Training in Thailand

[Bodhisattva_]

Hello everyone ,


my name is Steve and i'm 25 years old .
I have 1 big passion , you could even say it's more like an addiction to me !
I love Muay Thai ! It's the first thing on my mind when i wake up and the last
thing when i go to sleep .

I've been to Thailand 5 times already ( i'm half Thai ) , and trained twice in a camp .
The first time 1 month , the second time 3 months and now i'm leaving in a couple of
weeks for 7 months . The training was ok the first time but way too short .
The second time was really good but i still smoked at the time and only after a month or so could
i stop smoking . It helped me alot but obviously it wasnt enough .
Almost a year later now ( still stopped with smoking ) , and i've really been working out and have
improved my cardio alot .

Ok , now about the training . Training starts from 7.30am till 11am in the morning and from
3.30pm till 7pm in the evening . I'm planning on really getting the most out of my time in Thailand
so i will be training 2x a day / 5 ( maybe even 6 if i can ) times a week .
As you can guess this is going to be really tough on my body and there are a couple of things that
i dont know how to deal with .



* When to eat : training for 7 hours a day means i'm going to have to eat alot , but i don't see how .
If i get up at 6am and drink a protein shake and eat breakfast half an hour later then i only have like less then an
hour before training . I'm worried that it won't go well with the running in the morning ,
it's more then 5 km / 3 mile every day .
Then at 11am another protein shake and half an hour later lunch .
Now comes the tricky part : around midday alot of guys go sleep for like half an hour or so ( i know i will ) ,
so you can recuperate a little bit . Then it's already like 1 - 1.30pm , i won't be hungry yet but in 2 hours time
there's already the next training and i don't think it's a good idea to train that hard on an "empty" stomach .
So what to do ?
Training finishes at 7pm , another shake and half an hour later dinner .
So that means i can only eat 3 times a day ? That doesn't sound good to me !
It's very important to me to gain some weight while there . Now i weigh around 73 kg / 160 lb and would
like to go to at least 80 kg / 176 lb .


* Supplements : i want to take some supplements with me so if anyone can tell me what's really necessary
to help with faster recovery and building muscle .


* Weightlifting : will it be possible to gain weight without lifting weights ?
I know exercices like deadlifting , squatting and benchpressing can help me out but would it be wise to
do them or would it be overkill ? And when should i do them ?



Ok then , i think that pretty much sums it all up .
So if there are people who can help me out with some tips and advice , or maybe have been to Thailand themselves
and can tell me what helped for them i would be very grateful !




Thanks alot , Steve

 

[Ian Coe]

Are you going to one of the Bangkok gyms?

I would assume a lot of the time will be taken up with running. Maybe 3-4 hours a day of what you have quoted will be running, slow, boring, LSD based stuff.


I would, based on my experience, eat as much of the food as you can (you will put on weight, I put on 4kg in a month, 2 in the first week, I love chinese and thai food), have a shake for breakfast (7.30 am, are you sleeping in?) or get up for 6-6.30 and get some fruit and a whey shake down you.


Honestly, if you stay for the 7 months I would start off at just 4 days a week 1 a day for a couple of weeks, then over the next month add in ONE extra day session a week until you are at 8 training sessions a week in the first 5 week, THEN add on another day for the next week (1 session), then add the other day (the saturday, which will be a half day not a double day, although it does vary depending on camp), then double up the friday, so in 7 weeks, you're going full out (11 sessions a week).

I'm not sure how good your conditioning is but jumping into a high workload, in a foreign climate with foreign food (different bacteria) will do you in if you jump into it too fast.

I've seen many noobs or experienced impatient people get the first week done, struggle through the 2nd and then at the beginning of the 3rd get struck down with some illness and be off training for 2 - 6 weeks (depending on severity).

Also, first thing you buy when out there, pharmacy and get as many electrolyte powders that you can. They're much cheaper out there and you'll need so much it's not worth feeling a suitcase up with a home brand to take out there.

Whey powder you can buy out there but it is quite expensive, but compared to shipping it out there with you (altough I only go with half a duffle bag of clothing for 2 months, the rest I buy out there) it really isn't that bad.

 

[crunkjuice111]

solid advise ian

 

[ghostwipe]

Cheap food in Thailand:

Chicken
Eggs
Pork
Rice


Mix these together in various combos, throw in salt and pepper. Not sure if Ian mentioned it, but supps like whey are even more expensive in Thailand than in places like the States.

 

[loafyofbread]

yes to what ian coe said. unless you've been living in SE asia for a long time, take it easy, dont jump straight into it. the heat and humidity especially, will kill an average westerner.

 

[Bodhisattva_]

Are you going to one of the Bangkok gyms?

