Manasak Muay Thai Gym [Gym Review]

Veteran fighter Manasak Pinsinchai is a familiar face in the Chiang Mai Muay Thai scene. Afterall, he’s been coaching in the culturally-rich city for the last decade. Originally from Ubon Ratchathani and hailing from a legendary Bangkok camp, Manasak has over 300 fights and multiple accolades to his name, including Rajadamnern Stadium champion and WMC World Champion. He didn’t only talk the talk, but also walked the walked, accepting competitive opponents all the way to his late 30’s. His exposure to teaching foreigners of all levels, in addition to his own technical muay femur fight style, made his decision to open up his own gym a no-brainer.

Now with a relatively-new gym (opened in 2023) named after him, new and old students are flocking to the laid-back town of Chiang Mai to train.

Contents

• Location & Accomodation
• The Gym
• Training
• Other Things To Do
• Things to Note
• Summary

Location & Accomodation

Located just 15 minutes from Chiang Mai International Airport and only a few minutes from the city center, Manasak Muay Thai Gym is easy to get to. It’s a great spot even if you don’t want your whole trip to be focused only on Muay Thai training. If you are staying nearby, the best way to arrive is by foot or motorcycle taxi. If walking is out of the question for you, it’s best to hail a car from a ride-sharing app such as Grab or Bolt. Since the gym is right on the main road and not tucked away in a tricky alley, you can easily find it. Just look for the purple flag with “MNSK” written on it at the entrance. Once you see that, you’ve arrived at the right spot!

There are lots of hotels in the area that are within walking distance – just do a quick search to see what’s in your budget. There is also on-site accommodation at the gym; all are private rooms, meaning you don’t need to share with a stranger.

The on-site rooms are literally steps away from the mats, so this option is best for people who really want to take their training seriously, or at least be as consistent as possible. With the typical sounds of training on the other side of the door, it can be very difficult to try to sleep in! The rooms are simple and have all the basics, including air conditioning, a fan, a refrigerator, closet space, and a bathroom with a shower.

At the time of writing, accommodation package includes training but not food. There are plenty of small shops and restaurants along the main road, so finding food nearby is not an issue for most.

The Gym

The gym is visible even from outside the gates. Walking closer, you will hear people warming up and Manasak’s stable of Thai fighters training for their upcoming fights. As soon as you enter the gym area, there is an office on your right. Lisa Brierly, professional fighter and champion in her own right (and Manasak’s better half), takes care of everything from bookings to payment to making sure everyone is getting what they need. She greets everyone with a big smile every day, and she will be your main point of contact and source of communication at Manasak.

The gym feels surprisingly open and roomy, thanks to the smart layout and placement of heavy bags, the boxing ring (there’s only one), mats, mirrors, and different rooms. Even when many people are working out at once or there aren’t enough heavy bags for everyone, it never feels crowded. There’s always enough room for you to practice shadowboxing in front of a mirror or work on your walking knees along the edge of the mats.

As you walk through the gym, you will notice photos along the columns and walls. These photos contain memories from training and fights. This incredibly communal touch implicitly says, “This gym is what it is because of everyone here, not just Manasak.”

In the back of the gym, you’ll find some simple workout equipment, like dumbbells, a pull-up bar, a bench, and a few kettlebells. Behind that are sinks and bathrooms. On the other side, also towards the back, is where there is a water station. If you bring your own water bottle, you can fill up your water here with some filtered reverse-osmosis water (clean and safe to drink!). If you didn’t, you can use one of the communal drinking cups.

Behind the visible gym area is where the trainers eat and sleep. This area is off-limits to guests. The gym offers motorcycle rentals for those preferring to make their own way around Chiang Mai.

Training

The best way to explain the training at Manasak is low-ego and technical. Everyone there, no matter what their level, manages to make friends easily. Laughter and smiles during training are a common sight. Yet, there is still a thin veil of “you are expected to work hard”. This could be due to the small stable of professional Thai fighters at Manasak, who train for their fights before the group class begins. Their training often spills over into the warm-up and the earlier parts of bag work. They occasionally jump in to help hold pads and spar with the class. When group class ends, they are finishing up speed kicks on the pads or working on technical drills with Manasak.

That “fight energy” within the gym is very difficult to ignore, even though people actively training for a fight make up only a sliver of the entire gym. It certainly shows that Manasak and his trainers mean business. Since Manasak is running point on the fighters’ training, he is not always involved with the group training. You will, without a doubt, hear his hoarse voice echo across the gym as he is instructing the fighters, holding pads, or making a sarcastic joke with a sly smile on his face.

