Staying fit for five weeks in Thailand

[Craig krup]

You've already convinced yourself though your appliance of science that you will be unable to maintain your fitness levels here, so it really doesnt matter what other people tell you does it?

I am considerably older than you and just back from singles tennis. 48c on court in full sun and exhausting.but fun. Helps me maintain my desired fitness levels but it clearly wouldnt work for you.

You you knew the temperatures and humidity levels here before you came, and using your equations, you already 'knew' you couldnt stay fit here. so why come? i dont get it. Retire somewhere cooler and dryer.

Very, very interesting point. My plan was to spend a month in Nong Khai - not a holiday but a rehearsal for retirement. So I paid a month's rent and thought I had nothing better to do that shlep along to the gym, buy a membership, and give myself an utter beasting. Yup - 30C and 90% humidity made a certain kind of outdoor exercise impossible, so day one I bimbled out towards the Asawann centre and joined the gym. Never, not having set foot in Thailand before, did I imagine that an entire ******* gym could have not one bit of working CV equipment in it. You're just in the country, so you don't have the language skills to ask to be shown around, there are Thais and farang working out, it all seems very plausible. But not a single thing worked. So then you're forced into all the mad things that you knew wouldn't work, but which are all you have left - bounding up and down the stairs at the Mekong, fast step ups while looking at Laos - no picnic. You're right - I knew the problem before I went, but I didn't appreciate the other problems - businesses that survive despite being utterly and completely **** at what they do.

[Craig krup]

No I tried to let you know it is possible to keep fit enough here. You asked for specifics about my training, I gave you what I have. I'm a retired bank manager not an athlete and I'm typing on a tiny phone screen whilst being bounced round in a mini van.

I'm terribly sorry my intellectual and physical standards do not come close enough to your's to be able to communicate effectively but they always say people who have to fall back on sarcasm and insults to make themselves feel important are just bullies.

I'm makes me feel sad that I feel the need to defend myself for my obvious stupidity and total worthlessness but my family love me and I have FUN working out with my friends.

On that note, I'm out of this 'discussion' thank you and goodbye

I think you'll find that the first victim of sarcasm and bullying was me.

You're right about one thing, though, enjoying what you do is key for most people. If most people don't enjoy working out they won't do it, so fair play to you: I'm really not trying to rubbish it. My approach, though, is that I'd rather do something horrific that will really work. Most people can't be bothered putting a rucksack full of water on their back and doing six sets to failure. But they would like a kayak trip, or rock climbing, and that'll mean a fair amount of back work. The people who take my approach are a subset. One of the guys in the uni running club was from my home town. He was an exceptional sprinter and then turned himself into an elite marathon runner - no mean feat. When his shins starting giving him hell he spent six months bodybuilding and put on about three stone in muscle, just as an intellectual/physical exercise. All the time he was doing this he was completing a horrendously difficult Glasgow Uni medical degree with an inter-collated degree in the middle. How is this possible? Get up and run ten miles. Study three hours. Run eight by 400m in 60 efforts with 90 second recoveries - eat lunch, and so on. I'm not anything like as driven as him, but it is a particular kind of mentality. My approach to exercise is just to work out what works for the purpose I'm aiming at and then do it.

But honestly, I'm not trying to ruin your day. Ko toot. Kao a phai. [Or something like that].

Edited May 27, 2015 by Craig krup

[phetphet]

You've already convinced yourself though your appliance of science that you will be unable to maintain your fitness levels here, so it really doesnt matter what other people tell you does it?

I am considerably older than you and just back from singles tennis. 48c on court in full sun and exhausting.but fun. Helps me maintain my desired fitness levels but it clearly wouldnt work for you.

You you knew the temperatures and humidity levels here before you came, and using your equations, you already 'knew' you couldnt stay fit here. so why come? i dont get it. Retire somewhere cooler and dryer.

