Category Archives: Movement

movement is life. Many of us don’t move enough and it’s killing us. Here you can find articles that motivate, inspire and teach movement.

Guide to Bangkok parks for sport and fitness

Posted on by
4

Weight lifting in Lumphini Park outdoor gym

For somewhere often described as a concrete jungle, Bangkok has a fair amount of parks and open spaces which are very lively and perfect for relaxing and keeping fit. They do get pretty hot though, so make sure you stay well hydrated and take sun cream.

Aerobics class in Lumphini Park, Bangkok

Many people don’t like training in busy air-conditioned gyms, and running through the streets of Bangkok is pretty tough given the uneven terrain, potholes and pollution issues. This makes finding a Bangkok park with shaded areas, fresh(er) air, nice surroundings and like-minded people a popular option. Take a visit to one of these parks and you’ll see people jogging, doing Tai Chi, yoga, rowing, weight lifting, cycling, aerobics and much more.

Below is a list of the best central Bangkok parks with nearest Skytrain and MRT stations so you can find them easily. These are not the only ones though – there are hundreds of parks and open spaces that can be used for physical activity all over the city.

To view and find all these parks check out our Bangkok Fitness Map

Lumphini Park    Saladaeng BTS, Lumphini or Silom MRT

Lumphini Park is one of Bangkok’s most famous and well-known parks, and is probably the best all-round park for health and fitness activities. This huge space is located between Sukhumvit and Silom, making it perfectly located for many expats.

Tai Chi in Lumphinin Park

The first thing you’ll notice if you come via the skytrain in the evening will be the huge aerobics class which has a few hundred people dancing along to irritating dance music. The Thais really get into it and it makes quite a surreal setting with the business district and skytrain in the background.The path that runs around the outside is 2.56km long and it’s very popular amongst runners, with a few running events being held here each year. There is a large lake in the middle and small rowing boats can be hired for a nominal fee.

Popular tai chi and yoga classes add to the relaxing ambience and are held in the mornings and evenings. Boot camps are held by Total Body Training a few times a week and are a popular way for expats to train hard and meet people.

There is also a swimming pool in the park, although you’ll need a health certificate to register and use it, which costs 100-200 baht and pretty much just involves a doctor checking that you have a heart beat. Next to the pool is an indoor sports centre with basketball, badminton etc available. In this corner of the park you’ll also find an outdoor gym which is popular with pumped up Thais who are about thrice the size of the national average.

As well as all this, look around and you’ll see people playing badminton, frisbee catch etc. All in all, my favourite park in Bangkok (opens 4.30am).

Benjakiti Park    Asoke BTS, Queen Sirikit Convention Centre MRT (open 05.00 – 20.00)

Benjakiti Park, Bangkok

No-one seems to know the name of this park, so it’s often described as ‘the one near Asoke’. Another of my favourite parks, Benjakiti has a smooth 1.8km oval track that runs around the lake in the middle of the park. It’s not as shaded as Lumphini, but with a backdrop of lit-up skyscrapers it makes a great evening run. There is also a dedicated cycle track that runs on the outside of the main path, making it popular amongst cyclists. Bikes can be hired for 30 odd baht.

Small paddle boats can be hired and the wooded piers on the side of the lake are often used for Thai aerobics or keep fit classes. There is also a skateboarding ramp and even a Buddhist meditation centre if you’re feeling stressed out.

Benjakiti Park lake in the evenings

If you’re running, you can incorporate the tobacco factory next to the park into your run. It makes for an interesting running experience, as long as you don’t mind the smell of tobacco!

Benjasiri Park    Phrom Phong BTS, Sukhumvit MRT (open 05.00 – 21.00)

Situated right next to Emporium shopping centre between sois 22 and 24 on Sukhumvit road, Benjasiri is small compared to the above two parks but is pretty well equipped with a path around the outside for running and badminton courts, takraw and a basketball court. A superb location but sometimes the drains around the park omit an unpleasant smell, which isn’t what you need when you’re gasping for breath.

Benjasiri park

The area at the front is often full with people doing tai chi or aerobics, and Total Body Training runs a boot camp there at 6.30-7.30am on Wednesdays.

If you’re recording your runs, the path around the outside of Benjasiri park is approximately 0.75km long.

Chatuchak Park    Morchit BTS, Chatuchak MRT (open 4.30 – 21.00)

Also known as Rot Fai or Railway Park, Chatuchak park is conveniently located right next to the above stations, and is right next to the world-famous Chatuchak weekend market. There are not so many sport specific facilities in Chatuchak park but Queen Sirikit park that runs alongside it has a great sports area with futsal, tennis and basketball courts.

Chatuchak park

There is a reasonably well equipped ‘spit-and-sawdust’ style gym in the park on the opposite side to the skytrain. It’s often full of Thai bodybuilders, although despite their intimidating frames they are a friendly and welcoming bunch.

