Feeling in the mood to punish ourselves, we hit the gym for a Thai fitness class.
Thai fitness classes seem to be everywhere at the moment, and with the popularity of mixed marital arts competitions ever growing in Abu Dhabi it’s pretty easy to see why.
Possibly one of the most well-known Thai fighting classes is Muay Thai, an ancient combat style that originated in Thailand and uses various striking methods employing knees, elbows and kicks as well as punching. It’s pretty hardcore, and a number of more general fitness classes have been modelled on the technique.
Feeling decidedly unfit and sluggish thanks to a sedentary job and lots of eating out, we decided to try out the Sheraton Abu Dhabi’s Thai Fitness class, to see just what we’re made of.
At the start of the class, the instructor checks our fitness levels and asks if we have done any martial arts classes before? (Just aerobic ones.) Have we been active lately? (No.) Are we fit? (Not at all.) ‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Just make sure if you feel dizzy or sick to have a break. It’s your first time so push yourself… but not too hard.’
Fear is now firmly coming to th fore, but we give ourselves a little pep talk and don’t hide in the changing rooms.
‘RUN!’ The instructor shouts, so we start jogging around the room to warm up. This goes on for ten minutes until we are a little puffed out given our current state of fitness. Next, it’s time for skipping. ‘That sounds easy,’ we think – we used to skip all the time at school. We were mistaken. Bouncing to a beat is easy, skipping is not. Ten minutes of falling over ourselves results in sweaty panting.
‘Now, PUSH-UPS!’ The instructor tells us energetically. We alternate between push-ups and jogging around the room. We are exhausted by this point, gasping for air.
Next, it’s time to stretch before we are unleashed on the punching bags. Loosening up our hips and shoulders gives us time to catch our breath. It’s important to stretch out, because your body needs to be loose in the right places for boxing, which in itself is a full-body workout with twisting of the hips and abdominals, both essential for a strong and safe force.
We are now ready to kick some bag. Each participant has their own punching bag and we square up to ours. We perform rhythmic punches, jab-crosses and triple punches into the bag. It’s great – after a rough day at work it’s a fantastic source of stress relief (and anger management). Pounding the bag, we get a little excited and hit harder. ‘This is fun’ we think.
The instructor watches each participant, ensuring we are all punching safely with straight wrists and balled fists. We smack the bag. ‘Guard your face,’ he tells us, swinging his arm towards our head to show us where we need to protect.
It’s fun but challenging. Though we try to maintain our punching integrity as our energy starts waning, we get a little sloppy. The instructor stands beside us, watching and occasionally swinging towards our head to remind us to keep our guard up. ‘Protect your face, if you are fighting you need to protect.’
Next, it’s time to kick. We square our hips, plant our heel and swing around doing a powerful roundhouse kick into the hard bag. We giggle as we thrash the bag with our legs, stumbling back a few times. A surge of adrenaline jumps us into gear and we gain our balance and start heaving our legs vigorously.
Next, it’s time for a cross punch followed by elbows. This is a tough blow – left, right, elbow, elbow. It helps to imagine the source of our anger on the receiving end.
We walk out of the class panting and puffing. Sore knuckles aside, we feel tough and ready for more. This is definitely a good class for stress relief and high cardio.
Classes run Mondays and Wednesdays, 8.30pm at the Health Club, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Al Markaziyah (02 677 3333).
More to try
Abu Dhabi Muay Thai and Capoeira Club
Learn how to turn your limbs into weapons, and maybe have a little fun in the process.
Cinema Building, Najda Street, Al Markaziyah (02 676 9658).
Cobra Muay Thai/Boxing
Take a class or get one-on-one tutoring with this hardcore training.
Zayed Sports City, Al Madina Al Riyadiya (055 616 0996).
Body Combat
Try this combination of Muay Thai, boxing and karate for a sample of Muay Thai without the heavy-handedness.
Abu Dhabi Country Club, Al Saada Street (02 446 3653).