Very, very interesting point. My plan was to spend a month in Nong Khai - not a holiday but a rehearsal for retirement. So I paid a month's rent and thought I had nothing better to do that shlep along to the gym, buy a membership, and give myself an utter beasting. Yup - 30C and 90% humidity made a certain kind of outdoor exercise impossible, so day one I bimbled out towards the Asawann centre and joined the gym. Never, not having set foot in Thailand before, did I imagine that an entire ******* gym could have not one bit of working CV equipment in it. You're just in the country, so you don't have the language skills to ask to be shown around, there are Thais and farang working out, it all seems very plausible. But not a single thing worked. So then you're forced into all the mad things that you knew wouldn't work, but which are all you have left - bounding up and down the stairs at the Mekong, fast step ups while looking at Laos - no picnic. You're right - I knew the problem before I went, but I didn't appreciate the other problems - businesses that survive despite being utterly and completely **** at what they do.

Maybe by asking if anyone knew of well equipped gyms, with (name of equipment you desire), well air-con'd gyms in (req'd location), you might have got some more helpful info for your requirements. I have never been to Nong Khai, but like anywhere, I imagine you will find the better facilities in the larger cities.

Chiang Mai for example has a great sports facility called the 700 Year Stadium complete with running track and swimming pool, open for everyone, and in BKK there are the LA Fitness type of gyms and all sorts.

To be honest, ignoring the chill vests, cold dips, and running into the metro station for a quick cool down, the only viable one is a well equipped, well air-conditioned, with maybe some sort of indoor track, gym.

[Craig krup]

To be honest, ignoring the chill vests, cold dips, and running into the metro station for a quick cool down, the only viable one is a well equipped, well air-conditioned, with maybe some sort of indoor track, gym.

I think that's probably true, which is a total nuisance. The price of a flight is £448 this morning - bargain - but I might just leave it until I can go for six months or more. There's no point setting down in one place for five an a half weeks, and if I travel about I'll end up in the same state as I was in last August, more than likely.

I know people think I'm very "retentive" but I honestly think the numbers matter, and not every way of going about things is equally good. I saw one of the guys from uni just before his fiftieth birthday a few months ago. He used to be a fit bloke, he was in the RAF regiment, he'll go for a run.....he looked like himself, melted. He looked like his own grandfather. Eating no rubbish - none - and fearsome high intensity aerobics and weight-training seems to be the only hope of hitting sixty without being a total mess, and at fifty your body is just thirsting for the chance to jack. Give it five weeks inactivity and it'll give you five years of ageing, and staying fit is so much easier than getting fit. Just my view.

[Craig krup]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

I wondered whether there was a Bangkok marathon. Was it possible to have a "proper" marathon in Thailand? Ron Hill won in Athens by basically accepting that the heat was making it impossible, so he ran it as a hard training run, paced himself, accepted the realities of the climate....and won! Everybody who went fast blew up.

So - the Bangkok marathon. A 3 AM start and the winner is a Kenyan in two and a half hours - a training run for him. What does that tell you about heat, humidity and exercise?

[beau thai]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

I wondered whether there was a Bangkok marathon. Was it possible to have a "proper" marathon in Thailand? Ron Hill won in Athens by basically accepting that the heat was making it impossible, so he ran it as a hard training run, paced himself, accepted the realities of the climate....and won! Everybody who went fast blew up.

So - the Bangkok marathon. A 3 AM start and the winner is a Kenyan in two and a half hours - a training run for him. What does that tell you about heat, humidity and exercise?

'What does that tell you about heat, humidity and exercise?' Nothing useful....

[Oceanbat]

If you are staying in Bangkok the new Virgin active at emquartier has an ice room. You can also join by the fortnight.

OB

[mommysboy]

You may get hot and tired travelling about in Thailand, so I don't think vigorous exercise is a good idea at all. However must be plenty of opportunity for swimming, walking on the beach, that sort of thing, and perhaps pressups and the like back in your room. Most big towns will have at least 1 modern gym.

[SoiBiker]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

I wondered whether there was a Bangkok marathon. Was it possible to have a "proper" marathon in Thailand? Ron Hill won in Athens by basically accepting that the heat was making it impossible, so he ran it as a hard training run, paced himself, accepted the realities of the climate....and won! Everybody who went fast blew up.

So - the Bangkok marathon. A 3 AM start and the winner is a Kenyan in two and a half hours - a training run for him. What does that tell you about heat, humidity and exercise?

That it's possible?

