Thread: California WoW - worth it?

^ Yes, that's true. There ARE some really cheap ones around. If you're 5ft 6 and weigh 50 kilos they might do.

I'm not really talking 'top of the range', but most of us farang sized peeps need the kind of equipment you'll find at any good gym (ie sturdy kit that can withstand a pummeling) and then it costs a fair bit.

Exercise equipment is one of those things that isn't worth trying to 'go cheap' on, I've found.
You just feel like you're not enjoying exercising if the whole thing doesn't feel safe or comfortable

If you buy a cheap exercise bike then it tends to quickly end up as an expensive coat hanger.

^ But that 11g could buy you more than a year of 'chasing' after svelte lurex clad femme botties in a gym.

We all need a carrot.

Then you'd also have the pool, sauna, jacuzzi, networking ops (OK, I'm not really thinking of california 'ouch' here..)

Ah well, if sweating on your own in your own cubicle does it for ya...

UP TO YOU!!

Originally Posted by reinvented

me i prefer watching tv at home whilst i peadl naked around my living room

Do you mind, I'm about to eat

Originally Posted by reinvented

the gyms are shit here, more social clubs

Gotta disagree here in part, they may be social clubs, but the equipment is vast and pretty good quality from what I've seen (at least at WoW). I spent 2 years working in Korea, and I can tell you that the gyms ARE shit there....tiny, shit equipment, and K-dudes walking around naked in the locker rooms blow-drying their pubes. The shit I've seen in the gyms there is just crazy....there's an entire thread on Dave's dedicated to the madness:

Korean Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Funny, kooky, outrageous things you see in Korean gyms.

Yup the showering part of gyms in Bangkok definitely isn't something I look forward to.

First you have to dodge the sausage jockeys, with their towels knotted an inch above their kneecaps, then there's the guy who sounds like he's coughing up 'Alien' in the cubicle at the end.

I used to be a member of a gym next to where I worked though - it was great to 'bunk off' work and go there in the daytime. The wife and I had almost the whole place to ourselves.

Always avoided the place after 5pm tho - for the reason you mention, re.

With regards to membership costs, I was offered 841baht/month with no sign up fee (final offer) in Chiang Mai Central Airport Plaza whilst bored waiting for the cinema. They were going to throw in 2 weeks use of the gyms all over Thailand to activate at any time as well.

I imagine the Bangkok gyms are more expensive, but the first offer I got was 1800Baht/month (they told me to ignore the 2400Baht stated on the leaflet.

Pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna, Steam Room, Treadmill, Exercise Bike, Weights, Mat, Cross Trainer.

That's basically the equipment I use.

Maybe one day I'll get a place where its practical to get all that set up for my private use.

'Til then I'll be a member of a fitness club.

So, it's been a month since I forked over 8,000 baht for a 6 month membership. Here is what I've found:

Pros:
1. State of the art equipment, and lots of it. The cardio machines even have little fans built into them.
2. Lots of hot women around to look at while you're working out. Definite plus factor.
3. It's big. 3 floors, to be exact.
4. Free individual private showers and towel service.
5. Lots of classes (cycling, aerobics, pilates, hot yoga) if you're into that.
6. Since joining, I've lost about 14 lbs (although this is also due to the change in my diet).

Cons:
1. The idiots who don't wipe their sweat off of the machines after use. Nearly every Thai dude does this, and it's disgusting.
2. The locker room can get quite crowded. Dudes yapping on their mobile phones and talking to each other whilst changing, effectively blocking the aisles.
3. I do have to wait to use a few of the machines, but it's usually not a huge annoyance.
4. Horrid music (bringing an ipod solves this)
5. Everyone seems to have an obsession with talking on their mobile whilst working out, even while running on the treadmills.

^I'm surprised they still have the California 'Wow' going in Thailand. All of the California 'Wow' gyms in Seoul have closed down. Fortunate for me, I was just out of the country. They didn't even let their customers know, and just shut their doors.