Functional Training

[jukcoder]

Nothing new under the sun. What is the new trend today in training, it has been actually practiced by Russian athletes for the last fifty years. I guess many people use the term functional to refer to training that is relevant to daily life movement and activities - not bodybuilding, mirror muscles.... Bench pressing, for instance has no function or in others worlds it doesn't simulate any specific technique in most sports.

[dethmaul]

Functional is just the 'name' for real weightlifting, which kinda just boils down to free weights. Throwing kettlebells around, flipping tires, building the core, things that don't have a crutch like a machine. Using the whole body. Machines are good for bulking up, but a healthy body develops the supporting muscles that 'functional' training builds.

[boxer0121]

I think the information on the video is great - I am not sure about the dead lifts and squats not being any good - compound exercises are great for mass gains, which would be functional if you were training for American Football or a similar explosive power sport. Coming back to injury with the spine, you obviously work up to greater loads, allowing your body to adapt to the increased pressure and workload - done properly over time and safely - there shouldn't be too much of a problem!

[009JohnSmith]

......

[009JohnSmith]

@BodyPerformanceTV Before I even begin to argue why I don't agree with this video? Steve, by definition, what do you think functional training is?

[BodyPerformanceTV]

@009JohnSmith There's a difference between improving strength and muscularity and increasing coordination of movement.

[009JohnSmith]

@BodyPerformanceTV . Yes, but that still doesn't answer my question

[TrainInsane1]

I'm sorry but did you say that dead lifts are dumb? they are one of the most functional excersises on the planet. No squats, or lunges either? Since when is the gym about doing what isn't hard? Training is about function! Strength without function is useless. I dissagree with just about everything that you said.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

@TrainInsane1 Dead lifts offer more harm than good. Ever think about age, biomechanics, injuries, what an individual is trying to accomplish, the 1000's of pound of pressure they put on the spine, the difficulty of performing them, etc! That's what make me an expert and you average.

[stevelewisisasexymom]

@BodyPerformanceTV Steve,

I don't know nothing when it comes to this shit, but aren't deadlifts great for building up the lower back, trapezius, hips hamstrings, etc.? Like not for the average person but for a bodybuilder arent they good? I dont think theyre good for legs though

[BodyPerformanceTV]

@stevelewisisasexymom Hamstrings and lower back - yes, but I still wouldn't do them as a pro. Still too hard on the back. I would do partial deads off a rack lowering the weight to only my knees with the legs slightly bent. Most guys don't know how to do these.

[cmurway]

Great Stuff!

[TheAtomicDon]

I Train TO Function.

[brushfour]

I've heard and read in several places that Tiger Woods in fact does about a 315 lb. bench press. Bench is for chest naturally but it also takes a lot of shoulder power. Tiger looks like he has the shoulders to push 315 lbs...I think? I've heard Arnold is actually 5,11". I thought he was 6',2" A friend of mine who owns a line of fitness equipment (who also by chance just happens to be Austrian), is about 6 feet tall on the nose. In the photo my friend and Arnold look to be the same height.

[TheRealDirtyScary]

what's your point?

[brushfour]

LOL..well put collin355! I've seen and the said the same thing myself. There's a room that's dedicated to that stuff. Green, blue and red stabililty balls everywhere and strength bands and whatever other shit they have. Those stability balls seem to float all over the gym. Once in awhile one will be in the Strength room. I'm going down with a squat and one will be sitting next to the rack. Between sets you gotta kick it out of there. God help me,...those things are SO useless!

[collin355]

could'nt agree with you more..They took half the equipment out of my gum recently and replaced it with open space and funtional training equipment..ie stability balls bosu balls aka crap!!! all the trainers at my gym that teach that shit have love handles and cant even get themselves in shape let alone someone else..but hey they have a PT certificate so what do I know??? LMFAO!! functional training is a total F^&%&* joke!!!..I call it NO INTENSITY training...BOGGLES MY MIND!!!!

[TheRogueMonk]

i dont know what function training is.

but you should train your movments with weights you will become better player, but basically that is what weight traning is , it is to use weights to benefit you in the muscle or area you want to improove.

so he is right you get better at playing something by doin g it but weights can really help you run faster , throw better, and MOST IMPORTANTLY to get less injuries. Some may even learn to control their body better.

to me THIS is funcitonal training .

[brushfour]

Steve I do have a serious question here. The foundation of my lifting program has always been compound exercises. Namely, the squat, deadlift, clean, snatch, bench, incline and the like. I've always believed that the Squat and the Deadlift in particular require more muscle activity throughout the body to perform then any isolation exercise. I was suprised as heck when you wrote deadlifts were dumb, and suggested the leg press instead of the squat. Do you really believe the leg press is better?

[Alfaomegabravo]

If i recall correctly he ment that deadlifts rwere harder too do technically and its easy for the average joe to get injured. Which is why he called it "dumb" and recommended the leg press. I also think he mentioned deadlifts among exersices he "liked"

[SpartanLife1821]

@brushfour @brushfour I also am a little taken back steve does not like the deadlift. It could be that for the average lifter it is to hard and complicated because the form has to be perfect. Also for anyone with a back injury it could potentialy make it worse. Other than that i think steve is great and helped me alot but i think hes refering to the average joe should stick to simple movements like leg press etc i think?