[mikebike]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

So, since I have time on my hands, I've done some more reading on this subject... It seems that the limiting factor in high-level training in the tropics is not the heat but the humidity. Heat training has proven more effective than altitude training for elite athletes IF the humidity is 50% or less. Maybe your solution is to holiday in a hot and arid climate... hello Arizona!!

[Dannyboysyd]

You don't need a gym to be fit and strong, get a skipping rope, pushups, pull-ups, burpees, ab work, running, swimming.. Check out rossboxing on youtube, you don't need flashy equipment and mirrors to be fit..

[Craig krup]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

I wondered whether there was a Bangkok marathon. Was it possible to have a "proper" marathon in Thailand? Ron Hill won in Athens by basically accepting that the heat was making it impossible, so he ran it as a hard training run, paced himself, accepted the realities of the climate....and won! Everybody who went fast blew up.

So - the Bangkok marathon. A 3 AM start and the winner is a Kenyan in two and a half hours - a training run for him. What does that tell you about heat, humidity and exercise?

That it's possible?

Yeah, well we know it's possible. The point is that they have to have it at three in the morning and he has to slow down to a pace where his heat production doesn't overwhelm his ability to ditch it. Even taking fifteen minutes off a marathon time involves a huge amount of extra power, so this bloke was running well within himself to do that time. I watched (I think) Horizon on elite East African distance runners, and these guys have got running economy you wouldn't believe. They had a bloke on a treadmill from the Kalinjin (sp?) tribe who was running better than 5 minute mile pace on 3.7l of oxygen consumption: less than 300W.

The Bangkok marathon tells you exactly what "some" people said at the start. There's a massive issue when it comes to high intensity aerobic exercise in Thailand. The rate of perceived exertion - the suffering - is through the roof, but the useful work collapses.

[Craig krup]

I'm not trying to bump this thread, but I thought at least some of the people who contributed might be interested in the following.

So, since I have time on my hands, I've done some more reading on this subject... It seems that the limiting factor in high-level training in the tropics is not the heat but the humidity. Heat training has proven more effective than altitude training for elite athletes IF the humidity is 50% or less. Maybe your solution is to holiday in a hot and arid climate... hello Arizona!!

Yup, the saturated air is the killer. Even with enough water you can't sweat and lose heat: it just runs off you, pointlessly.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Craig krup

[SoiBiker]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

[h90]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

yes Craig krup is just not fit enough to exercise here.

[duanebigsby]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

yes Craig krup is just not fit enough to exercise here.

No, Craig is right, he's done the math. watts per perspiration drops, exertion per square kilometer, and heat retention per square marmalade.

He's done the math and you can't work out or exercise in Thailand. It is mathematically impossible.

So all the guys who exercise in Thailand, you are either dead or not fit.

[h90]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

yes Craig krup is just not fit enough to exercise here.

No, Craig is right, he's done the math. watts per perspiration drops, exertion per square kilometer, and heat retention per square marmalade.

He's done the math and you can't work out or exercise in Thailand. It is mathematically impossible.

So all the guys who exercise in Thailand, you are either dead or not fit.

[Craig krup]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

yes Craig krup is just not fit enough to exercise here.

No, Craig is right, he's done the math. watts per perspiration drops, exertion per square kilometer, and heat retention per square marmalade.

He's done the math and you can't work out or exercise in Thailand. It is mathematically impossible.

So all the guys who exercise in Thailand, you are either dead or not fit.

You guys are fun-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I've got this mental picture of that old Billy Crystal movie City Slickers when one of them is trying to explain how a VCR works and the third one loses his temper - "He's never going to understand!!!! He can't understand!!!!!!"

My PhD INSEAD thesis proposal is, "Self-selection, expat communities and discourse: moist blank incomprehension".

[duanebigsby]

And yet plenty of people manage to exercise here. Weird.

yes Craig krup is just not fit enough to exercise here.

No, Craig is right, he's done the math. watts per perspiration drops, exertion per square kilometer, and heat retention per square marmalade.

He's done the math and you can't work out or exercise in Thailand. It is mathematically impossible.

So all the guys who exercise in Thailand, you are either dead or not fit.

You guys are fun-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee:clap2:

I've got this mental picture of that old Billy Crystal movie City Slickers when one of them is trying to explain how a VCR works and the third one loses his temper - "He's never going to understand!!!! He can't understand!!!!!!"