That being said, a majority of their customer base are beginners, intermediates (which includes some fighters), and people looking for a friendly/fun place to train in Thailand. Unlike most gyms in Bangkok, the gyms in Chiang Mai focus more on their customers’ needs, and their trainers are generally better at helping people who begin learning Muay Thai as adults. Many find Bangkok fight gyms intimidating, with very little guidance and always coming second to the gym’s roster of pro fighters. The larger language barrier at Bangkok gyms only compounds this feeling. Choosing a gym like Manasak is a great way to experience Muay Thai in Thailand without the pressure of it being necessary to do things exactly as the pros do it.

Like everything, this has its positive points and its drawbacks. Its positive points are that many of the trainers are more willing to meet you at your level and have much more patience. Their English-speaking abilities are generally better, as well. Doing more drills gives you more chances to practice and improve your skills, instead of just trying to figure things out on your own after learning a new technique. Since the training is organized and supervised from the start to the end of each class, you’ll always know what you should be doing and never feel unsure. And most importantly, it’s friendly, not intimidating, and most people can agree that it has “good vibes”. Because not everyone is in “serious fight mode”, it is incredibly easy to connect with others and make friends within the gym.

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Some drawbacks: some people want to work with Thai fighters when clinching and sparring instead of other foreigners when traveling to Thailand. And because the group classes are catered to the majority of the customer base, those who are at a higher level can feel like they are not being challenged enough, and finish class feeling like they want to do a bit more. (This point also heavily depends on who else is at the gym at the time and what level of partners you can choose to partner with.) But no matter how experienced you are, you can always learn by practicing the technical skills or sparring, even if it’s not always physically demanding.

Some neutral points (points that can be perceived as negative or positive depending on who you are as a person, your goals, and your own training experiences): The classes are similar to Muay Thai classes held outside of Thailand, but they last for two hours instead of the usual one hour you might see in many countries. They are led by former professional fighters who have a lot of experience and knowledge about fighting, ensuring that the training you receive is of very high quality. For those who like this familiar structure, you will ease your way in just fine.

For those who want more “freestyle time”, you’ll only find opportunities after group training to be able to get that extra work in. This is also not a gym where the trainers (or training) will try to “break you in” to see if “you have what it takes” to train in Thailand. You will be challenged, sure, but it’s a place where the trainers understand their job is to teach people who do Muay Thai mostly for fun, not to see if you have what it takes to train like a professional fighter.

*Note that if you are a long-term fighter at this gym with a confirmed upcoming fight, your training will be different. Manasak will be more involved in your training, and you’ll be matched up with sparring and clinching partners closer to your level.

Women do not have to roll under the bottom rope to enter or leave the ring – they can enter and exit through the middle ropes.

After each round of bag or pad training, everyone should do 20 push-ups. Sometimes it won’t be announced ahead of time, but if you notice most of the students doing them, it’s a good idea to join in!

Morning Session

As of September 2025, their morning classes start at 8am (previously at 7am). Fighters and other foreigners who wish to run manage it on their own. It is not mandated, and most people visiting short-term will not be asked if they ran in the morning. Those who run do so at before the start of the morning sessions at Chiangmai Railway Station Park, which is just 5 minutes away from the gym.

Those who do not run jump rope for 10 minutes. The trainers then continue the warmup with various footwork, calisthenics, and structured shadowboxing. The training is very structured, with one main trainer taking the lead, voice projecting throughout the gym so everyone understands what they are doing at that very moment. “Okay, 20 pushups! Then get up and do some side-stepping.” followed by some more shadowboxing. “Block then kick while you shadowbox“, “Okay, everyone grab a bag. Knees for 5 minutes.” The entire warmup takes about 20-25 minutes.

Afternoon Session

The afternoon session starts at 4pm. The warmup is almost identical as the morning’s: jumprope for 10 minutes followed by footwork drills, calisthenics, shadowboxing, and bagwork. 2-3 times a week, boxing sparring will be worked into the afternoon classes. Because the afternoon sessions can have more people comparative to the mornings, names are written under each trainer on a whiteboard so everyone knows who they are hitting pads with. When padwork is included, it is 3 x 4-minute rounds. So if you’re second on the list, go up to the trainer once the timer says the third round is over, and so on.

The padholders have different styles of holding. Some, like Kru Choo, prefer single power shots. Kru Ton is about fight-intensity padwork. Manasak wants more reaction and for you to practice using your eyes. Kru Mie is dubbed “the farang killer”. If you’re not sure who you’d like hitting pads with, try them all. They all have something to offer, especially if you don’t yet know what kind of padwork style you like. And if after a week, you have someone you prefer over the rest, ask Lisa if you can continue hitting with them.

Training Structure

Although there’s a general plan for what components are covered in the training session, the trainers decide what the students do based on the size of the class, the experience level of most attendees, and whether there are enough paddles available. It is always a mix and match, usually 2-3 components, between: bagwork, drills with a partner, Muay Thai sparring, clinching, and padwork. There is padwork most sessions, with the exception of Saturdays, where there is only Muay Thai sparring (and sometimes drills beforehand).

