What'S Up At California Wow? Doors Closed...

[PoodMaiDai]

Surprised Tony just keeps opening crap when he could be focusing on one or two kick ass gyms.

[tropo]

Surprised Tony just keeps opening crap when he could be focusing on one or two kick ass gyms.

That's why I'm surprised that people are expecting so much from the new Soi Buakhao gym.

[londoedan]

Surprised Tony just keeps opening crap when he could be focusing on one or two kick ass gyms.

That's why I'm surprised that people are expecting so much from the new Soi Buakhao gym.

You're right - maybe we shouldn't be getting too excited re his new gym - BUT at least its a proper building, unlike the existing place on Buakaho and the tent.

[tropo]

- BUT at least its a proper building, unlike the existing place on Buakaho and the tent.

Yes, it's a definite plus to at have a building. Sport World (aka plastic tent gym) had a lot of potential. It could have been a great gym.

Does anyone know how long it will be before he opens this amazing new gym on Soi Buakhao? Is there equipment in there yet?

[tropo]

- BUT at least its a proper building, unlike the existing place on Buakaho and the tent.

Yes, it's a definite plus to at have a building. Sport World (aka plastic tent gym) had a lot of potential. It could have been a great gym.

Does anyone know how long it will be before he opens this amazing new gym on Soi Buakhao? Is there equipment in there yet?

OK, so I will answer my own question..

Went down there last night and had a very good look around.

They've unpacked a lot of brand new equipment and spread it around the gym ready to assemble. The security guy mentioned that it is "Cybex", however there are no Cybex labels anywhere to be seen, so I'll have to assume they're cheap copies of Cybex - perhaps from China. It's all anodized gold.

I was interested in what free weight selection they would have but only saw a single olympic bar on the floor and some bumper plates. There is not enough room in there for a good free weight or DB area so I'm assuming it will be mainly pin loaded machines. There is no sign of a squat rack. It will certainly be very cramp in there. They had a few brand new cardio machines in there including the huge Life Fitness ellipticals. There won't be much space. They don't even have full sized mirrors to give the illusion of space, just a narrow mirror strip about 3 feet up from the floor.

Sadly I don't think I'm going to be amazed. They claim it will be open in a month.

I had a look a look at the old Power Station gym now in the old Entertainment complex. Talk about sad - it was like a dungeon and there wasn't a customer there at 7pm. They've put one floor fan in the centre of the whole ground floor gym area. To get to the other equipment you have to walk 2 floors up a dark spiral staircase. They've even taken the bench presses out (seriously - a gym without a single bench press). I saw one of them down at the Jomtien gym along with some other old Power Station equipment. There's a squat rack in there (Jomtien) without a mirror. There were some machines I really liked at the old Power Station gym (including some genuine Hammer Strength) but I haven't spotted them yet - perhaps they're over in Soi Kao Talo or Naklua.

He's spreading the equipment out to the various gyms he's opening so you end up with less equipment in each gym the more he opens.

The main gym on 3rd Road is also a mess. It's like a junk yard and small. There's another squat rack there without a mirror. There was no power rack in 3rd Road, Jomtien or Walking Street. I think the only power rack he owns is in the Sport World (aka plastic tent gym). That means that all us old folk will be doing squats without a safety bar.

If only he had all his good equipment in one well laid out gym. There's plenty of good stuff amongst the bad but it spread out across town.

As for aircon - All the gyms were warm (around 28 - 30C) at 7pm with the air conditioners still on. In the Power Station gym they turn them off until someone comes in.

Edited August 2, 2012 by tropo

[cathy211]

- BUT at least its a proper building, unlike the existing place on Buakaho and the tent.

Yes, it's a definite plus to at have a building. Sport World (aka plastic tent gym) had a lot of potential. It could have been a great gym.

Does anyone know how long it will be before he opens this amazing new gym on Soi Buakhao? Is there equipment in there yet?

OK, so I will answer my own question..

Went down there last night and had a very good look around.

If only he had all his good equipment in one well laid gym. There's plenty of good stuff amongst the bad but it spread out across town.

Tropo, you just saved me some $$. Thanks for that review.

A friend asked Tony's only marketing guy, if he could have a tour of the premises and the received reply was an insult! I mean, literally an insulting comment.

I'm giving Tony's entire operation a wide berth, his rude employees, and will stick to my diet, hill climbing, and cycling until something better comes along.

Once again, thank you Tropo!

Edited August 2, 2012 by Rimmer

[tropo]

Tropo, you just saved me some $$. Thanks for that review.

A friend asked Tony's only marketing guy, if he could have a tour of the premises and the received reply was an insult! I mean, literally an insulting comment.

I'm giving Tony's entire operation a wide berth, his rude employees, and will stick to my diet, hill climbing, and cycling until something better comes along.

Once again, thank you Tropo!

You're welcome.

