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Using 12 when training I feel this effect too, that I'm getting stronger. And when I'm using 10 I have more energy left after padrounds.

A question I have been asking myself recently is about the necessity to stretch after running. I know some people stretch, while others don't (some say it could do more harm than good when it comes to sore muscles). For a few months I've been using the Active Isolated Stretching method (video here) but to be honest I don't run enough to be able to say that it works for me — I run 3 km each morning from Monday to Saturday, and my legs are fine! Any thoughts? Who streches after running? Who doesn't? Thank you!

i have not been stretching after running. i time my runs so that i jump right into class after the run. after wrapping my hands and changing clothes. i don't stretch much at all, which i feel is bad. how do you get more limber without stretching??? also, i gotta say, i have been running consistently for 35-40min before my thai class begins and i can honestly say that i have seen major improvements in my cardio during class. i am surprised at how much it has helped. i run at a snails pace but i run at a consistent pace for the entire time. I've only started running to prepare for my trip to thailand in a couple weeks. glad i did because i didnt expect it to improve me as much as it has.

I personally don't 'stretch' after running, meaning I dont do any static intentional stretching, but I do shadow box after as I run for a warm up most of the time. Which I suppose counts as dynamic stretching. I dont find static stretching to be of much benefit to me, I've been through months of doing it, and months of neglecting it completely and my flexibility remains pretty poor during both. Dynamic stretching I find useful at the start of a session to loosen up and get rid of the initial stiffness from sitting as a desk all day, but I don't think it necessarily improves my long term flexibility Hope that helps somewhat!

This is quite interesting, so many opinions out there on best gloves to hit pads with. Some friends tell me small, for training better accuracy, and so they feel closer to the gloves you fight in, so just 10s or 8s for girls. Other friends say heavier gloves train your arms better in keeping your guard up, but that might be an Eastern European thing rather than Thai, dunno. Sparring 16s for the boys. At my gym trainers even went and checked our gloves and if somebody had 14s they made them change and use the gym's spare 16s instead. And they were super serious about it.

@RB Coop I always feel this is the hardest part to deal with, how to manage injuries. You want to be responsible and so on, at the same time not risking that the trainer won't invest in you. Add some language barriers and it gets complicated I try to downplay any kind of injury but that's from a woman point of view. Some trainers are very traditional and think girls are much more sensitive so if I start talking about some issue it becomes a big deal. Anyhow in muay thai everybody is injured. If I were you I'd not mention it at first, try out the training, test your limits and how you can manage. Most likely your trainer will notice if you're in pain and if you need your asthma medication and will be able to determine whether you can fight or not regardless of you explaining your health issues or not. And probably you're not the first fighter with these issues he's trained. I've seen it many times where a newcomer arrives and directly goes to a trainer and explains everything about themselves and what they want and need and cannot do and the trainer is always like "yeah yeah" but my interpretation is what he's thinking is "let's first see you train". Just my two cents.

I don't have much more infos to add to what's already been said. Plus I've only stayed one week in Pattaya so my input is very limited. I was staying at the Royal Thai Residence and I ate outside everyday. Basically my eating routine was fruits for lunch and a meal consisting of rice and veggies for diner at a street food stall nearby the hotel. That evening meal cost me about 50 bath. The fruits I'd buy them in the morning before training at a market near Jomtien Beach. If I remember well I would buy for around 100/150 baht of fruits and it would last me two days or so. I'd also buy cheap snacks from convenience store sometimes; and coconuts everytime I see them. I think one whole coconut costs around 50 baht. As for water you can buy a bottle for cheap (10 or 15 baht I don't remember) and when it's empty just fill it back up for 1baht at the many "water providers thingies" you can find everywhere outside. It's cheaper to do this than buying packs. All in all, I think I was spending around 150 baht on food/water everyday. I guess you could do less if you don't snack at all. I told Kevin the more time you spend at the gym the less money you spend on food (or otherwise) so there's a tip if you want to save money. You could also try fasting every other day like Sylvie and Kevin. Hahaha.