WOW

An obnoxious name for a gym if you ask me.  The official name is actually California WOW Xperience.  I wrote a while back about choosing a gym in Bangkok and now that I’ve had the chance to workout there a dozen or so times I will blog more about my “Xperience” working out there. I have been going to the gym probably an average of 4 times per week during the past 8 or so years.  I have rarely taken breaks of over a few days which are usually due to sickness or traveling.  I also worked in a gym for most of the past 8 years so I would say I know a little about gyms.

Working out at WOW

If it not evident by visiting their official website it will be when you first set foot at the front desk.  WOW Xperience has more of a nightclub atmosphere than a gym.  Don’t believe me?  Head to the Asok gym which has a live DJ spinning right next to the front desk during most of the day! Every time I walk in the gym it feels like I’m part of a scene from the movie Bruno.

The music is so loud that heavy metal in my iPod needs to be cranked almost to full blast to drown out the sound of the extremely de-motivating techno which would likely be a fixture at any night club in San Francisco’s Castro district. There are probably around 100 speakers on the 3 floored fitness center.  The bottom floor has a women’s only center and some free weights and machines.

The middle floor has the front desk and a few cardio machines and the top floor is complete with around 200 cardio machines. It is relatively easy to use free weights, unlike the US there seems to always be a bench press or squat rack open as people tend to gravitate towards the machines.  The equipment is all top quality although just like 24 hour fitness in the US broken cardio equipment stays broken and most of the time doesn’t even get an out of order sign.

California WOW Xperience Advertising

California fitness takes advertising to a new level.  The advertising overload consists of huge posters of scantily clad models who are mostly super-model skinny, fixed television ads on the TVs in the cardio sections and little placards on every single cardio machine. It is interesting that every single TV (which there around 30) has a permanent rotating advertisement built in.  The brightly colored ads take up around 1/3 of one side of every single screen.

The ads usually consist of the standard scantily clad model or personal trainer with their collars popped like the Fonz.  They really don’t bother me too much but they add to the overall advertising overkill. The classes offered include “Planet Yoga” with the very cheesy Master Kamal, a cult hero of mine.  The guy is the real deal, a real yoga guy who is in great shape, but it’s just too cheesy for me.  Another class which I guess is popular in the USA is XXX pole dancing along with a private pilates class and the standard group of aerobics classes.

California WOW Gym Members

Perhaps the biggest difference between the gyms here in Bangkok and the gyms in the real California in the USA is the clientele.  In the 50 or so trips to multiple gyms I have yet to see a woman who weighs over 120 pounds.  There are very few Thai people over 40 who go to the gym as well.  You see your fair share of expats and travelers but for the most part it is young Thai people.

Finding Motivation

From living in Bangkok and not being as active as when I was riding bicycle all around San Francisco and training clients every day I have changed my body composition for the worse.  It doesn’t help that plentiful, cheap and often greasy  food is available at every corner. It seems every time I go to the gym I just don’t feel like working out.  I have tried to download some hard, loud heavy metal music which has seemed to work a bit.  One day I spent 30 minutes staring at the color changing neon lights on the cardio floor thinking about all the things I would like in the gym.  It motivated me to put together a pretty sarcastically cool list of the Top 10 Signs your Gym is Hardcore which unfortunately is the polar opposite of California Wow Xperience.

Muay Thai

I am a big fan of kickboxing and happen to live in the Mecca of Thai boxing.  When I originally moved to Bangkok I had plans to start Muay Thai lessons but it fell threw once I got in my awkward schedule, staying up early in the AM and waking up in the PM.  It was also hard to single out a not-so-serious Muay Thai school as I just want to do it for the workout not for getting punched, kicked, kneed, and elbowed in the face. They also have Thai Boxing rings set up at all  California WOW Xperiences but it is in front of everyone and I don’t think the trainers have any real experience to teach proper techniqe.  Hopefully I can find a Thai boxing gym to get some training sessions in the future.  For now I must just xperience California WOW and try to get the hang of it. Blog about Muy Thai Coming Soon

Last 5 posts by Mike Behnken

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