drink more water and less alcohol. Within weeks, the combination of your Muay Thai training and better diet will show results on the scales faster.
3. Work on your overall mobility.
Stretching, shadow boxing, skipping rope and Muay Thai classes will also be a great help in getting your body moving again, making joints, muscles and your knees, hips and shoulders more flexible and reducing stiffness. Once you are over the first hurdles, your body will quickly get accustomed to the work rate and loosen up. A good Thai massage once a week will also go a long way in helping your body keep up with the new training schedule, as will getting enough rest and sleep between training days.
4. Cardio vascular conditioning.
Muay Thai fighters are well known not just for their beautiful art or their technical skills but also for their outstanding endurance. Such is the training for general students too! Muay Thai classes will push you hard and as they do, will dramatically improve your cardio vascular conditioning. Within weeks you will see a big increase in your fitness level, a drop in your resting pulse rates, less fatigue and better breathing rhythm.
Get yourself checked out by a physician before you begin classes, set yourself a few reachable fitness goals and just get started. Easy goes to begin, use a pulse monitor if you wish. And log the results as you improve, it’s a great motivation too!
Looking to get fit and not such a big fan of the treadmill, fitness studio or tennis court? Then maybe a Muay Thai gym is a good option for you! Most people that come to Thailand and train with us do not have any desire to fight in the ring, but instead want to enjoy the paradise island of Koh Samui and learn Muay Thai for fitness. But beware! Once in full swing, most get 100% infected with the Muay Thai bug, spending more and more of their holiday time with training Muay Thai. If trying new things, meeting new people, pushing yourself a little harder but enjoying the fun in sport is your thing, Muay Thai is probably for you. You have been warned!
Whatever your age or current fitness level, Punch it Gym Koh Samui has a program suited to you. Currently running up to 5 classes daily, including 2 classes focused solely on beginners, Punch it Gym Koh Samui is one of the few Muay Thai gyms in Thailand with such a full training schedule.
If you visit our website, you will find all the information you need to book your Muay Thai training holiday with us – information about the Muay Thai Gym itself, about our training, five different accommodation types to choose from, information about our on site Healthy Cafe with a full menü and a great variety of healthy food and drink and lots, lots more. Just hit the links below and take a look around.
Welcome to our gym, join the family and experience the training of a lifetime at Punch it Muay Thai Gym Koh Samui!