The outside path around Chatuchak park is approximately 3km long.

Sanam Luang    Near Khaosan Road

Sanam Luang is walking distance to Khaosan road and the Grand Palace. It’s a lively park with many people strolling, running, flying kites and playing football in the evenings. There are occasionally political rallies held here and at night many homeless people camp out.

Santhiphap Park    Victory Monument BTS (open 05.00 – 21.00)

Get off the skytrain at exit 4, then turn right at Victory Monument and continue walking for about 5 minutes. Santhiphap park has a lot going on, much of it music-related but it’s also a nice area to relax and train and there aren’t many other parks in the immediate area.

King Rama IX Park    On Nut BTS then taxi (open 05.00 – 19.00)

Situated on Sukhumvit 103 King Rama 9 Park is the furthest from the centre of all the parks we’ve mentioned but also the largest, with the outside path loop measuring 4.8km. This make it good for running if you’re bored with running short loops over and over.

King Rama 9 Park

It’s a huge, well-kept park with a lush botanical garden zone, making it the perfect place for relaxation and exercise.

There is also a purpose-built sports zone called ‘Sanam Rat’ which I’m yet to check out. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s used the facilities here.

Chuvit Garden    Nana BTS

Chuvit Garden is a small park between Sukhumvit sois 8 and 10. It has no specific areas for sport but it’s very well-kept and makes quite a pleasant place to jog round or get a break from the craziness surrounding you. Much better sporting and keep fit options at the nearby Benjasiri or Benjakiti parks though.

Phra Sumen Fort & Santichaiprakan Park    Near Khaosan Road (open 05.00 – 22.00)

Not so much sport and fitness stuff goes on here, but in the evenings there are a lot of street performers and artists, and it makes a great place to watch the sunset over the river. Popular amongst locals and travellers.

Phra Sumen Fort, Banglamphu, Bangkok

Get Outside!

That’s loads of green places to visit, so if you’re feeling a bit claustrophobic in this hectic city or you need some fresh air, get outside to one of them, take a deep breath and enjoy!

BASE is indoors but has a calisthenics frame for bodyweight exercise.

Kettlebells in Bangkok

Posted on by
Reply

People have been kettlebell training for 100s of years

If you’ve been doing the same machine or free weights routine for years and have found that your progress and results have plateued, then perhaps it’s time to try something new. When the body gets used to working in a certain way development and growth grinds to a halt. The best way to push through this plateau is to ‘shock’ the body into doing something that it’s not used to, so it’s forced to develop.

One of the best ways to do this is by using ballistic training exercises which require explosive strength, speed, balance, co-ordination, grip strength, flexibilty and CV fitness, testing your body in a way that’s hard to do with standard weights.

One great way to do this is with the use of kettlebells. Kettlebells consist of what looks like a cannonball with a handle attached to it. Whilst it may just look like a fancy dumbell to some people, it’s this shape that allows you to execute many of the compound exercises that engage and work the whole body. When I did my first intense kettlebell workout I could hardly move for days, something that I hadn’t felt with standard weight training in years!

Kettlebells for sport

Ever feel like bench pressing and bicep curling is improving your strength but not really improving your performance in your chosen sport? Training your body with large compound movements mimics the way that you’ll be tested on the pitch or court – by hitting the whole body. Check out this example, the kettlebell clean and press:

Kettlebells for weight loss

A solid kettlebell workout will burn shed-loads of calories during the session. Better still, while your body recovers from the workout in the following days your metabolism will be working overtime, making kettlebells an awesome tool for weight loss.

Versatile

Kettlebells are a versatile piece of kit that, as well as large dynamic movements like the one above, can also used for curls, squats and lunges. You can even use the handles as press up stands or use them as weight to make ab exercises harder.

Cheap, convenient and long-lasting

They come in different sizes, typically 4-40kg

Compared to other pieces of gym equipment, kettlebells are pretty cost-effective, costing around 1,000THB/30USD each. Kettlebells are made of solid iron, so unless you’re doing something mental that goes horribly wrong, they should last a lifetime. Kettlebells can also provide very intense workouts, making them perfect for people with time restraints who want to cram in a workout.

Kettlebell training in Bangkok

Despite a recent explosion in popularity over the last few years in the US and Europe you won’t find many kettlebells in Thai gyms, especially the chains such as True Fitness and California Wow. However, some studios have made kettlebells a big part of their training. One such place is Total Body Training on Sukhumvit 49 near Thong Lor. They utilize their  range of kettlebells to put on group classes and they also play a big part of their personal training.

Purchasing kettlebells in Bangkok

Kettlebells are a little hard to come by in the city but can be purchased from Thailand Kettlebells which is over the river in Thonburi.