[brushfour]

Thanks for the explaination of " Functional training." I use that term myself and I must say I've sort of stuck my foot in my mouth. It's actually exercises that are more specific to the sport done after strength is increased in the gym? Sounds right,...thank you.

[jenvencoop]

hello, I just wanted to know your opinion on the lower part of the belly that becomes flabby after a c-section. Is it possible to reduce it without surgery? I just started working out a few weeks ago and I am hoping to make some sort of a change in time. I also made changes to my diet and I am more conscious of the amount and the type of food I am eating. Please give me any advice you might have.

thank you

jennifer

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Here's my advice without being able to see you in person. 1) No Dead lifts. Dumb exercise and there are so many others that give better results. 2) No lunges. Too hard on the knee right now. 3) Skip the squats and do 45 degree leg press. Safer & Easier. Limit your weight and range of motion unitl your strength returns. 4) No leg extension. Too hard on the knee 5) AND NEVER train just the bad knee using one leg. ALWAYS train both legs at the same time. Safer on the bad knee.

[hyleeh]

the deadlift dumb?? wat are you on about my friend i completely disagree with this video...1. functional training is training the body to better perform actions used in daily life or sport specific movements (training your body to be more functional ie proprioception,core stregth dynamic flexiblty) 2. the benifit of functional training arises from training the bodys natural ability to perform in multiple planes in comparison to machines which restrict movement into one direction .

[hyleeh]

and for the guy with the ACL injury stick to closed chain movements such as single leg partial squats, partial lunges, cyclying then depending on how far along you are with your rehab you can move onto the squat and deadlift..the aim in functional training is to train the movement not the muscle. oh and brush four...stick to the squat bud the leg press is well......a dumb exercise. it is a beginners exercise that requires little or no stabilisation of core muscels and hip/knee stabilizers

[hyleeh]

if you dont believe me check out my vids i base my training around a functional training programme...which i dont need the gym and machines.......

[xoralmando]

I completely agree with Hyleeh, It's true that functional training can't be the same for everyone, it has to be specific to the clients job or sport they play, if a client comes in and tells me that he is a removalist and he bends over and picks large objects and puts it on shelves or whatever then i work with him by doing squats, then throw in a resistance to the squat and finally finish it with a twist, so it would end up being a medicine ball squat to press with a twist.

[xoralmando]

That is specific to the clients daily activity, to me that is functional training. :) peace out

[TricepDipMan89]

Hi Steve, I like simple basic moves and was wondering about squats/deadlifts/lunges and knee injuries. I tore my acl about a year ago and had surgery 8 months ago. I did physical therapy with weights but nobody told me the limits. I like these exercises for their hormonal fat loss effect and want to do them, but its not worth the risk of injury. Should I scrap them or just lighten the weight?

[lizardman77]

Push-ups and pull-ups are very simple, basic movements.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Thanks.

[Kunfusionz]

I really wish I could loop this and broadcast to every gym in America. To the poster below me, from the look how how thick this guy is, and the fact that he seems to have a shorter physique with insertions that would favor power, I'd say he reps out with 315 easily.

[imadebobie]

Tiger woods bench's 315 or something like that lol..

[collin355]

well they say in the media that tiger woods benches close to 400 pounds..the media also claims that arnold is really only 5'9 and not 6'2..conclusion??? don't believe everthing the media says

[TheRealDirtyScary]

theres no way Tiger can bench 400,some of the biggest meatheads at my gym can't even bench 400

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Thank you! I also have grasp for the elite exerciser as well!

[SilentWeazel]

haha Sorry, I did not mean to offend. Only reason I specify is that several comments have been made on your video post dictating that people should be eating 7 meals per day etc etc. Obviously you refer to the average gym user.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Well said!

[SilentWeazel]

Thank you. You seem to have a good grasp of the fundimentals of exercise for Mr and Mrs Average. Its nice to see not everyone is plugging the latest 'fad', and people are sticking to what works.

[SilentWeazel]

There are so many people leaving comments defending 'functional' training, and bad mouthing training that has been used since weightlifting began! Its madness. Any trainer who would have their clients throw a ball around or hop around on one leg is seriously misinformed and uneducated. All you are going to do is waste time and destroy invaluble motor patterns developed through the 'functional activity' of PLAYING SPORTS!

[yasage]

I've always thought that functional training was a set of strength building exercises for the everyday person. It is a set of exercises that does not include many of the injury-prone movements found in powerlifting or bodybuilding. What you are suggesting is fine for competition or body shaping I just think you should respect other aspects of exercise more.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

LOL! You better believe I am!

[return135]

Im not so sure your "heck of a lot stronger than Tiger Woods"

[ShiningStrike]

Thanks.