Unfortunately for me I need heavy duty training equipment and don't have much choice. I'm having good workouts at Castra right now, but it's a 16km round trip and I don't want to keep doing that. I may just have to bite the bullet and rough it at Tony's (again). I'll probably have to use different Tony's gyms for different body part splits to optimize my workouts.

The lifetime deal won't be so sweet if another decent gym opens soon and I've already spent the money.

Edited August 2, 2012 by tropo

[yoslim]

Looks like we are really going to be amazed by the new gym in buhakao

[MrZM]

I just heard from a friend who lives in the South Pattaya area. He says the hotel nearby is opening a new gym and it is being fitted out now. It's located in the PRS Hotel. I have never heard of it, nor do i know exactly where or what they gym is like but my friend said that it seems to be going in the right direction, even if it is not fully fitted yet.

Thought I'd just mention it in case anyone wants to google the location and check it out.

They have done a lot of renovating, it's a good gym! The prices were 1000 baht a month, then they pushed it to 2,500 a month! Got rid of the nice staff and replaced then with typical marine staff!

Located Soi 17 across from Soi bonkai 1

[tropo]

I just heard from a friend who lives in the South Pattaya area. He says the hotel nearby is opening a new gym and it is being fitted out now. It's located in the PRS Hotel. I have never heard of it, nor do i know exactly where or what they gym is like but my friend said that it seems to be going in the right direction, even if it is not fully fitted yet.

Thought I'd just mention it in case anyone wants to google the location and check it out.

They have done a lot of renovating, it's a good gym!

What makes a gym good is very subjective. Could you give us an idea of what equipment they have and how hot/cool it is in there.

[krey]

I just heard from a friend who lives in the South Pattaya area. He says the hotel nearby is opening a new gym and it is being fitted out now. It's located in the PRS Hotel. I have never heard of it, nor do i know exactly where or what they gym is like but my friend said that it seems to be going in the right direction, even if it is not fully fitted yet.

Thought I'd just mention it in case anyone wants to google the location and check it out.

They have done a lot of renovating, it's a good gym!

What makes a gym good is very subjective. Could you give us an idea of what equipment they have and how hot/cool it is in there.

Like i said in an earlier post, PRS has some nice equipment and nice cardo machines but there is no AC, I mean none, they have a few fans. I have been going there it is super hot so expect to sweat if you are doing cardio or weight work, I sweat about 200% more here then I did at wow:) but like the equipment

250 for drop in

2500 for month

there are year deals as well havent looked into them yet i got a month to see if anything happens to wow

[PattayaParent]

I just heard from a friend who lives in the South Pattaya area. He says the hotel nearby is opening a new gym and it is being fitted out now. It's located in the PRS Hotel. I have never heard of it, nor do i know exactly where or what they gym is like but my friend said that it seems to be going in the right direction, even if it is not fully fitted yet.

Thought I'd just mention it in case anyone wants to google the location and check it out.

They have done a lot of renovating, it's a good gym!

What makes a gym good is very subjective. Could you give us an idea of what equipment they have and how hot/cool it is in there.

Like i said in an earlier post, PRS has some nice equipment and nice cardo machines but there is no AC, I mean none, they have a few fans. I have been going there it is super hot so expect to sweat if you are doing cardio or weight work, I sweat about 200% more here then I did at wow:) but like the equipment

250 for drop in

2500 for month

there are year deals as well havent looked into them yet i got a month to see if anything happens to wow

I used to go to PRS many years ago when it was 500 Baht a month but i have seen in passing that they have renovated the place.

Using the facilities early morning when it opens means cooler temperatures.

[tropo]

I used to go to PRS many years ago when it was 500 Baht a month but i have seen in passing that they have renovated the place.

Using the facilities early morning when it opens means cooler temperatures.

Yeah, early morning room temperatures are around 29C right now at over 80% humidity. That's a big improvement on 32 - 34C if the sun is beating down in the afternoon.

Apart from the high risk of dehydration, high temperatures sap strength, endurance and motivation. High temperature training really only suits skinny (small) people. There's a reason why most people indigenous to hot climates are small.

[cathy211]

Ran into one of the CaWow regulars today who's now training up at Universal (4000 THB/year). He claims many CaWow members are there now until something better comes along. He claims True Fitness may take over CaWow.

[tropo]

That's not a bad idea if you have the patience to wait. Surely something good will come along inside of a year

[krey]

I used to go to PRS many years ago when it was 500 Baht a month but i have seen in passing that they have renovated the place.

Using the facilities early morning when it opens means cooler temperatures.

Yeah, early morning room temperatures are around 29C right now at over 80% humidity. That's a big improvement on 32 - 34C if the sun is beating down in the afternoon.

Apart from the high risk of dehydration, high temperatures sap strength, endurance and motivation. High temperature training really only suits skinny (small) people. There's a reason why most people indigenous to hot climates are small.

there are better times of the day but really i been working out in morning, afternoon and night, and you should expect to cook in PRS:)

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Ran into one of the CaWow regulars today who's now training up at Universal (4000 THB/year). He claims many CaWow members are there now until something better comes along. He claims True Fitness may take over CaWow.