I'm going to Tiger Muay Thai or Sinbi in Phuket .Will try them both and stick with 1 .

I would, based on my experience, eat as much of the food as you can (you will put on weight, I put on 4kg in a month, 2 in the first week, I love chinese and thai food), have a shake for breakfast (7.30 am, are you sleeping in?) or get up for 6-6.30 and get some fruit and a whey shake down you.

That's where i don't know what to do . Last year i lost more then 10 kg / 22 lbs and it really messed me up . I'm concerned that 3 or 4 "normal" meals still won't be enough , and that with 4 maybe 5 big meals my training seriously will suffer .
Well i guess i won't find that out untill i get there .

 

[loafyofbread]

I'm going to Tiger Muay Thai or Sinbi in Phuket .Will try them both and stick with 1 .





That's where i don't know what to do . Last year i lost more then 10 kg / 22 lbs and it really messed me up . I'm concerned that 3 or 4 "normal" meals still won't be enough , and that with 4 maybe 5 big meals my training seriously will suffer .
Well i guess i won't find that out untill i get there .

i remember you now. you posted in a few other forums about this issue as well. i have replied in one of the forums regarding this.

basically, you will be losing ALOT of calories, so you have to eat more if you want to maintain or gain weight. simple. :icon_conf

 

[Ian Coe]

I'm going to Tiger Muay Thai or Sinbi in Phuket .Will try them both and stick with 1 .





That's where i don't know what to do . Last year i lost more then 10 kg / 22 lbs and it really messed me up . I'm concerned that 3 or 4 "normal" meals still won't be enough , and that with 4 maybe 5 big meals my training seriously will suffer .
Well i guess i won't find that out untill i get there .

Regarding the phuket gym

At least you won't have to put up with that terrible pollution. Fucking hate that (and the crowds and the beggers...and and...well, most of bangkok).

Regarding weight loss. Trust me. You can eat all you want and you'll be fine. Eat lots of rice and pasta and you won't drop the weight. Trust me.

Have a BIG breakfast after training and a BIG dinner

 

[Ian Coe]

Cheap food in Thailand:

Chicken
Eggs
Pork
Rice


Mix these together in various combos, throw in salt and pepper. Not sure if Ian mentioned it, but supps like whey are even more expensive in Thailand than in places like the States.

Hard to cook in thailand, most peopel go to restaurants.


They are expensive, but it's probably easier depending on how much you take out with you to buy out there (1kg of whey is a lot luggage wise)

 

[Ian Coe]

I will pst more later, in a rush

 

[oyaji poi]

So far as eating, do what the Thais do and eat many small meals when you can. They graze quite a bit.

Regarding protein, consider taking a blend or even casein. Muslce Milk would be good for you, as you're concerned about the length of time between meals. Whey would be better than nothing, but if you're going to be carrying 5kg of protein powder I'd take casein. Also, if you take a big ass bag of protein you'll have more room in your luggage to carry stuff home.


Ian's advice is super solid though. Break yourself in over a few weeks so you don't have to completly miss a few weeks later.

 

[Bodhisattva_]

At least you won't have to put up with that terrible pollution. Fucking hate that (and the crowds and the beggers...and and...well, most of bangkok)

Yeah , i know what you mean . I love staying in Bangkok for like a week , but then i have to get out of there man . It's just too much of everything .

Regarding weight loss. Trust me. You can eat all you want and you'll be fine. Eat lots of rice and pasta and you won't drop the weight. Trust me.

Have a BIG breakfast after training and a BIG dinner

So what do you suggest then : 3 or 4 big meals or 5 or 6 smaller meals ?

 

[Robert D]

I was in Thailand for a month and did about 8-9 x 2 hour sessions a week and gained 4-5 kilo's which i really was not expecting.

I think its all the eating out at food stands and restaurants, good food though none-the-less.

Ian when you were in Thailand did you guys train a full 3.5 hours per session like the thread-starter is expecting?... While i was there no-one did anything over 3 hours.
It was usually a longer session in the morning and a shorter 2-2.5 hr session in the evening.

 

[Ian Coe]

I was in Thailand for a month and did about 8-9 x 2 hour sessions a week and gained 4-5 kilo's which i really was not expecting.

I think its all the eating out at food stands and restaurants, good food though none-the-less.

Ian when you were in Thailand did you guys train a full 3.5 hours per session like the thread-starter is expecting?... While i was there no-one did anything over 3 hours.
It was usually a longer session in the morning and a shorter 2-2.5 hr session in the evening.

I think a lot of people expect to do such long sessions but to be honest a lot of the guys I know only did a hour -1 hour 30 in the morning excluding a run and 2-2.5 hours in the evening. That is more then enough if your're preping for a fight. If you're new then sure, do more for the technique, but those extra hours won't translate into fight conditioning.