Getting fit enough (you're closer than you think)

The secret every camp knows: you get fit by training, not for it. Gyms scale everything to the student. That said, arriving with a base transforms week one from survival into learning.

The honest baseline

If you can be generally active for an hour with breaks, you can start. Trainers have seen every fitness level imaginable and will pace your pads accordingly. Nobody is judging the new person breathing hard — everyone was that person.

If you have 4–6 weeks before flying

• Cardio 3×/week: runs or intervals building toward a comfortable 5km — camp mornings start with roadwork.
• Skip rope: the highest-return prep there is. Build to 10 continuous minutes and your warm-ups stop being the hardest part.
• Legs and hips: squats, lunges, calf raises and hip mobility — kicks and stance live here.
• Core: planks and rotation work; every strike transfers through it.
• Shadowbox along any basics video — not to learn technique (your kru will rebuild it anyway) but to groove moving on the balls of your feet.

Manage the heat variable

Bangkok's heat is the real week-one opponent. Arrive a couple of days early, walk the city, hydrate deliberately and sleep properly before your first session — acclimatisation is training too. Staying healthy covers the rest.

What not to do

• Don't arrive injured hoping to “train through it” — Thai volume finds every weakness;
• Don't crash-diet before a training trip; you're about to burn plenty honestly;
• Don't fear being the least fit person in the room. Rooms like these are kind to beginners who try.