Muay Thai Fitness & Recovery Week in Phitsanulok, Thailand

A typical day starts around 07:00 with a run, followed by an hour of Muay Thai and Western boxing at 08:00. Breakfast is served at 09:00 — usually eggs, fruit, rice dishes and a protein smoothie — and then the middle of the day is yours. Some guests use it to sleep, swim, book a Thai massage or take the free shuttle to the pool at the Imperial Hotel. Afternoon training runs from 16:00, often focused on clinching, sparring drills or an alternative session, and dinner is at 18:00. Evenings are for the night market, meditation or just sitting outside.

The training itself is real Muay Thai, not a boxercise class. You will do pad work with Thai trainers, heavy bag rounds, footwork and combinations, defensive drills, partner work and optional clinching, plus skipping and cardio conditioning. The gym also has a CrossFit and functional training area and runs regular CrossFit-style classes, so if you want strength and conditioning alongside the martial arts you can have both. Sessions sometimes move outdoors — along the Nan River or, on Tuesdays, at the historic King Naresuan Palace site.

What separates this from the big tourist camps in Chiang Mai or Phuket is scale and setting. JP Boxing Gym is family-run, takes roughly six to twelve guests, and sits in a non-touristy city. That means trainers actually watch you and correct your technique instead of counting rounds from across the room. It also means you spend the week among Thai people going about their lives — eating at local restaurants, visiting markets, and joining the family's Sunday outing.

The coaching team is led by Kru Jay and includes trainers who have worked with professional and Olympic-level fighters, so beginners get patient instruction while experienced practitioners still get pushed. Cultural elements are woven in: you can learn the Wai Kru / Ram Muay ceremonial dance performed before fights, and there may be opportunities to try Muay Boran and Thai sword training. On the Saturday morning there's a trip to Wat Yai Temple to offer gifts to the monks.

Recovery is treated as part of the programme rather than an upsell. The sauna and ice bath are free and available daily, stretching and cool-downs are built into every session, and the food is designed to actually fuel training — not a starvation detox. Vegetarian, vegan, raw and pescatarian diets are all catered for, and about half the kitchen staff eat plant-based themselves.

What's included

- Airport pickup and drop-off (Phitsanulok Airport, bus or train station) - 6 nights private air-conditioned accommodation with en-suite bathroom - Twice-daily training: Muay Thai, Muay Thai Boran, Western boxing, CrossFit - Beginner-friendly, wellness-focused coaching with Thai trainers - Healthy breakfast and dinner daily - Daily protein smoothie, fresh fruit, water, tea and coffee - Free daily access to sauna and ice bath - Free use of fitness equipment and yoga room - Free access to a large local swimming pool - Pagoda Mountain Challenge (endurance climb plus traditional Muay Thai) - Tuesday river run and training at the historic King Naresuan Palace site - Saturday morning ceremony offering gifts to monks at Wat Yai Temple - Sunday JP family day out (Sukhothai, White Temple, local lake or temples) - Night market experience with JP - River run and Muay Thai practice at outdoor locations - Free Wi-Fi - Free transportation during the retreat - Cultural and historical experiences

What's not included

- Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Airport transfers from Bangkok or Chiang Mai (approx. 200 USD per car each way from BKK/DMK, 300 USD from CNX) - Thai massage (available, ask for price) - Yoga classes (available, ask for price) - One-on-one personal training sessions - Motorbike rental - Personal expenses and souvenirs