Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who trains at this camp?
2. What is the average age at the camp?
3. How long do people train for?
4. Why do people join?
5. How does my training schedule look like?
6. What type of fitness equipment do we use?
7. What about the meal plan?
8. Where are the beaches?
9. How far is the camp from the airport and the town centre?
10. When is the best time to go?
11. I am a vegetarian. Can I come?
12. Is it scary arriving on your own?
13. Who stops me from drinking bear and eating chocolate?
14. Do I need a visa?

Who trains at the camp?

People come to the camp with lots of different personal fitness goals, men and women, super athletes and people seriously out of shape! Whilst most people that join are of average fitness, none are by the time they leave, so depending on the time you have to devote to your body and personal health, the results can be impressive. Don´t be surprised to find professional body builders rubbing shoulders with film stars, professional fighters and people people wanting to loose weight in a supportive training environment.

What is the average age at the camp?

The average age of the participants is between 20 and 30, but there are quite some over 30 that train at the camp. There could be staying up to 100 people at the camp, so you will find like minded people for sure.

How long do people train for?

People generally join for 2 to 12 weeks. Some even stay up to 6 months! But even if you just have 10 days you are more then welcome to join and will notice the difference in your shape. Please note this is not your typical gap year programme, it can be undertaken by all, even on a short break to Thailand.

Why do people join?

The joint motivating factor for people who attend the Thailand fitness boot camp is the desire to improve fitness and health. As all fitness programmes are tailored to your needs, no matter what your fitness levels or experience, the camp will be able to set you on your way to your personal fitness goals and in most cases exceed them.

You will be getting instruction from some of the worlds best trainers and you will build up a huge personal knowledge of how to get the most out of your work outs when you leave.

How does my training schedule look like?

Early Morning

If you wish you can start with a good stretch in the morning by joining the Yoga class for an hour before the 'real' work begins.

Boot Camp

The boot camp training consists of  5 days a weekhigh cardio (fat burning) in the morning, using highly advanced techniques (request trip notes for further details and videos about this).  These sessions, called Body fit boot camp sessions, are designed to increase your fitness fast and effectively. The groups typically has people training in poor condition and peak physical condition, this works well as the exercises are modified depending on your fitness levels and ability so no one is left behind.

Personal Training Schedule

You also have a 1 hour a week personal training session, one on one with one of the most respected fitness trainers in Asia! This session is designed to monitor your progress, and to guide your fitness regime so that you arrive at your desired goals. During these weekly sessions you will develop the ideal schedule, diet and supplement plan. Your trainer  is a professional body builder, diet and nutrition counselor with a resume that contains competing in Toyota Strongman competition as well as the Mr. Thailand and Mr. Asia body building championships every year. Gold medal competition winner "Peter the Thai Hulk" !

Peter´s instruction is all about teaching you proper form to maximize your work out goals, and give you that little extra push you need. will teach about nutrition, weight-lifting and workout structure. The personal fitness instruction is delivered by a professional weight lifter (not your run of the mill Gym instructor).

The weekly personal training session is designed to keep you on track and teach you how to get the most out of your sessions. One hour per week is more than enough considering all the groups fitness sessions included in the programme, however should you want more personal sessions you can book them locally or purchage a pack of 4 extra sessions per week for €150 /£150 at the time of booking.

Group weight lifting and body sculpture sessions

The group  fitness programme is from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m and 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. You will be taught  lifting,  proper form, technique, cardio, balance and posture to get the most from your weight-lifting training.

During these sessions we will work out individually tailored workout schedules, diet and supplement plans, and teach you about nutrition, weight-lifting, cardio and workout structure. During the  private sessions you can work one-on-one with the personal trainers to help lose weight, gain muscle or just have a professional workout and spot partner.

Yoga, Muay Thai try it all.

There are also options to join Yoga sessions taught by a highly qualified yoga instructor Simon, and join running classes twice daily. The Yoga groups first thing in the morning are perfect to warm up your muscles and get them ready for a hard session at body fit.

As you are training in Thailand you can also join Muay Thai training sessions (for beginners). Muay Thai is the National Martial art and is superb for fitness and good fun as well. Many Western style "body combat" classes take alot from Muay Thai training sessions.. Even if you have no experience you can join the morning Muay Thai groups, with 80% of people signing up with little or no experience you will be in good company.

Set your own pace if you need to

The gym is open full time Monday to Saturday, you can train harder if you like, or explore Phuket and hit its stunning beaches with a body to match if you don´t slack off!

Why is our Thailand Fitness Boot Camp so effective?

As a general rule everyone is different, but  it depends on as much as the effort you put in when training, the techniques you use when training (see a video discussing this here) and the fuel you are putting in your body when you are training. The Fitness boot camp teaches you all these things and sets you on the right path to peak physical fitness.

Technique

One of the benefits of the camp is that you will be taught the proper techniques and exercises by experts (you would be amazed by how many people who do attend a gym, do an incorrect work out that is not effective and waste alot of their time an energy, when these inefficient work out routines can be easily corrected with a little education). This is great because you will be able to take this home with you to continue once you are back off the trip.

