Always Adaptive
Dive into trending health and fitness topics with Evidence Based Coach, Randall James. Having a background in many different exercise modalities, he looks at all exercise through the lens of health AND performance and so provides a unique perspective that's hard to find elsewhere.
Always Adaptive
Are BOSU Balls Bad for Muscle Growth and Strength?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this video, I’m responding to some comments that have piled up over the past 6 months about some BOSU ball comments I made.
I break down some data behind BOSU ball training, instability exercises, force production, and why so many people misunderstand what this equipment actually does.
BOSU balls were originally designed for balance training, proprioception, rehab, and fall prevention, not for building strength or muscle. Yet somehow, they became a staple in gyms during the early 2000s “functional training” boom.
I walk through:
- Why EMG data is often misinterpreted
- How instability diverts neural drive away from large motor units
- Why force production and rate of force development matter for strength, hypertrophy, and injury prevention
- Why single-leg training on stable ground beats BOSU ball exercises for real-world stability
If you’re thinking about adding a BOSU ball to your training regime, watch this video first.
Coaching inquiries email me at randall@alwaysadaptive.com or visit alwaysadaptive.com
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