Jump to content

Running in Thai gyms


Recommended Posts

Hello all,

 

I'm looking for input/advice especially from those training in Thailand regarding running. When I research gyms in Thailand most seem to have a running regime of 30-60 miles a week and therefore I've been attempting to build up to this for quite some time but it's lead to constant injuries and has become a huge source of frustration. I want to continue attempting to build my mileage because I don't doubt the benefits but I'd also like to get in a gym and be able to train.

 

I'm sure I'm not the first to bump into this barrier to entry of sorts and I'd be interested to hear about your own experiences with the running culture of various gyms.

 

 

  • Nak Muay 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I just spent nearly a year training at Petchrungruang in Pattaya where, even though the fighters run everyday, they liked, to at least offer, the foreigners a 10km run 3x a week. Running wasn’t mandatory at all though if you wanted to fight they did want you to run. Personally I struggled slightly with the impact on my knees but I did get used to it, I just had to struggle through. I found that the early morning runs were a great way to interact with the more serious trainers at the gym. Petchrungruang was really good and for awhile, after a fight, when I physically couldn’t run, offered me the option of cycling which still gave me the benefits of the early morning run. Personally I think any gym that sees you want to make the effort of getting up at 4am to run but understands that sometimes you just physically can’t, is a gym worth going to, though it may take trial and error to find this gym, and this fit, that works for you 

  • Like 1
  • Gamma 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, TeepKwaa said:

I'm sure I'm not the first to bump into this barrier to entry of sorts and I'd be interested to hear about your own experiences with the running culture of various gyms.

 

Are you wondering: Will I have to run? Or, looking for a gym which doesn't push you to run, or will accept running less? What are your major concerns?

- It's cool that you are getting your miles up in advance

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

 

Are you wondering: Will I have to run? Or, looking for a gym which doesn't push you to run, or will accept running less? What are your major concerns?

- It's cool that you are getting your miles up in advance

I suppose I'm just looking to get a better idea about the expectations of various gyms including running frequency, distance, and pacing. Just knowing what to be prepared for so I don't crash and burn. I'm over 30 now so a major concern is the balance between pushing through 'hurt' and avoiding actual injuries because my time is running out and I'd rather compete at less than ideal than not compete at all due to injury. 

 

Basically I'm getting old and trying to figure out how to deal with it while trying to fight before it's too late. 

  • Like 2
  • Respect 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, TeepKwaa said:

I suppose I'm just looking to get a better idea about the expectations of various gyms including running frequency, distance, and pacing. Just knowing what to be prepared for so I don't crash and burn. I'm over 30 now so a major concern is the balance between pushing through 'hurt' and avoiding actual injuries because my time is running out and I'd rather compete at less than ideal than not compete at all due to injury. 

 

Basically I'm getting old and trying to figure out how to deal with it while trying to fight before it's too late. 

I see it like this. There are two main reasons you want to run. 1. Show dedication so the gym invests in you. 2. Build stamina for a fight. If running causes injury there are other ways you can show dedication. And there are other strategies to build stamina. In my experience Thai trainers notice dedication and acknowledge it. I wouldn't be too worried if you can't run so and so many miles, but still show up and demonstrate dedication. 

  • Like 3
  • Gamma 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well depens on gym. I was in Chiang Mai, we had 2runs each day. One is 7AM for 1hour before training and afternoon is 30min run before training. If you're fighting you're also doing 30min of jump rope, so it's like 1h 30min or 2hours of that each day 6times a week. That being said it's not a must, but you def get more out of training that way, you build cardio as much as mental toughness. 

  • Like 3
  • Respect 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, LengLeng said:

There are two main reasons you want to run. 1. Show dedication so the gym invests in you. 2. Build stamina for a fight. 

Yep. 

Also might be a number 3. Makes your body kick stronger. Way stronger, like a night and day difference.

Perhaps just a personal experience, but it feels like there's something that happens to the leg muscles from running that doesn't happen from weight training. It's freaky.

  • Like 1
  • Nak Muay 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about swimming instead of running?  I understand its usually not done in Muay in Thailand.  But it spares the body and skeleton much compared with running.  And if you swim forcefully, it trains the muscles and cardio not less than any running...

would you get OK and approval from the trainers if you presented a solid swim program?

