Muay Thai Kickboxing Class

One of the first things I did in Bangkok was to sign up for a Muay Thai kickboxing class! Luckily, the hostel that we were staying at has a gym on the roof where they train local kickboxers. The class was soooo much fun, but also a lot of work!!! I’m used to exercising in air-conditioned places, so it was very difficult working out in such heat and humidity! Within seconds, my clothes were literally soaked with sweat. (I’m not over-exaggerating! See the all-too-realistic pictures)

The 1.5 hr class started with 5 minutes of jump rope, followed by several kicking bag exercises and hand held target practice with the award winning trainer, Pinoy. He was an older gentlemen that didn’t speak English--but had won many championships in his day. He had a nice cut over his eye with stitches to prove that he was still quite active. The workout was so difficult, I really felt like throwing up several times! (I blame the heat)

When you can feel your brain and teeth rattling around in your head, you know you are getting a good workout.

You know when you are in a Muay Thai kickboxing class when the “break” is 300 sets of ab exercises and you have to beg for a drink. I didn’t tell them that I had previous martial arts experience, so they just thought I was brand new.…and a super fast learner. I was invited to stay and have them train me for the local fights. If only I had a few months (and extra brain cells) to kill….The workout was over when I literally ripped my pants from kicking so much!!!!! (No joke! It was the second pair of pants I ripped THAT DAY! Good times.)

All in all, it was a wonderful experience--and I have the bruises to prove it!!!