Phuket, Thailand

Do you think I’m crazy? If you do, then this trip may not surprise you. If not, I’m pretty sure you’re going to think I’m crazy by the end of this blog. 

I found myself in a boring routine. Wake up, work out, go to work, and then go straight home to catch up on animes (Don’t judge me, haha).  Then one day as I was cranking out work emails like I was competing in back-to-back sprinting events, I thought to myself, I missed the feeling of being an athlete.  An athlete that trains to compete. An athlete, that pushes his body to the near breaking point that death may actually be near. Do I sound crazy yet?  No? Well, I’m about to cross that line.

With this in mind, I begin searching for fitness camps where all I’m there to do is workout.  I’m not there to look pretty, dress up for anything, or drink for that matter. I came across many retreats in the U.S where you’d do yoga and run in the morning, staying in a fancy hotel or something.  I don’t want to be comfortable. I want to be in a state of discomfort day in and day out.  Then after searching for almost three hours, I came across Tiger Muay Thai Camp. Tiger camp is a training ground for the world’s most elite and dominant athletes.  It has earned the reputation as the premier destination for Muay Thai, MMA & Fitness training in Thailand.  The camp accommodates living arrangements on campus, meals, and unlimited fitness/martial art classes for the duration of your stay.   This is exactly what I was looking for!  A place where I could test my physical limits, until my body literally gives out, and it all becomes a mental battle.  I bought my plane right at that moment, and planned to leave in three weeks.  I don’t plan, to plan. I plan to execute.  I didn’t need much time to prepare to be honest.  All I need to pack is an endless amount of workout clothes, haha.   Leggo! 

 

 

Checking into my room literally a foot or two away from the action, early in the morning, I wasted little to no time to begin my training.   Here's my day-to-day. 

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday  

7:30am - Wake-up time 

       -8 Ounces of Wheat Grass

       -5g creatine 

       -1 medium granny smith apple 

 

8:00am - 9:00am - Gym Session

        -5g creatine 

        -1 tablespoon of peanut butter

       - 1 banana 

9:30-10:30am - Advanced Combat Conditioning Workout 

- 20Ib medicine ball scoop toss - 4 sets 10 reps each side (20 second rest in between sets) 

Rest 1min

- Distance Lateral Jumps - 4 sets 20 jumps (20 second rest in between sets) 

Rest 1 min

- 12Ib chest pass with a partner - 3 sets 10 passes (20 seconds rest in between sets)

Rest 1min

- Flat Surface Bear crawl - 2x 50 meter (No rest - push through the pain) 

Rest 1 min

- Band Sprints- 2 x 50 meter (30 seconds rest in between sets) 

10:45am - Breakfast 

        - 4 egg whites 

        - 2 whole eggs

       - 2 whole wheat toast 

       - 2oz of smoked salmon

11:30am -12:30pm - 1 on 1 personal Muay Thai lesson 

        - Stance training 

        - Kicks 

        - Combination 

       - Heavy bag work

       - 30 mins sparring  (Little dude kicked my ass) 

12:30pm

       -5g of creatine

       - 8 ounces of wheat grass 

12:45pm-1:00pm - Carlvin's gym ab workout 

        - 45Ib plate decline ab crunch - 3 sets to failure 

        - Decline a crunch with a twist - 2 sets to failure 

        - 40Ib wood chops (each side) - 1 set to failure 

        - Hanging leg raise with 15ib dumbbell in between feet - 1 set to failure 

1:10- Lunch

        - Grilled Chicken Breast 

        - 1 baked sweet potato 

        - Side of steamed vegetables 

2:00pm-3:45pm - Chill mode 

4:00pm-5:00pm - Cross Training Workout   

         - Easy run for 2 min 

         - 12 min of as many reps possible of below:

     Round 1 - 50 Meters Dumbbells walking lunge (25 Ibs

   - 16 toes to bars 

  - 8 power cleans (125Ibs)

Round 2 - 50 Meters Dumbbells walking lunge

   -16 bar muscle-ups (I suck, so ended up doing pull ups) 

   - 8 power cleans (115Ibs) 

5:10pm-5:30 pm - easy 20 min jog (7:15-30 mile pace) 

6:00pm - Dinner

      - Sirloin Steak 

      - Steam vegetables 

      - Medium sweet potato 

7:00pm - chill mode 

7:45pm  - Snack

      - Protein Bar (Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar) 

      - Green Apple 

8pm-11pm - Watched live Muay Thai fights in Patong 

11:45pm - Lights out! 

 

Tuesday & Thursday

5:30am - Wake-up time 

       -8 Ounces of Wheat Grass

       -5g creatine 

       -1 medium granny smith apple & Power Bar 

6:00am - Big Buddah Run (2.5 Mile Steep Climb) 

Okay, I'm a runner and used to run hills back in college while averaging about 60-70 miles a week, but this was a fucking hike. My legs were about to explode, and it was literally a mental battle than a physical. This run teaches you to get out of your head. You always have more in the tank. I started the run at about a 6:45 mile pace, and quickly regretted it a mile in. My pace dropped down to about a 10min mile pace. If you know me well enough, that's definitely telling you something.  See below for a glimpse of the elevation and here's a video of the whole experience

Thank God they drive us back down lol

 

8am - Breakfast 

        - 6 egg whites 

        - 2 whole eggs

       - 2 whole wheat toast 

       - 4oz of smoked salmon

10am - Gym Workout 

        -5g creatine 

        -1 tablespoon of peanut butter

       - 1 banana 

 

11:30am -12:30pm - 1 on 1 personal Muay Thai lesson 

        - Stance training 

        - Kicks 

        - Combination 

       - Heavy bag work

       - 30 mins sparring  (Little dude kicked my ass) 

12:30pm

       -5g of creatine

       - 8 ounces of wheat grass

1:10- Lunch

        - Grilled Chicken Breast 

        - 1 baked sweet potato 

        - Side of steamed vegetables 

2:30pm-3:30pm - BodyFit Bootcamp 

         - 50 Push Ups 

        - 50 Box Jumps

        - 50 Meter Sprints 

        - 50 Crunches 

        - 1 min of pull ups  

Repeat three times

4:00pm-5:00pm - Cross Training Workout   

         - Easy run for 2 min 

         - 12 min of as many reps possible of below:

     Round 1 - 50 Meters Dumbbells walking lunge (25 Ibs

   - 16 toes to bars 

  - 8 power cleans (125Ibs)

Round 2 - 50 Meters Dumbbells walking lunge

   -16 bar muscle-ups (I suck, so ended up doing pull ups) 

   - 8 power cleans (115Ibs) 

5:10pm-5:30 pm - easy 20 min jog (7:15-30 mile pace) 

6:00pm - Dinner

      - Sirloin Steak 

      - Steam vegetables 

      - Medium sweet potato 

7:00pm - chill mode 

7:45pm  - Snack

      - Protein Bar (Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar) 

      - Green Apple 

8pm-9pm - Sports Massage lol 

11:45pm - Lights out! 

 

Sorry for the long post, but this was probably one of the best "vacations" I've ever been on. I was surrounded by warriors. Warriors from all walks of life and on different levels. I felt like I was home, like a family I've always wanted and the training I've yearned for, for years. I highly recommend this camp if you're looking for something to truly push you. I will definitely be back here!!! 

Carlvin out!