Effort

Secondly as there are lots of others training at the camp with the same fitness goals you will find that you end up pushing your efforts harder to reach your fitness goals. Why? Because everyone is there to support you, and it is a very encouraging atmosphere. The gym is always on your door step, and you are there to train, so there really is no excuse, especially when you have paid to attend the camp. There is no slacking off!

Fuel

Third, the meal plan is designed to help with weight loss and muscle mass gain. Lots of healthy, protein rich and delicious food, of the Thai and Western veriety. So how long is the ideal time to go for? Hard to say, we would suggest people start seeing results in as little as the first week, but real visable results come after about 2-3 weeks of continuous training. Some people go for months and really make a dramatic transformation.

What fitness equipment do we use?

The gym at the fitness training camp includes all you need to work on strength and conditioning training: hammerstrength benches, curl bench and bar, incline, squat rack, sit-up benches, 3 racks of dumbbells, stationary bikes, Nautilus machine with pull down, seated row, leg press, and 4 full sets of kettle bells which are highly regarded for hardcore weightlifting workouts and plenty of plate weights to accommodate several weight-lifters at same time. The equipment was brand new in 2010, costing over $20,000, you will be hard pushed to find a better place to train.

What about the meal plan?

Included in the fitness boot camp is a food programme. The training camp has a nice area to enjoy your meals and socialise with other guests. There is a choice between lots of different Thai main dishes and Western dishes too. These come with white and brown rice. There are fresh steamed or sautéed vegetables and then there is soup, fresh fruit and a bottle of water. Now that is what we call healthy!

We want to provide you with healthy food options for optimal training and fitness. The food at the restaurant contains high protein and fiber. You can choose from basic menu options, including some of the most popular Thai dishes. Also we now have a Health Menu with lots of salads and light steamed vegetables using less ingredients like Oil, Sugar and Salt.
Also all vegetables and salads are sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds an added little bonus for lowering cholesterol, reducing diverticulitis, and weight loss.

Please note the meal plan includes 2 meals a day, these can be taken in any order (breakfast, lunch or dinner). Why only 2? Well there are plenty of really lovely little restaurants in the neighbourhood, and they are inexpensive (think about £1,50 per meal), so you will want to get out of the camp and explore, perhaps have dinner with new people you meet at the camp.

Where are the beaches?

The beaches are about 6km from the camp. The best way to get there is by bike, scooter or taxi. There are always more people going in the weekends, so you can join each other. In the neighbourhood there are pools, and if you stay at our luxury resort you can chill by one of the two pools it offers!

How far is the training camp from the airport and the town centre?

At the training camp you are a 20 minutes taxi ride away from Phuket town and 40 minutes from the airport.

When is the best time to go?

Phuket has a tropical monsoon climate. It is warm all year round, but the two periods of April-May and September-October are the hottest. The September-October period is also the wettest. The best time to visit Phuket is during the cool monsoon season, from November through March. Then it isn't so humid, and the cool breezes keep it comfortable. The average temperature is around 75F to 89F (24C to 32C).

I am a vegetarian. Can I come?

Vegetarian and Vegan’s also have options at the restaurant. Not all the fun has been taken out of the menu – you can still get French fries made with unpeeled potatoes! Also included at the Restaurant for extra costs is our protein and fruit shake bar offering a wide variety of Fruit and protein shakes and a selection of drinks to keep our guests maintaining a high amount of protein in their diet to help build muscle and lose fat.

Is it scary arriving on my own?

If you are thinking it might be a little intimidating arriving at a fitness boot camp, you will be pleasantly surprised. There is a great supportive atmosphere, where everyone has a similar goal, to benefit from improving their fitneess and well being. Also you will have a serious introduction by our representative Chris who will help you settle in and introduce you to the trainers and team at the fitness camp. He will explain you about all different training sessions and the meal plan (also included!). There can be up to 100 people at the camp so do not worry about being arriving on your own!

Who stops me from drinking beer and eating chocolate?

The camp is quite remote and there are no tourist bars and big super markets in the neighbourhood. Also everyone you meet will be training and will be working on their health and fitness, so it is not hard not to go out, as everyone is focussed on getting fit! Also we include a meal plan. These 2 meals a day are very fresh and healthy and we also include water and fruit. The other meals you can order at our restaurant or you can eat out in one of the restaurants down the road, they all have a healthy menu!

Do I need a visa?

If you are planning on travelling to Thailand for 28 days or less and you have British, Dutch or USA passport you can get a Visa exemption on arrival. This is valid for 28 days and cannot be extended in Thailand. If you are planning on being in Thailand longer than 28 days you will need to pre-arrange a Visa. You can prearrange a visa for 60 days which you can extend to 90 days in Thailand.

There are two ways of arranging your visa. When you are from the UK. You can either go in person to the Thai embassy in London, or you can post your passport along with the necessary documentation and fee to one of the Thai Consulates. In general this works the same for the other countries like The Netherlands and United States too, but please contact the nearest Thai Consulate for visa enquiries.

Please note that you are responsible for arranging your own visa. Xtreme Gap cannot be held responsible if you fail to travel with the correct visa. So please check with your local embassy personally. The previous information is meant as a guide, but visa rules change often and frequently. So do not take this as the current law.