SWEAT IN THE CITY — It was some time into hustling through a choreographed sequence over the “agility ladder” laid upon the floor that I remembered neither quickness nor choreography are specialties of mine. While everyone ran along looking like a proper athlete, I was bouncing around like I’d been blindfolded and spun around.
So maybe I was terrible and looked like a fool – something I’ve grown to accept – but “Twisting” certainly was fun.
The arrival of the Twist Sport Conditioning gym at Silom Complex has been much anticipated among fitness types in Bangkok. Not only is it the concept of Peter Twist, a US based sports conditioning coach who’s worked with over 700 pro athletes, but it’s also one of very few non-Crossfit gyms with Olympic-lifting facilities (at least they will have come January). The space is a large studio with equipment made for ‘functional’ fitness; Viprs, bosu balls, small hurdles and a wall stacked with weights; dumbbells and plates.
I took the “Introduction to Twist” class, which provides the basis for the training methods created by Peter Twist.
The class began with our instructor, Mikk, showing us how to stand in our “athletic stance,” which is a semi-squat with arms bent as if you’re poised to catch a ball. We partnered up and tested the strength of our athletic stances by gently pushing on our partner’s shoulders and hands, which was surprisingly challenging to the core.
The class was fairly gentle, but every movement was carefully explained, making it perfect for a beginner. Squats and lunges were described and demonstrated beautifully. If you’ve ever seen a newcomer to training perform a horrible squat, you’ll know the importance of starting from scratch when it comes to form.
Simple exercises, including overhead squats with a resistance band, overhead presses with light dumbbells, planks, lunges and rows using a resistance rope or “toner” were used to create short circuits to work the whole body. Mikk provided options for most exercises should you need to progress or regress the difficulty level: push-ups could be done on your knees, dumbbells could be lighter and the toner’s resistance could be adjusted. Each circuit was broken up with a jog around the room to keep up our heart rates. But far from being a Crossfit-style intense workout, the focus was firmly on form.
Though the exercises were basic, they covered a lot of areas. The strength training was light for me, but the balance work and agility work it incorporated highlighted my weaknesses. Seriously, agility ladders are like maths equations for me – no matter how much thought and concentration invested; I still get them wrong.
Rather than most classes I attend, this wasn’t a lesson in getting as exhausted as possible, but rather an lesson in moving efficiently and in an athletic way, and no matter how fit or strong you are, most of us could use a lesson in athleticism.
Twist Sports Conditioning is in its soft opening phase, with full equipment to arrive next month. The gym is offering two free trialclasses throughout December, which can be booked at 02 632 1238.
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5th floor, Silom Complex
