A growing body of international sports science warns that five popular exercises undermine muscle growth across Thailand’s expanding fitness scene. Led by evidence-based training expert Dr. Mike Israetel, this analysis highlights movements that often seem beneficial but hinder hypertrophy, offering important implications for Thailand’s wellness sector and the millions pursuing strength training goals.
Thailand’s fitness market has boomed from Bangkok’s city centers to provincial towns, with social media-driven trends shaping practices. While Western methods influence many enthusiasts, Thai culture also emphasizes functional movement and martial arts, making scientifically guided exercise selection crucial for real progress. For many gym-goers—from urban professionals to university students in Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Khon Kaen—the challenge is translating popularity into measurable results amid busy lives and finite recovery time.
Dr. Israetel’s review, anchored in decades of peer-reviewed research and practical coaching, argues that while most exercises have a place, not every popular movement supports muscle hypertrophy. Effective programs must create mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and progressive overload while avoiding excessive fatigue that impairs subsequent training sessions. This is particularly relevant for Thai trainees balancing work, family, and social commitments.
The first movement criticized is the Bosu ball, a staple in Thai gyms marketed for core activation and stability. On unstable surfaces, the nervous system downregulates large, growth-prone muscle contractions to prioritize balance, limiting hypertrophy. Instead, performing the same exercises on stable surfaces allows greater force production and safer progression through added resistance or volume.
Second, kettlebell swings are popular in bootcamp-style classes for posterior chain engagement. While they boost cardiovascular fitness, their horizontal force and high-repetition nature are less optimal for hypertrophy. Replacing them with deficit deadlifts, power cleans, or mid-thigh pulls enables heavier loading and vertical force production that better stimulate muscle growth, aligning with Thai martial arts training that demands explosive strength.
The third issue is heavy carry variations, such as farmer’s walks. Though they build grip and work capacity, they generate substantial systemic fatigue that can hamper recovery and subsequent exercises. Substituting with traditional pulling and pressing movements—like deadlifts and rows—provides a stronger hypertrophy stimulus with less overall fatigue, supporting consistent training across busy weeks.
Fourth, the bicycle abdominal exercise is common in core routines but offers limited mechanical tension and progression. Weighted decline sit-ups and V-ups provide greater challenge and clear progression through added resistance or increased range of motion, yielding superior abdominal development within typical Thai gym settings.
Finally, the Turkish get-up is often praised for mobility and coordination but delivers minimal mechanical tension for hypertrophy. Deep barbell squats and overhead presses offer greater joint loading and muscle stimulation, delivering more substantial strength and size gains over time and fitting well within standard gym environments.
Thai fitness professionals and academics increasingly integrate international research into practice. While Thailand’s modern gyms and urban schedules demand efficiency, gaps remain between popular trends and scientifically validated methods. The Thai audience, especially Gen Z and Millennials, prioritizes evidence-based wellness, long-term health, and measurable results, driving a shift toward higher-quality education and client programming.
For practical application, Thai gym-goers should audit routines and replace the five low-value movements with compound, progressive exercises that enable clear progression. Choose movements grounded in science for hypertrophy rather than social media appeal or purely functional claims. Consulting qualified fitness professionals and keeping training logs can help ensure steady progress over months and years.
This approach does not dismiss stability work, cardio, or movement variety. Rather, it reallocates training time and recovery toward exercises that maximize muscular development and sustainable gains, tailored to Thailand’s busy lifestyles and culturally specific needs.
Looking ahead, broader access to multilingual training resources and increased collaboration between Thai universities and international sports science institutions will elevate fitness education nationwide. Expect higher-quality group instruction, evidence-based personal training, and more locally relevant research-informed programs.