Thailand - Cascade club, Bangkok

Location: Cascade club, Level 6 and 7 The Ascott Sathorn Bangkok, Thailand 

+662 676 6969 

Review: This blog appears to be turning into something of a confessional as of late, and my training in Bangkok is no different. Having looked at the gyms close to my hotel, by far the best reviews were for a gym called the Cascade Club. So, in aid of being able to tell you where there was a gym in Bangkok, I decided to pay it a visit. 

There were two things that I didn't know about the Cascade Club, that in retrospect I wish I had. The first was that it was on the second floor of the Ascot Hotel and that to access it I would have to walk through the hotel lobby and use their life to access it. The other was that the Ascot Hotel is a seriously high end hotel, with a lounge singer, a MASSIVE lobby, and about a million guests all dressed in ball-gowns and suits. 

Oh, did I mention I decided to jog the 20 mins to the gym in Bangkok’s humid weather and turned up literally dripping in sweat? One of the most awkward lift journeys ever. Not top 5, but maybe top 10. Stories for another day. 

So, to my confession. When I arrived on the sixth floor, the doors open and I sheepishly stepped of the lift onto the landing. I made my way towards the gym, to be met by an unmanned reception desk. I waited for someone to see me and come over. Then I waited a bit more. Then I walked in like I owned the place. No-one stopped me. In Asia, it seems no-one bothers the tourists. We are a faceless mass that moves through the city and are best left alone, lest we start making requests.

Having walked in, I noticed that this gym was HUGE. (Yes, that is two words in capitals in one post. Shut up). By the entrance there were two separate studios, one with a body pump class and the other with a spin class. On this floor was a great many cardio machines looking down on the floor below which was the weights area. 

In the middle of the weights area was a full snack bar, selling protein shakes, healthy meals and home made shakes. There were several tables to sit and chat, or relax after a hard workout. 

There were other nice touches too. Aside from the usual sweat towels, there were also sports headphones available to borrow, as well as weight belts in various sizes. The gym has a decent free weights area with benches, dumbbells and squat racks. But the thing that struck me was the machines. Now, I usually prefer free weights if I have the choice, but I have never seen such a collection of weight training machines. Broken down by area of the gym, it seemed that they has machines from every major manufacturer, from the type that you add plates to, to some which seemed to be covered in the softest gym leather I have ever seen. They had machines for muscles that most people don't even know exist. 

Other than that they had, (not an exhaustive list but my best efforts to remember)

• Dumb bells up to 50 kg
• Squat rack 
• Olympic bars 
• Smith machine
• Adjustable benches 
• Barbell flat bench 
• Barbell incline bench 
• Barbell decline bench 
• Lat pull down 
• Machine chest press 
• Pec dec 
• Various machines for lats, upper and lower back 
• Biceps machines 
• Triceps machines 
• Shoulder machines 
• Easy bars
• Preacher curl bench 
• Shoulder press machines 
• Lateral raise machines 
• TRX
• Swiss balls 
• Leg curl 
• Leg extension 
• Leg press
• Thigh abductors
• Squat machines 
• Calve raise machines 
• Function strength area 
• Medicine balls 
• Yoga mats 

As it was leg day, I put on a belt and squatted triangle sets up to 175% of my bodyweight. This is down 20kg down from before I left the UK and it is proving hard to keep the hard won strength gains without a regular routine and supplements. 

Who is this gym for? This was easily the largest gym that I have trained in in Asia, if not ever. There were a mix of tourists, expats and locals training here. I saw guys and girl of all ability levels. I would recommend this gym to everyone. Sadly, I can’t help with how much a day pass here costs, but it seems to be a good place to make friends if will be in Bangkok for a while.

Tip: Take a taxi and change into your gym gear. It is a lot less embarrassing. Also, if you train after dark their is a beautiful view of Bangkok out of the floor to ceiling glass windows.

P.s. One final confession. It was only when I got home I realised I still had their headphones around my neck. Oh well, at least I bought a protein shake at the bar….