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Review: Training at Star Gym was another first for me. After arriving in Koh Samui, one of the first things that I googled was, "gyms in Koh Samui." This came up with several options, so I decided to check out as many of them out as I could to find the best gym in Koh Samui. The first one that I went to was Star Gym.
The gym itself is a modern, open sided gym situated on the first floor on one of the main streets in the heart of the tourist district of Chaweng in Koh Samui. The gym offers one on one Muay Thai kickboxing lessons as well as daily, weekly and monthly gym passes. Star Gym has a matted area for kick boxing lessons, along with two punch bags and gloves, body padding and leg guards that can be used whilst training.
The gyms opening hours are 8am to 10pm, so you can easily fit in a workout, whether you prefer to train in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Star gym provides sweat towels and sells water and protein shakes. I took a shot of their menu (see below), showing what you can get there as an after workout protein boost. It is always good to know where to find protein in Koh Samui!
A day pass for this gym was 200 bhat, which is about £4. You can also by week or a pack of 10 entrance passes if you are going to be staying in Chaweng beach for your whole holiday.
So, why was Star gym a first? Well, the open sided gym means that for at least half the equipment, you are visible from the streets. Now, it was either this, or the heat, but the protocol at this gym is that most of the guys here train shirtless. Now, thats is either something that is going to appeal to you, or is likely to be a deal breaker.
For my part, I kept my shirt on until the very end of my workout, but I did give in to curiosity and whipped down to my shorts for my last set. The results? Actually it was pretty interesting and not in a peacock kind of way. Honest. It allowed me to assess which muscles were were being involving in each lift and get a proper idea of my overall progress. However I think, all in all, I would rather stay in my shirt if it is all the same to you my dear reader!
Star Gym has new machines and weights and has all of the things you would expect from a modern western standard gym. This gym has:
- Dumb bells up to 50kg
- Running, cycling, rowing, cross trainer machines.
- Flat Barbell bench
- Incline Barbell bench
- Squat rack,
- Olympic bars
- Pec dec
- Easy bars
- Preacher curl bench
- Leg press
- Leg extension
- Cables
- Lat pull down
- Swiss balls
- Skipping ropes
- Mats for abs
- Adjustable benches
- Seated low row
- Smith machine
Who is this gym for? - Whilst I was there I saw a real mix of people. From single female tourists having kickboxing lessons, to a couple of huge Thai guys hitting chest day. Everyone is welcome here and there is a friendly atmosphere. Lone female travellers or those from more conservative cultures could possibly feel uncomfortable here due to guys training without shirts, so if this bothers you then you may wish to avoid this place and try one of the other gyms in the area. (See next post for where to train).
Tips: If you are in Chaweng beach for a week or more, it works out better to get a week or even 10 individual passes.
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