4000 baht per year? That's nothing. I hope they do ok out of it, as they charge fair prices and it's not a bad gym. Some martial arts players and kick boxers I know work out there.

It's not bad at all.

[Phil Conners]

Castra's Saturday and Sunday opening hours are hard to believe, 9am to 2pm. Thats going to make weekend training difficult,especially considering I normally start my workout after 2 pm.

I am sure I saw a post earlier in this thread saying they had extended their weekend opening times.

[Orac]

Castra's Saturday and Sunday opening hours are hard to believe, 9am to 2pm. Thats going to make weekend training difficult,especially considering I normally start my workout after 2 pm.

I am sure I saw a post earlier in this thread saying they had extended their weekend opening times.

9am to 6pm Sat and Sun now

[tropo]

Well, today is the big day down at Tony's. 15K for a lifetime. After a big advertising campaign and a huge banner posted outside his gym, will people be queuing down the street. I'm not sure if he did a letterbox drop as he did last December.

Any takers?

[sbk]

off topic bickering removed

[londoedan]

Well, today is the big day down at Tony's. 15K for a lifetime. After a big advertising campaign and a huge banner posted outside his gym, will people be queuing down the street. I'm not sure if he did a letterbox drop as he did last December.

Any takers?

No - gonna wait a couple of months for CaWOW to rise like a phoenix from the ashes or FF buy the Pattaya location. Failing that I'll join Centara I think.

If they have a fire sale at the Pattaya branch I might try and buy one of their TR's - that would be nice.

[tropo]

Don't worry, it closes at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I also train after 2pm, so I'll see you down there.

I must say, I'm quite enjoying my workouts at Castra. For anyone living over that way I highly recommend it. It's well organised, there's plenty of space and it's clean. You'll also have the benefit of friendly staff. The aircon runs cool enough to make the workouts bearable.

[tropo]

Well, today is the big day down at Tony's. 15K for a lifetime. After a big advertising campaign and a huge banner posted outside his gym, will people be queuing down the street. I'm not sure if he did a letterbox drop as he did last December.

Any takers?

No - gonna wait a couple of months for CaWOW to rise like a phoenix from the ashes or FF buy the Pattaya location. Failing that I'll join Centara I think.

If they have a fire sale at the Pattaya branch I might try and buy one of their TR's - that would be nice.

Centara is a really good gym, especially for cardio. All the latest machines in a very pleasant, cool environment. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I would have been tempted if they had a bit more free weight selection.

Edited August 4, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

4000 baht per year? That's nothing. I hope they do ok out of it, as they charge fair prices and it's not a bad gym. Some martial arts players and kick boxers I know work out there.

It's not bad at all.

... and you can train for nearly 4 years for the cost of a lifetime special at Tony's.

Edited August 4, 2012 by tropo

[Orac]

Don't worry, it closes at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I also train after 2pm, so I'll see you down there.

I must say, I'm quite enjoying my workouts at Castra. For anyone living over that way I highly recommend it. It's well organised, there's plenty of space and it's clean. You'll also have the benefit of friendly staff. The aircon runs cool enough to make the workouts bearable.

It has got noticeably busier over the last few weeks and I have found myself having to use alternate equipment to what I had planned on quite frequently especially the cardio stuff. I see from their webiste that they are expecting more treadmills and a concept 2 rower soon though not sure where they will put them. I always go in the mornings so not sure if there are quieter times later on.

[tropo]

Don't worry, it closes at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I also train after 2pm, so I'll see you down there.

I must say, I'm quite enjoying my workouts at Castra. For anyone living over that way I highly recommend it. It's well organised, there's plenty of space and it's clean. You'll also have the benefit of friendly staff. The aircon runs cool enough to make the workouts bearable.

It has got noticeably busier over the last few weeks and I have found myself having to use alternate equipment to what I had planned on quite frequently especially the cardio stuff. I see from their webiste that they are expecting more treadmills and a concept 2 rower soon though not sure where they will put them. I always go in the mornings so not sure if there are quieter times later on.

Yesterday I trained at 3pm and I was the only person in there for an hour. Usually I train between 1pm and 5pm and it's never been busy during those hours.

I noticed they have for sale signs on 4 pieces of equipment (pullover, pec deck, leg press and abd/add machine). If they get rid of them they'll have more space. They can replace the current rowing machine with the Concept Rower - which will be a big improvement.

[croweater]

I am not a body building bloke,i am not a super cardio bloke, I like to do a combination of both,so I like my free weights.A few machines and a couple of cardio, it didnt blow me like I was hoping, but, not too bad.

[tropo]

I am not a body building bloke,i am not a super cardio bloke, I like to do a combination of both,so I like my free weights.A few machines and a couple of cardio, it didnt blow me like I was hoping, but, not too bad.

All gyms in Pattaya are a compromise. I'm surprised you expected any gym to "blow" you.

[Rimmer]

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