#Gymtips

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.

Leading international sports scientists have issued urgent warnings about five extremely popular exercises that are actively undermining muscle-building efforts across Thailand’s rapidly expanding fitness industry, potentially wasting millions of baht and countless hours that Thai gym-goers invest seeking meaningful physical transformations. This comprehensive scientific analysis, spearheaded by renowned evidence-based training expert Dr. Mike Israetel and recently featured in major international fitness publications, identifies specific exercises that appear beneficial but actually hinder hypertrophy progress—a revelation with profound implications for Thailand’s booming wellness sector and the millions of Thais pursuing strength training goals.

A new wave of scrutiny has hit the weight room as top sports scientists call out some of the most popular exercises for muscle hypertrophy—highlighting that certain so-called “smart” moves may actually be holding Thai fitness enthusiasts back from real muscle growth. In a recent feature published on July 30 by Men’s Health UK, sports scientist Dr Mike Israetel, a revered voice in evidence-based strength training, candidly declared five commonplace exercises as “bottom tier” choices for anyone serious about building muscle mass. With exercise trends from YouTube to Thai gyms shaped by global fitness fads, these insights have major implications for how locals plan their resistance programs—and how they can avoid wasting precious gym time.

Exercise routines across Thailand may soon get a shakeup, thanks to new advice from world-renowned exercise scientist Dr Mike Israetel, who recently called out five common gym moves as “a waste of time” in a MensHealth UK feature dated April 10, 2025. Dr Israetel—co-founder of Renaissance Periodization and a respected figure in the global fitness community—argues that smarter exercise choices can lead to greater muscle growth and injury prevention, a claim especially relevant for fitness enthusiasts and trainers navigating Thailand’s fast-evolving wellness landscape (MensHealth UK).