​Common Queries About Starting Thai Boxing
Everything You Need to Know
How do I start?
Simply turn up at the gym between the hours of 10:00am to 10:30pm Monday to Friday and you will be welcome to train.
I haven't been to the gym in years, how can I get back into a routine?
Firstly, don't over do it! It's easy when starting a new exercise routine to throw yourself in and give it 110%, then wake up the next morning feeling sore and unlikely to stick at the routine. Our coaches understand that people have different fitness levels and abilities, and can tailor the intensity to suit you. How frequently you go to the gym will depend upon your own personal fitness goals. If you just want to go once to get an understanding of the basics of Thai boxing - stance, guard, how to kick and punch, then this is the place to go. Some gyms can be a bit funny about people who just want to give it a go once - they only want people who are going to challenge for a world title. But At Start Gym actively welcomes people who want to sample the very basics and build from there.
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The training here is varied and fun. It's not all about doing hundreds of sit-ups and press-ups followed by hours of skipping, bag work and sparring - sure, some of this is involved, but it is interspersed with plenty of pad work, a little bit of very light jogging, some weights, stretches, shadow boxing, technique hints and tips. The coaches all have a good sense of humour and are very understanding if you struggle with certain aspects of the training. They will get the best out of you and you will feel better for it.
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There are various membership packages availble at a slightly dicounted rate if you feel that you require a subscription to encourage you to come back time and again. However a subscription or membership fee is not required if you want to have some private tuition or participate in classes.
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The gym is open from 10am to 10:30pm 7 days a week, so ideally you should set aside an hour or so on a regular basis for training. As a rule, never miss a Monday workout - get the week off to a good start and everything else will fall into place more easily. If you go to the gym at the same time on a regular basis, you will get to know the people with the same routine, so you can encourage each other to come back and stick at it.
How long should I train for every day?
This really depends upon the individual; your fitness will be the biggest factor which determines how long you can train for and at what intensity. However there are other factors to consider such as how many hours per week do you have free for exercising and how much of that time will be taken up travelling to and from the gym.
It is also worth considering what your training objectives are. If you just want to get to grips with the basics of Thai boxing, then one hour per week is absolutely fine, however if you want to really see a big difference in your physique and technical ability then you should be looking at 5+ hours per week of training.
Do I need to bring anything with me when I come to train?
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The training is done in the traditional barefoot Thai style, so you don't even need a pair of trainers. You will however need clothing that you feel comfortable to exercise in, such as a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. If you take any medication such as ventolin for asthma it might be beneficial to bring that along too. A bottle of water and a sweat towel are recommended but not essential. A good set of boxing hand wraps if you have them would be benefical to protect your hands - if you are throwing bone crushing punches, you need to protect the carpal and metacarpal bones in your hands. Hand wraps are availibe for purchase in the gym. If you have your own boxing gloves you are welcome to bring them, but there plenty of club gloves to borrow which are kept clean and smelling fresh.
I have some friends visiting, do you offer guest passes?
Yes absolutley. Membership or subscription is not required, so you can bring your friends and pay only for however much training they want to do on they day they want to train.
I know somebody who would be interested in training here, what should I do?
Send them a link to this website - atstartgym.com and see what they think. Our contact details are on the home page.
I want to train but my friends would just like to watch, is that ok?
Yes absolutely, We have a seating area in view of the gym where they can watch you work out. This works the other way too; If you have children, you can keep an eye on them from the gym whilst you work-out.
Is parking available at the gym?
Yes, there is free parking in the carpark directly outside.