Personal Training in Bangkok: It's a jungle out there!

Fitness centers in Thailand can be split in two categories: the screamers and the hawkers. You can tell a screamer is in close vicinity if you start hearing house music thumping at more than 120 dbs. The hawker gym, in contrast will have its 'soldiers' sneak up on you and get you to sign a 6 page contract (fine print excluded) faster than you can say 'no way'.

Most gyms though are a complex blend of both and it is sometimes very difficult and frustrating to tell who does what for what price. The Aspire Club will help slash through this jungle and have you spend your money wisely.

I don't want to point any fingers or favor any particular company so I won't be giving any names here. Let's just say that the traditional fitness center business is in the hands of two major players, let's call them Coke and Pepsi. Coke have the loudest, flashiest and most obnoxious fitness centers in town and once they've snatched you up, there is no way (physical or legal) to make them loosens their talons.

Coke's centers are more akin to a shopping mall (most are actually located in shopping malls) than a real gym. You won't find any price list there and their salespeople will be more than happy to evade and out maneuver any questions you might have regarding the monthly cost of a membership.

It's tremendously opaque and if you're underprepared or have just arrived in town you WILL get burned. Big time. Coming from a highly regulated country I had no idea just how far haggling practices had spread until I knocked on Coke's door to ask for a membership. After about 30 minutes of transactioning and fake bargaining we reached a price deemed satisfactory for both parties. I was happy, I had gotten my membership card and a key to the men's locker room. I exchanged a couple of words with a fellow expat who was changing there and we naturally started to talk about Coke's intriguing sales methods.

He told me he paid X while I paid Y. The difference betwen X and Y was USD 450! Needless to say, I was the 'Y' guy and he was the Wise guy...

The company has bulletproofed their post sales with a maze of procedures, hot and cold lines and a very small contract font so if you plan to file a complaint be warned: you'll go nowhere.

Coke's arch nemesis Pepsi is well represented in Bangkok and has a slightly different twist on the business. I don't say they don't resort to snake oil tactics to bring in revenue, they do, but they at least have the elementary correctness to smile while they rip you off.

You won't find Pepsi's salesforce lurking at every street's corner ready to go for the throat, they're more subtle then that. Instead they'll use football field-sized advertising banners to reel you in. Decoration is softer, music is quieter and there's an eerie feeling that everything is a bit too clinical and clean to sound true.

If I had no other choice than Coke and Pepsi, I'd choose Pepsi any day though. What they lack in transparency Pepsi make up for in tranquility.

Other smaller gyms exist but I'm quite sure they won't fit your needs as most of them can't afford prime locations, they're relegated to seedier parts of town and it's just very unpractical to go train there if (and chances are you are) you're a professional Bangkok expat.

Besides, traditional fitness centers offer very little than rooms filled to the brim with fitness machinery. There no tailored service whatsoever and the personal trainers there (read salespeople) are as knowledgeable about fitness as I am about fluid dynamics. If you expect to receive guidance about nutrition, functional training or golf fitness I strongly suggest you look elsewhere as gyms there simply don't have the competences to give you a sound advice.

Before you commit to a full year of Coke or Pepsi fitness, let me offer you this sparkling water with a slice lemon alternative: you come pay us a visit at the Aspire Building in downtown Bangkok, have a look and get a feel for yourself. No pressure, no arrogant salespeople, just passionate fitness professionals eager to share their knowledge and make you feel at home.

What about that?

Enjoyed this hub? Let it be known and like our facebook page! Share your challenges and breakthroughs with us on twitter too.

The Aspire Club is Thailand's most advanced performance center: nested at the heart of Bangkok we provide cutting edge personal training, golf fitness, nutrition and bootcamps services.