An In- Depth Guide to Fitness in Bangkok. Disclaimer: The article below includes partner links. I receive a financial compensation from people clicking on them. This happens at no cost to you and helps me cover some of the expenses of running this website. Staying fit in Bangkok isn’t easy. Liquid calories come in many forms, and with significantly more holidays than months in a year, there always seems to be a good reason to imbibe them. Even if you set out to stay in shape, the city puts up quite a fight to keep you at your desk, on your bar stool and in your bed. Last time there was a census on green space in the city, the report opted to count traffic islands and roundabouts in order to make the number slightly less depressing. Limited park opening hours, scorching hot weather during the day and long commutes add to the challenge of finding the time and space to commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle in the city. Not all hope is lost though. The good fight is being fought by 2. Whether you just want to maintain your fitness routine during a short stay in Bangkok or are looking for a feasible way to transform your lifestyle, this guide shows you what options are available. While it’s impossible to cover all neighborhoods and activities in the city, I picked out options for a range of budgets, interests and locations that should provide you with a good starting point. Where available, I linked to more specialized websites that contain a lot more in- depth details for specific sports. Free Fitness Options. Even though Thailand is a lot cheaper than many European and North American countries for a great many things, fitness often does not seem to be one of them. Monthly memberships in popular gyms frequently surpass what I would pay back home in Germany. Every so often though, there are budget options and real bargains to be had. If you don’t mind putting up with a bit of a commute, you can get access to top class facilities – some for free and some for about USD 1. Parks. While Bangkok doesn’t have a lot of parks, there are a few options that allow for decent workouts, especially before 7am or after 5pm (that is, if you don’t mind the national- anthem- standing- still interruption at 6pm sharp). Parks open as early as 4. A lot of parks offer running tracks (see below for recommended loops), some even allow cycling (not a given). Larger parks tend to have free workout equipment, though it’s more geared towards people trying to maintain mobility, rather than those who are looking for weight lifting or cardio workouts. The open air aerobics classes you see throughout Bangkok’s parks every evening from around 5pm onwards are a great budget alternative to subscription- based gyms. It can be a bit intimidating to join these classes as the only foreigner, but Gaby Domain wrote down her own account which makes it seem a little less scary. Sometimes local supermarkets also have an aerobics meetup. Less eye- and ear- catching are Tai Chi groups meeting in the morning, as well as various other groups in the evening – including a ballroom dancing group that meets at night in Lumpini park (which features the biggest selection of free open air classes). Most of the activities you can discover by going for a stroll at the right time through the park – cardio activities are usually in the evening, while everything focused on mobility, flexibility and spiritual well- being in any form is more of a 5am to 7am activity. University Facilities. Some universities offer sports and fitness centers that are available for use free of charge. The most prominent is the Chulalongkorn University Sports Complex which is located near MRT Sam Yan. Especially if you’re staying a bit outside the city center, checking with your local university to see if there are any facilities you can use (either free or at a low fee) is a worth a shot. Meetups. On meetup.
Most meetups tend to charge a small fee or request donations in the range of THB 1. THB 2. 00 and are a way of exploring activities like beach volleyball or yoga. It’s a good way to meet some people, get a regular workout and discover new parts of the city. There are also some entirely free ones. Bangkok Runners is one of the biggest ones. Of course, you can also start your own group, which is now easier than ever. Posting a message on the Thaivisa Sports, Hobbies & Activities forum, or in one of the popular expat groups on Facebook (e. Bangkok Expats, Thailand Expatriates DMK, Bangkok & Expats Forum) can quickly find you exercise partners and teammates. Home Sweet Home. A lot of apartment buildings in Bangkok offer fitness facilities that can be used free of charge by the residents. Usually those are of similar quality to what you find at a hotel gym: some dumbbells, resistance training machines, as well as some cardio machines. You can check out my guide to renting in Bangkok for some help on finding a place that offers fitness facilities. If your place doesn’t have a gym, one of your friends might have access to one at their building and can take you along. Lots of people would love to have a workout partner to keep them accountable (plus, it’s more fun). Ask around on Facebook and you might be surprised who’s up for regular non- boozing activity. If all else fails, there are also You. Tube workout programs that require little to no equipment. Friends of mine swear by the fitness workouts from Shelly Dose, Scooby the . Other workouts