The Lab Trainer Revealed: Coach Pan
Hello, Lab Rats!
Welcome back to another edition of The Lab Trainer Revealed, where today we offer you a chance to take a closer look at Coach Pan’s Interview with Lab Founder, Richard Cohen.
To see it in live FB video format, check it out here.
About Pan:
A long time fitness enthusiast with over 13 years of personal training, Coach Pan is renowned at The Lab for her fashion-forward sense of style as well as her friendly and comprehensive manner of training that has garnered the attention of celebrities and athletes alike.
1. In a few words describe your fitness philosophy:
My fitness philosophy is not just about going to the gym to get big muscles. For me, fitness is more about making your lifestyle better. It is about achieving long term results.
2. How long have you been a trainer and was this your ultimate goal?
Wow, my ultimate goal. I’ve been doing this as a career since I graduated, so for 13 years now, I’ve been a trainer. My ultimate goal was to help make the world a better, healthier place. I’d like to do whatever I can to help people to live a longer and higher quality of life.
3. How do you think you help people achieve that through your training?
On a daily basis, I always try to give them their best session possible to help them get amazing fitness results. I also like to keep in touch with my clients and support them to make sure they keep coming back.
4. You have a really unique style and funky dress, where does your inspiration come from?
I think fashion is my passion, so the way I dress makes me feel comfortable and expresses my personality. I believe that good vibes go together and when dressing or wearing outfits, you don’t have to always wear tight fitting or branded gear, it’s more about showing who you are on the inside and being comfortable with who that person is.
5. Let’s talk about nutrition. Do you have any opinion on Vegan/Keto or Paleo diets?
Actually, diets are a huge part of fitness, especially for people who want to lose weight. It’s like 80% of the effort needed to get the most desired results.
There are so many different types of diets available for people out there now right, you just have to choose the one that suits you the best. Some people really can’t do Paleo at all because their body just doesn’t support the type of foods in the diet, all that meat, and greens.
You might have to just try each of them out and see which one suits you the best and makes you feel your best. Especially how it impacts you during the day and while you workout. If you don’t really feel great with that diet, try tweaking it to fit yourself and just go from there.
6. Is there any sort of diet that you adhere to?
I like to stick to natural food. I don’t really encourage my clients to get into whey protein, I prefer them to adhere to a natural path of getting nutrients. If sticking to a simple diet is not suitable for them and they need some extra protein then I’d just say have an extra protein bar during the day, if you really need one.
7. What is your one food weakness?
Potato Chips! BBQ flavor!
8. So you’ve been in the fitness industry for a long time and are a successful fitness coach and personal trainer – do you have any tips for developing a rapport with your clients for those aspiring trainers out there?
At the beginning, you just have to make people feel comfortable with you and really show that you care for that person. Just practice sincerity.
9. What do you think of the trend of fitness in Bangkok at the moment?
It’s become a huge trend that’s well accepted as a lifestyle. It used to be like, “Oh really?! I have to go to the gym to workout? Oh but I don’t want to get big muscles” but now every girl is like, “I need to go to the gym, I need to have a nice butt!”
When I was training with another company, several years back, girls were definitely in a different mindset being around all this equipment, feeling out of place and being like “this is not my thing.” That’s all changed now. Girls, boys and even older people are understanding the importance of keeping fit and healthy.
10. Where’s your favorite place in Thailand to go on holiday?
Since I’ve been at The Lab, 80% of my life has revolved around work and being busy with clients and all of that so The Lab is one of my favorite places to be. Seriously! Except for when I’m sleeping, I’m here all the time. But I do love Phuket for vacation, or maybe Koh Samed. They both have really different vibes from Bangkok. Life is slower and you can relax and just chill out by the beach.
11. What do you do for fun?
Reading actually, I love reading. At the moment I’m not reading any particular book because I’ve been busy but reading is definitely one of my passions during my down time.
12. Is there a particular book you’d like to recommend our clients?
I read a lot of detective and mystery novels, one my favorites is Harlan Coben. His books are really enjoyable, I’d definitely recommend trying any one of them. He writes fiction, so it’s a great way to get invested in a unique story and be hooked while forgetting about the world around you a little bit.
13. You’re quite well known for training a few celebrity clients. We won’t name names but what do you think are their biggest struggles to fitting in their workouts living and working in Bangkok?
Time is a big one. They obviously work really hard and have really early morning call times and then finish really late at night, so if I’m available late for them it’s always a plus. Normally it’s just too late to do though, like 9 pm. So I think for them timing is tough and also diet as well. They’re always very concerned about their diets but sometimes they’re not getting enough nutrition. So they’re not too different from the rest of us really! Same issues with time and diet just like us, ordinary people.
14. Do you have a client right now that you’re very proud of and why?
Too many to say! I’m really proud of all of my clients. I have one girl training with me who never thought of herself as a competitive person but just recently competed in the Under Armor event at The Lab. She never believed she’d be able to do these types of fitness tests but it turned out she was really good at it so I’m super proud.
15. What do your fitness goals look like for this year?
It’s not so much fitness itself but more education in the fitness field. Instead of doing lots of training I’d like to continue to learn, attending seminars in fitness. In the field of nutrition, of course, and also new exercises and developments in the field of losing weight and getting fit faster.
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Thanks again Coach Pan for the great interview!
Stay tuned for next week’s Lab Trainer Revealed with Trainer and Silom Club Manager, Tony Diamond.
– The Lab Team