Something different about Manasak’s gym in comparison to the Muay Thai camps in Bangkok is the presence of drills every single day in some capacity. Manasak himself has extremely fight IQ with his muay femur style, so it’s no surprise that he has set the tone and technical-based work is prioritized for the group sessions.

Kru Chiang and Kru James usually take charge of explaining techniques and telling everyone what to do. They break down the drills step by step, mention what you want to avoid, and what you should aim for. They speak clearly so nothing is misunderstood, and allow everyone time to practice with a partner. Some of the drills are done with no shin guards (with light power). Since most of the trainers are watching, anyone going too hard or hitting with the wrong part of their limb is quickly stopped and shown how to do it correctly.

The group classes can be large, but a majority of the trainers are walking around, giving pieces of advice, and correcting people during these drills. When the group classes are smaller in size (which is normal towards the second half of the week), everyone is given some extra attention, especially to those who are fighters.

Generally, the morning and afternoon sessions are structured very similarly, with the morning sessions a bit less intense than the afternoons. They both start with jumprope (or running in the morning, if you choose to do that), followed by some footwork and calisthentics. 2-3 components of training are chosen and followed through, and then everyone is lined up at the end.

Kru Chiang or Kru James usually end the class with some recap and reminders, ranging from, “It’s very humid, so don’t wait around too long after training to shower. If you have anything on your skin, better to go to the doctor and don’t come here to train” to “I want everyone to keep in mind that what we worked on today is to use your reactions and skills. It doesn’t matter if you are a fighter or not, control and skill are very important, so never forget that. And please show everyone here, including the trainers with respect, so this can be a happy place for us all.” After these reminders, everyone is usually asked to do some sit-ups and other bodyweight exercises on their own. The trainers won’t watch over you as you do these, so it’s up to you to stay motivated and push yourself.

Other Things To Do

Chiang Mai is perfect for those who want to be in a laid-back town near nature, small businesses, and the arts. There are plenty of specialty coffee and tea shops (both coffee and tea are grown in Chiang Mai), and lots of local businesses to support that make their own clothing and other items for purchase.

Tha Pae Gate is a tourist attraction, and there are multiple night markets closeby. Hiking and ziplining are also popular things to do on the weekends or when you want a break from Muay Thai.

And of course, there are the Muay Thai fights. There are three main stadiums in Chiang Mai: Tha Pae, Kalare, and Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium. If you are at Manasak for at least a week, chances are, you will get the chance to see one of your new friends (or maybe even one of the trainers!) compete at one of the stadiums.

Check out the gym review of The Bear Fight Club for other recommendations of things to do in Chiang Mai.

Things to Note

Because Chiang Mai is situated in the mountains with lots of jungle area, the air is clean, comfortable to breathe, with a cool freshness about it. However, lots of trees also mean lots of insects, so prepare to see lots of bugs and be bitten by many mosquitoes all all times of the day, especially if you are standing or sitting still!

The only time Chiang Mai doesn’t have good air quality is during their “crop burning season“, which generally runs from January to April. This infamously smoky season makes the air in Chiang Mai hazardous to breathe.

The gym can help you find a fight locally in Chiang Mai. Guests who have been at the camp for as little as a week have gotten fights with no issues. You can make it known to the trainers and/or Lisa that you wish to fight before you leave. Fights in Chiang Mai don’t require you to weigh in, and the pay is around 1,500-2,000 baht.

Summary

Location: Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai

Proximity/Convenience to Other Things: Plenty of restaurants near the gym. Downtown/city-center only a few minutes drive from the gym. Chiang Mai International Airport is about 15 minutes away

Price: Contact Manasak Muay Thai Gym to book your training and/or on-site accommodation, as this can change

Training: Morning training starts at 8 and ends around 10. Afternoon training starts at 4:00 and ends around 6:00. Training is always a mix of 2-3 of the following: bagwork, padwork, drills, boxing, Muay Thai sparring, and clinching. After each group session is when private sessions are held, if that is something you’re interested in booking. As most gyms in Thailand, the gym is closed on Sundays.

Gym Culture: Technical and not-intimidating. Women do not have to go under the bottom rope when entering or exiting the rings (between the middle ropes if fine). It is easy to make friends at the gym as most of the people there are temporary visitors from all over the world!

Language: Most of the trainers have decent English-speaking skills as they are used to training foreigners. Kru Chiang and Kru James have the best English skills at the gym

Getting there: Fly into Chiang Mai International Airport. To the gym, depending on your proximity to where you are staying, you can walk or use a ride-sharing app.

All expenses incurred on this trip were covered thanks to my Patrons via Patreon. If you enjoyed this article, the other content on this website, as well as my social media content, Podcast episodes, and newsletters, please consider supporting via Patreon.

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