include Yoga with Adriene and Do Yoga With Me, which the subscribers at /r/Fitness recommend. Youth Centers. Technically not free, but at THB 4. Youth Centers are among the best fitness deals you can find in Bangkok. In spite of the name, they’re open to anyone, locals and foreigners alike. Main reasons for people not using them more are fewer locations, shorter opening hours, a stricter dress code and a more extensive sign- up process when compared to commercial gyms. LEANDER EMPACHER BOATS FOR SALE. All Empacher aluminium wing riggers Heavyweight mens 4- (2009) £12000 Heavyweight mens 4-/4x (2010)- £13000 Womens/lwt men 4-/4x.To keep the pipeline moving for space exploration concepts, NASA regularly entertains pitches via its NIAC program. For a concept to receive final approval and. Sign- Up Requirements. A copy of your passport. Medical certificate issued by any hospital or clinic (in order to use the pool)Membership fee (THB 4. THB 2. 0 if you’re younger than 2. Speedos are your friend. I wonder if the place is receiving subsidies from one of the European embassies. Lumpini Youth Center. The Lumpini Youth Center in Lumpini Park is the cheapest air conditioned, centrally located workout option in the city. It’s also one of the newest ones only having been completed in recent years. Opening Hours. Monday to Friday: From 7am (pool), 8am (gym) till 7. Saturday, Sunday: 8am to 5. Holidays: Same as Saturday, Sunday (gym) or closed (pool)Khlong Toei Youth Center. The Khlong Toei Youth Centre has a swimming pool in Benjasiri Park that’s open from 1. For every time slot you’re present, you have to pay THB 1. THB 3. 0). Sometimes there are school classes there. You probably want to avoid the 6pm time slot since it gets super busy. Yearly fees, sign- up requirements and dress code are similar to the Thailand Youth Center at Lumpini park (see above). Thai- Japanese Youth Center. The Thai- Japanese Youth Center is another THB 4. Even though its location half- way between Victory Monument and Central Rama 9 is a bit out of the way from public transport, it makes up for it in facilities: a well- equipped gym, an Olympic- sized pool, squash courts and a stadium with a football field that has a running track looping around it. Unlike its more basic counter parts in Lumpini and Benjasiri Park, the facilities at the Thai- Japanese Youth Center actually exceed what’s provided at a lot of commercial gyms and sports clubs (see below). While some of the equipment is a bit older, the place offers a comprehensive set of training facilities. The fastest way to get there is probably a motorcycle taxi from the Rama 9 subway station or the Victory Monument skytrain station. Gyms and Sports Clubs. Bangkok’s gyms and sports club tend to fall into different segments. The sports clubs tend to be more exclusive, though prices start from what you would pay for one of all the mall gyms. On the cardio front, things are pretty straight forward. Don’t do anything that hurts. It’s not cheap, but still a lot better than risking serious injury. Once you got the hang of it, you can train on your own. Pumping Iron and Doing Some Cardio. Good for doing free weight workouts or using some cardio machines, these are a decent upgrade over your own building’s or hotel’s facilities. There will be plenty of treadmills, elliptical machines, barbells, dumbbells, squat racks and similar equipment. Indoor gyms usually come with showers and lockers and are often located in townhouses near residential areas. The cheaper options will be without air condition or even outdoors (. These kind of gyms also make up the majority of places that offer day passes (see below for a complete list). Monthly prices tend to be between THB 7. THB 2,0. 00. The easiest way to find a gym in this category is to ask the local motorcycle taxis in your street for . In addition, you can check the day pass gym listing below. Most of them fall into this category. There are a few budget chains like Fitness 7 and Tony’s (which offers an amazing deal on a yearly membership), but most of them are single- branch gyms. Attending Classes and Enjoying the Juice Bar. A step up are the chain fitness studios you’ll find throughout the city in nearly every mall and a number of office buildings. Their main draw is usually a wealth of trainer- led classes (Bodycombat is particularly popular at the moment) and a slightly more upscale workout area. In terms of equipment, they are usually on par or even nicer with what you would expect to find back home. There’s a sliding scale in terms of prices, crowds and facilities. Yearly memberships start from around THB 2,0. Few of them offer memberships for time periods of less than 5 months. If you are able to commit for longer than a year, rates drop to less than THB 1,5. Exceptions are 3 to 3. The 3- day periods you can always get on their website. After studying French cuisine Jess followed a career as a head chef in New Zealand and Australia. Although fulfilling Jess found herself living an unhealthy lifestyle and subsequently made a series of major lifestyle changes that resulted in personal transformation and a change of career into health and fitness. Following significant study and practical work, Jess started her fitness career with outdoor fitness bootcamps which she still runs twice a week and joined the team at One Fitness in July 2. Drawing on her own experiences, Jess.
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