My PhD INSEAD thesis proposal is, "Self-selection, expat communities and discourse: moist blank incomprehension".

I'm sorry my intellect isn't up to your fitness level?

You are so absolutely retentive about your exercise routine, convinced you can't do it in Thailand, but looking for others to tell you a way, then discounting all suggestions whilst calling everyone stupid and uneducated.

All I've ever suggested that with your holier than thou, condescending, arrogant, and utterly retentive attitude is that you won't like it here.

[singa-traz]

...

Walk around any European city and you'll see plenty of people running along the street at 6 minute mile pace, or faster. You never see that in Thailand, and it isn't just laziness. A back of the envelope calculation tells you it isn't possible for long.

You should go outside, and join any of the week-end race in Thailand, and you will find people running that fast for 10KM or more.

In my small circle of running friends, I know at least 4-5 people running at this pace.

Anyway, what is long? I can run that pace during training ...

[fatgingerneville]

Craig, what are your goals. What are you training for exactly, a marathon, iron man, spartan or tough mudder?

[fatgingerneville]

Craig, what are your goals. What are you training for exactly, a marathon, iron man, spartan or tough mudder?

[MaeJoMTB]

Chiang Mai,

I run up the trail to Wat Doi Suthep, or cycle up the road to Wat Doi Suthep every morning.

Used to do it every other day, now do it every day.

Wake up at 6am, going up by 7am, finished by 9am.

Under an hour running or cycling up.

And I'm 60+.

Biggest long term problem is weight loss.

I have trouble eating enough to compensate for all the exercise.

Edited June 1, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[Craig krup]

Craig, what are your goals. What are you training for exactly, a marathon, iron man, spartan or tough mudder?

There's nowt I can say, really. The web doesn't allow communication. I can email my pal in Bangkok and say, "There's no f****** way you can ditch the heat in this country, what do you do?", and he - triathlete, decent rower - can say, "Cycle track out at the airport or the air-con gym in the compound".

But you can't ask anyone else any question which is predicated on "Exercise physiology isn't open to dispute, so....", because they all think that exercise physiology is open to dispute. If I said, "I definitely don't want to worship Christ, what do you think about deism?", I'd get a thousand people telling me that Christ is God incarnate.

This, like explaining the VCR in City Slickers, could go on for ever.

[SoiBiker]

Well, yes - if you refuse to acknowledge any possibility that you might be wrong, then discussion is inevitably going to be pretty pointless.

[Craig krup]

Well, yes - if you refuse to acknowledge any possibility that you might be wrong, then discussion is inevitably going to be pretty pointless.

Jesus wept, I'm not being asked to accept that I might be wrong, I'm being asked to accept that the Enlightenment was a mistake. I'm being asked that coming down from the trees will ill-advised, and maybe we should have stayed in the oceans.

Allow me -

"Oh, I see Craig, so your so-called science proves that people can't exercise hard in the heat? That'll be the same science that says the bee can't fly!!! I ran for two hours this morning, and if you can't hack it why don't you stay away from the places where effete Europeans come unstuck. Whatever the Thai equivalent of a whingeing Pom is, we've got plenty and don't need any more. You should buy a tandem, put someone prepared to suffer behind you, and then you can pretend that you're up to something".

Whatever. Honestly. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sitting on bones here.

[h90]

Well, yes - if you refuse to acknowledge any possibility that you might be wrong, then discussion is inevitably going to be pretty pointless.

Give it up, he proofed it well enough that he is not fit enough for the heat in Thailand.

[HooHaa]

are you high?

Nah, just literate, which - come to think about it - in this world generally produces a "low". Still, better to be Socrates(ish) dissatisfied than a fool satisfied

try verbose and pedantic. Russel brand on a treadmill.

[Craig krup]

Well, yes - if you refuse to acknowledge any possibility that you might be wrong, then discussion is inevitably going to be pretty pointless.

Give it up, he proofed it well enough that he is not fit enough for the heat in Thailand.

"Proved", <deleted>. If you're going to slag someone off at least make some effort to get it right.

[Craig krup]

Russel brand on a treadmill.

Which, ironically, is the title of my new show at the Edinburgh Fringe.