BASE Lowdown: Personal Trainer, Coach Mui
Get the Lowdown on BASE Bangkok personal trainer, Coach Mui!
Mui is a Thai certified personal trainer and powerlifting coach. He strongly believes that health, strength and a sustainable diet is the key to longevity, happiness and a wholesome lifestyle.
Learn more about Mui’s training style on his BASE Team profile page.
Mui is available for personal training at BASE Thonglor and BASE Langsuan, or check out one of his popular group class sessions.
What’s non-negotiable for you when it comes to fitness and health?
I don’t believe in “non-negotiables” when it comes to fitness and health. I think fitness and health is a choice that depends on your lifestyle and can be negotiated and modified depending on how you feel in a certain period.
If you’re too strict with yourself, you’ll fail.
What’s a typical breakfast for you?
I start the day with a high protein and moderate carb meal, such as crackers or Moo-Ping and sticky rice. It may seem strange to some people, but when I wake up and I feel my body really needs some quick carb, I’ll have ice-cream.
How do you manage your training and diet when you’re on holiday?
I don’t – it’s a holiday, which I think should mean that you’re really resting your mind and body.
When I’m on holiday, I enjoy myself with eating and drinking, but I still keep a focus on high protein food and low-calorie drinks for the most part.
What’s your best strategy to stay motivated?
Set your goal and follow the process to get there. Simple as that.
What’s your go-to snack?
Well, anything that would fit in my daily required calories. If I just trained for 2 hours I might want 20 pieces of moo ping, and why not? It’s high in protein!
What do you do to relax?
I do a lot of the same things as everyone else – I like to rest, sleep, party with friends, find new restaurants or enjoy a movie. I also do gaming as a way to wind down.
What’s your post-workout routine?
I make sure to have high carb and high protein food – this helps a lot with my recovery.
Sum up your dietary approach in a sentence?
Eat what your body really needs, not just what you want. But you have to be human too, and sometimes just really eat and enjoy what you want.
Being a good personal trainer means…
You can’t really help someone unless you understand their needs and goals. But trainers also need to compromise sometimes and adapt to changes and the unexpected.
Also – we have to make sure to track a client’s progress to get the best outcome. Tracking progress makes the client feel more confident too, and assured that their fitness coach has a proper plan in place.
What’s the biggest diet mistake or misconception?
Here’s two: Eating at night makes you gain weight, and carbs and fat make you fat. Both are wrong, and common misunderstandings.
What are your top tips for how to keep your energy levels up?
Plan out your days. I don’t mean every minute, but have a general idea how your days will go. Also, make sure to plan for enough recovery time after training.
I believe everyone should…
Live their life like it’s the end of the world. Eat enough, train hard and play harder!
“You can’t really help someone unless you understand their needs and goals. But trainers also need to compromise sometimes and adapt to changes and the unexpected.
Also – we have to make sure to track a client’s progress to get the best outcome. Tracking progress makes the client feel more confident too, and assured that their fitness coach has a proper plan in place.”
– Coach Mui
3,2,1… GO
Best Bangkok Healthy Eatery? Not a fan of any. I don’t trust many places like that – I’d rather cook myself with the best quality ingredients for a healthy meal.
Favorite Cheat Meal? I don’t have one because I eat a lot daily and make sure to mix up my food selection. So the whole ‘cheat’ thing doesn’t really apply to me.
Favorite Exercise? Tie between deadlift and squat.
Most-hated exercise? Abdominal exercises – any of them.
Weird fact about you? I hate most vegetables and fruits, so I drink them instead of eating. Also, I broke a front tooth once from eating an ice cream bar.
One thing you can’t live without? Of course, food!