Aerobics in Chaiyaphum
A semester of teaching Maths in Chaiyaphum, Thailand, was the longest period I’d been stationary on my travels to date. This led me to seek out more than just the best local gym – I wanted classes and I wanted choreography. Luckily for me I struck gold and found Aerobics in Chaiyaphum!
Location
Thankfully I didn’t need to look too hard; an Aerobics class takes place in the centre of town, right by the night market / main road through Chaiyaphum. It’s on every night at 18:00 and impossible not to spot as you pass by – I initially heard the music on passing and went to investigate. Yep, this looked to be right up my street!
The class is held outside in front of the Multi-Purpose Sport Stadium (so-called on Google) and is very well attended with around 50-100 people each day enjoying Aerobics in Chaiyaphum.
About the Classes – Aerobics in Chaiyaphum
There are about four regular instructors who teach the class on different days throughout the week and each class is one hour long. Best of all the classes are free of charge! Often someone would come around with a book and ask participants to write their names, but that was it. I truly lucked out here!
The class is taught in a mixture of Thai and English and thankfully all instructors cued moves such as “leg curl”, “easy step”, “mambo” etc in English. They’d give other instructions (eg directions) in either language, but if you learn the numbers in Thai from 1-4, you’ll probably pick the rest of it up. Expect to be confused the first few times though!
Find Great Deals in Chaiyaphum!
Most of the instructors are not usually on the beat of the music (the one in the video is the exception), which doesn’t help. But the choreography is to a very good standard, the music is superb, and I found all the regulars were extremely welcoming as I turned up time after time and attempted to muddle my way through new choreography – and got better each time!
Each instructor did the same routine each time for the four month duration I was there, but the challenge of the language, complexity of choreography and being off the beat means you will not be bored!
Check out a brief video I made of part of a class here:
Language Pointers
Firstly, to be clear, I do not speak more than a few words of Thai, namely being able to order my coffee and papaya salad to my taste. And as a Maths teacher, I know the Thai numbers – useful for asking prices of things too. The following are just useful words I picked up as a result of doing Aerobics classes and I hope will be useful to you.
Noong, song, sam, see : 1, 2, 3, 4
Haa, hok, jet, baa : 5, 6, 7, 8
Song krang / song deow : Two times (they say this A LOT)
Krang / deow : Times (number of)
Su thaai : Last one (often said straight after “song krang” – you’ll hear this a lot too)
This means the move will then change – took me weeks to work this out!
Mun kwa – turn right
Mun Sai – turn left
Da naa / naa – forwards
Da lang / lang – backwards
Less important words relating to arm movements:
Koon – up
Long – down
But realistically, if you just listen out for “song krang… su thaai”, you’ll be well up on my starting point here!
Tips on Getting The Most Out Of Aerobics in Chaiyaphum
Take a lot of water (“nam”) with you; whilst the sun will have pretty much gone down by 6pm, this is Thailand and it is hot. Although the intensity of the cardio is not that high, you will sweat buckets in temperatures exceeding 35 degrees at times. I drank up to 1.5 litres each time.
The instructors teach on an easily visible stage, but I still recommend standing near the front to see the instructor’s feet clearly.
It is culturally polite if you “wai” the instructor and other class participants as a greeting when you arrive / leave. Wai-ing is a common Thai greeting that you’ll doubtlessly have seen already if you’re in Thailand – hands together, fingers pointing upwards and a small bow.
Enjoy Aerobics in Chaiyaphum – let me know how you get on!
Want a gym in Chaiyaphum?
For all the local gyms, click here.
Personally I recommend TG Fitness for its location and facilities.
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