Kettlebells for tone and shape

Selecting the correct kettlebell weight

Kettlebells generally come in 4kg increments (4,8,12,16 etc) and the starting weight for a beginner is 8kg from women, 16kg for men. This weight should be about right for swings and squats, but will have to be adjusted for harder exercises. Form and technique is important for kettlebells so don’t try and lift heavy weights until you’re comfortable with your form. As always, build your weight up slowly.

The Turkish Get Up (TGU)

One of my favourite kettlebell exercises is the Turkish Get Up. It takes a little while to get used to but it’s a fantastic exercise that works the upper body, lower body, core – everything! Here’s a great example of a TGU being performed at a kettlebell seminar, with a bit of a twist!


Getting Started

Below are a few routines that demonstrate some of the trademark kettlebell exercises to get you started. There are many more on YouTube and, as cliched as it sounds, the only limit to what you can do with kettlebells is your imagination.

Some well-know kettlebell instructors who you may wish to Google and find on YouTube: Anthony Diluglio, Gray Cook & Brett Jones, Steve Cotter, Pavel Tsatsouline.

Good luck everyone, and let me know how you get on with them!

Why weight training for women will NOT lead to excessive bulk and size

Posted on by
3

One of the main objections I hear for women not wanting to weight train is the fear of waking up one morning to find they look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in drag.

This is one of the most misguided myths regarding weight training and means that many women are missing out on the massive benefits that resistance training brings.

The main reason that women won’t pack on the muscle is because of the lack of hormones that are needed for large muscle growth. Women have on average 10-20 times less of the hormones that are conducive to muscle growth, such as testosterone.

One reason for this common misconception is the bronzed and oiled young ladies that you see on the covers of bodybuilding mags, such as the three pictured below. The reason for their Gladiator-esque physiques are:

  1. They train many hours a day and are professional bodybuilders, pushing themselves extremely hard to overload their muscles in a way that someone who trains normal amounts cannot do
  2. They are often use performance enhancing drugs, such as steroids, which raise the levels of these muscle-producing hormones to unnatural levels
  3. They eat huge amounts of the foods and supplements that are designed for bodybuilders and muscle growth

      

What weight training and muscle strength brings is NOT huge muscles, but the ‘tone’ that is so commonly desired – and with “I want to tone up” being one of the primary goals for almost anyone that trains you cannot afford to neglect this essential part of working out.

So, don’t be scared to push those weights HARD – you will not wake up one morning, look in the mirror and think ‘Jesus, I’m huge!’

Now that we’ve touched on the reasons you won’t end up looking like Rocky’s sparring partner, lets look at the massive benefits that pumping iron brings (in order of how important it is to the average female gym-goer):

1. You will gain muscle and boost metabolism

Building and maintaining lean muscle requires energy, so after resistance training your body will be burning MORE calories when you’ve finished exercising and you’ve collapsed on the sofa, or you’re asleep in bed. 1lb of lean muscle burns around 50 calories more per day, which really adds up.

2. You will become stronger without bulking

We’ve already explained why you won’t become huge, but you will become stronger which lessens the chance of injuries and strains, increases sport performance, increases vitality etc, with the added bonus of body tone and improved body shape!

3. It increases bone strength and density

Resistance and weight training stimulates osteoblast activity in the bones which builds strong and healthy bones and spine. Women are at an increased risk of osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) as they get older, so this is especially important if you want to grow old with grace, strength and independence.

4. Posture improvement and heightened attractiveness

If the muscles in the body are strong and flexible then they will give more support to the skeleton and your posture will be improved. This improved posture, body tone and shape, strong skeleton and lessened chance of disease will give you an overall ‘glow’ that will make you more attractive to the opposite sex. A bold claim, you might think, but very true.

6. Reduced risk of many diseases and ailments

The list of diseases and injuries you’re less likely to get is huge. In addition to a reduced risk of getting heart disease or diabetes, a stronger body will make back pain far less likely to have trouble from lower back pain, recent studies showing an 80% success rate in elimination. Stronger joints and bones reduce other strains and pains in the body that are brought on from inactivity.

7. It will improve your self-confidence, fights depression and adds to an overall feeling of wellbeing

Adding weights to your program will make you feel confident, healthy and happier. A Harvard study even found that 10 weeks of strength training for women was far more effective than standard counselling or drugs.

8. It’s never too late to start!

Women in their 70s+ can feel the benefits of light weight training. You’re never too old.

   

I’ll leave you with this: another study from from the YMCA in America has shown that the average woman in their first 2 months of strength training will:

LOSE 3.5lb of body fat and GAIN 2lb of muscle  =  less body fat %, more toned body, weight loss & higher metabolism

Hopefully these numerous benefits will be enough to inspire you and motivate you to include weight training as part of your program.

Good luck!