On my last business trip to Bangkok, my hotel didn’t have a gym so I was planning to explore the city’s yoga scene with a few drop-in classes. That is, until my colleague asked me whether I’d like to try a functional workout just across our office at New Moves.

She’d tried the gym when it had first opened, and told me that I probably wouldn’t be able to walk the next day. She was wrong — I was already stiffening up that same day! So what was the workout like?

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

The HIIT class at New Moves is usually on Wednesday mornings at 7:30am. On the day of my trial, no one else showed up, so I ended up getting a 1-on-1 session with the trainer, Mike Lamb.

We started with a 3-minute warm-up of a few dynamic stretches, like alternating side lunges, and some high-knees to get the heart rate up. Then it was onto the first of three circuits, with every exercise done for 40 seconds and 20 seconds rest.

Circuit 1 involved three exercises — the first was to hold a TRX-like suspension from the gym’s monkey bars and hop up and down in a squat position, then do side-to-side skate moves whilst pushing out a sandbag, and then pull the sandbag up to the chin with elbows out to the side with squats.

Circuit 2 was to go into plank position and hop out and in with the feet, followed by doing burpees with a VIPR push-up and twist, alternating sides.

Circuit 3 was mountain climbers, then going in push-up position and alternating grabbing a sandbag with one hand and reaching in towards the body and then out to open up the shoulders.

I was given a longer break in between circuits but by the end of it, I was pretty beat. Mike did a great job in cheering me on, telling me to give it my all during each of those 40 seconds (instead of doing a half-assed job, which I was very tempted to). After all, this class is all about high intensity so you’d better bring it!

Verdict

Overall, I enjoyed the workout at New Moves as it was fun, interesting and most importantly, challenging. What I did notice was that every exercise we did used more than one muscle group, and involved quite a bit of coordination and focus. In this way, I got a much more efficient workout than if I went and lifted a weight for each body part, which is not at all how we normally use our muscles in real life.

I also liked the naturally-lit atmosphere and large windows of the gym, as well as its central location right at Chit Lom station. The trainers are also really fun and friendly, and they seem to have a good community vibe.

Other than the HIIT class, they also have 30-minute “lunch break blaster” classes, women-only classes and fusion boxing class among many others, so you probably won’t be getting bored of them anytime soon.

Tip: Bring your own toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, towels, etc.). On my visit there was nothing available in the shower to use, and no hair dryers. They do have towels though, I believe for a price.

Price: First class is a trial, after which 10 classes are priced at THB 5,000 and drop-in’s are THB 650 (approx. HK$156)

New Moves Bangkok, 2nd Floor, Maneeya Center (North Building), Ploenchit Road, Lumpinee, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10300, www.newmovesbkk.com