 

Of course there must be a suitable swimming stadion or lake nearby...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Most Recent Topics

  • Latest Comments

    • He told me he was teaching at a gym in Chong Chom, Surin - which is right next to the Cambodian border.  Or has he decided to make use of the border crossing?  🤔
    • Here is a 6 minute audio wherein a I phrase the argument speaking in terms of Thailand's Muay Femeu and Spinoza's Ethics.    
    • Leaving aside the literary for a moment, the relationship between "techniques" and style (& signature) is a meaningful one to explore, especially for the non-Thai who admires the sport and wishes to achieve proficiency, or even mastery. Mostly for pedagogic reasons (that is, acute differences in training methods, along with a culture & subjectivity of training, a sociological thread), the West and parts of Asia tend to focus on "technical" knowledge, often with a biomechanical emphasis. A great deal of emphasis is put on learning to some precision the shape of the Thai kick or its elbow, it's various executions, in part because visually so much of Thailand's Muay Thai has appeared so visually clean (see: Precision – A Basic Motivation Mistake in Some Western Training). Because much of the visual inspiration for foreign learned techniques often come from quite elevated examples of style and signature, the biomechanical emphasis enters just on the wrong level. The techniques displayed are already matured and expressed in stylistics. (It would be like trying to learn Latin or French word influences as found in Nabakov's English texts.) In the real of stylistics, timing & tempo, indeed musicality are the main drivers of efficacy. Instead, Thais learn much more foundational techniques - with far greater variance, and much less "correction" - principally organized around being at ease, tamachat, natural. The techne (τέχνη), the mechanics, that ground stylistics, are quite basic, and are only developmentally deployed in the service of style (& signature), as it serves to perform dominance in fights. The advanced, expressive nature of Thai technique is already woven into the time and tempo of stylistics. This is one reason why the Muay Thai Library project involves hour long, unedited training documentation, so that the style itself is made evident - something that can even have roots in a fighter's personality and disposition. These techne are already within a poiesis (ποίησις), a making, a becoming. Key to unlocking these basic forms is the priority of balance and ease (not biomechanical imitations of the delivery of forces), because balance and ease allow their creative use in stylistics.
  • The Latest From Open Topics Forum

    • Hi, this might be out of the normal topic, but I thought you all might be interested in a book-- Children of the Neon Bamboo-- that has a really cool Martial Arts instructor character who set up an early Muy Thai gym south of Miami in the 1980s. He's a really cool character who drives the plot, and there historically accurate allusions to 1980s martial arts culture. However, the main thrust is more about nostalgia and friendships.    Can we do links? Childrenoftheneonbamboo.com Children of the Neon Bamboo: B. Glynn Kimmey: 9798988054115: Amazon.com: Movies & TV      
    • Davince Resolve is a great place to start. 
    • I see that this thread is from three years ago, and I hope your journey with Muay Thai and mental health has evolved positively during this time. It's fascinating to revisit these discussions and reflect on how our understanding of such topics can grow. The connection between training and mental health is intricate, as you've pointed out. Finding the right balance between pushing yourself and self-care is a continuous learning process. If you've been exploring various avenues for managing mood-related issues over these years, you might want to revisit the topic of mental health resources. One such resource is The UK Medical Cannabis Card, which can provide insights into alternative treatments.
    • Phetjeeja fought Anissa Meksen for a ONE FC interim atomweight kickboxing title 12/22/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu92S6-V5y0&ab_channel=ONEChampionship Fight starts at 45:08 Phetjeeja won on points. Not being able to clinch really handicapped her. I was afraid the ref was going to start deducting points for clinch fouls.   
    • Earlier this year I wrote a couple of sociology essays that dealt directly with Muay Thai, drawing on Sylvie's journalism and discussions on the podcast to do so. I thought I'd put them up here in case they were of any interest, rather than locking them away with the intention to perfectly rewrite them 'some day'. There's not really many novel insights of my own, rather it's more just pulling together existing literature with some of the von Duuglus-Ittu's work, which I think is criminally underutilised in academic discussions of MT. The first, 'Some meanings of muay' was written for an ideology/sosciology of knowledge paper, and is an overly long, somewhat grindy attempt to give a combined historical, institutional, and situated study of major cultural meanings of Muay Thai as a form of strength. The second paper, 'the fighter's heart' was written for a qualitative analysis course, and makes extensive use of interviews and podcast discussions to talk about some ways in which the gendered/sexed body is described/deployed within Muay Thai. There's plenty of issues with both, and they're not what I'd write today, and I'm learning to realise that's fine! some meanings of muay.docx The fighter's heart.docx
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      1.3k
    • Total Posts
      11k
×
×
  • Create New...