[coachtaskmaster]

I think you present some really solid information in most of your videos Steve. But, I think that this video is where you get a little polemic. Functional training is intended to strengthen movements (IF applied properly -- ie. NOT some of the circus acts you do see trainers doing with clients), as opposed to isolating individual muscle groups, in an effort to increase performance parameters. This IS how the human body functions. Isolation training by itself does not increase performance.

[SilentWeazel]

Isolated training does not increase performance?!?! Are you serious? How do sprinters get faster through olympic lifts then? Why does squating increase the verticle jumps of high jumpers and the speed of sprint cyclists? You are seriously misinformed 'coachaskmaster'!

[coachtaskmaster]

I said, "isolation training", meaning primarily; open chain, single jointed movements. I was referring to knee extensions, knee curls, bicep curls, etc. These do nothing for increasing performance in integrated movement. To go a step further, I am a huge proponent of ground based movement (squats over leg presses, military presses over bench press, etc.) Olympic lifts are great, if you can get the technique down, therefore; clean pulls over cleans, snatch pulls over snatches, etc.

[SilentWeazel]

Ok, then what on earth is wrong with isolated movement? Knee extention, yes I agree its a terrible exercise. But Leg curl? Bicep curl? All very important in various sports! Isolated lifts aid compound lifts and help avoid injury! Why on earth would you not do them?

[coachtaskmaster]

Isolation exercises are fine for hypertrophy phases or if you're a bodybuilder. They are fodder if you're in a strength or power phase. That is; they are on the lowest rung in the exercise selection category. Bicep curl variations have application in some metabolic phases (as with wrestlers), but stationary leg curls(prone and seated) are actually shown to predispose sprinters to hamstring pulls, via faulty firing patterns. BTW, Tiger Woods didn't develop his "core" strength doing crunches

[SilentWeazel]

I would agree when designing a POWER routine one would not start with a bicep curl. But to dismiss isolation exercises as 'good for hypertphy' is ignorant. A 1RM knee extention is one thing, but a 5RM trap 3 is something else. You cant write off isolations as 'fodder'. They are called assistance lifts for a reason!

[SilentWeazel]

p.s. Saying that bicep curls are only used for metabolic training, when experience has shown that elbow flexor strength is best increased when training with an average of 2.6 reps per set.... doesnt really follow your statement.

[coachtaskmaster]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Single joint "assistance lifts" have minimal application in a strength phase. My experience has been that the total volume of work is best expressed in multi-joint movements (horizontal, vertical and upright pulling vs. curling movements). Show me an athlete with a strong upper body pull and I guarantee he'll have a strong curl. It doesn't work the other way around. If, however, the elbow flexors are the inhibitory factor on pulling, then, yes; curl

[coachtaskmaster]

Furthermore, I didn't say that bicep curls are ONLY used for metabolic training. I said that they have some applications for metabolic phase training, grapplers in particular. As far as the 2.6 reps per set for maximal elbow flexor strength... that's all well and good, but I can tell you that it amounts to nothing at 30 seconds into a hard pummelling set (lactate threshold). Try a metabolic band speed curl set: 60 reps in 30 seconds. BTW, 6 weeks of this resulted in hypertrophy, as well.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Thanks!

[666Edu666]

really smart

[unlimitedthry]

Good . But I lost over 30 lb in one month using weight loss plan from LSWEIGHT(.)INFO

Simply amazing, and like everyone else has said truly inspiring!!

[SilentWeazel]

If someone is overweight, I mean anything more than around 18% BF for a man and 28% BF for a woman. You can make them lose weight by diet alone easily! I could prescribe a fat guy to bang his head against a wall for ten minutes a day, combined with a good diet and they would lose weight. 30lbs is a lot too lose in a month unless you are fairly out of shape to begin with. Therefore, altho your weightloss is brilliant, it is no testimant to functional training routines.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Thanks! I see stupid stuff like that and more. Circus exercises that don't help with weight loss and aren't even very good at building strength.

[SilentWeazel]

Im a trainer from the UK and I totally agree with this video! There are trainers at my gym who get clients to perform cable rows, whilst standing on a BOSU Ball... Why? Will that help them lose weight?? No! Will that improve their function?? No! Function is applicable strength combined with flexibility through a range of motion. Nothing more.

[yasage]

The BOSU, my friend, is exceptional for helping to build all of the smaller synergistic muscles and helps the excersiser with propioception. While you are correct about flexibility an R.O.M., muscle synergy and propioception are indeed very helpful too.

[SilentWeazel]

For who? So are you telling me to stop a 50 year old woman breaking her hip you would stand her on a BOSU ball? Really? Whats wrong with transverse movement on the GROUND if you want proprioception? We dont walk on BOSU balls in real life or in sport. Read a book!

[EdBlackmail]

Splitting hairs there. "Functional training" refers to exercises that help people function better outside the gym.

[ORTprod]

It is true that most people shouldn't be doing "functional training" right off the bat, but saying that it doesn't do anything is not giving it credit.

ALL ASPECTS OF TRAINING HAVE THEIR PLACE DEPENDING ON YOUR GOALS.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Infants, old people and people with strokes need proprioception training. If Brett needs it maybe he should have retired long ago.

[yasage]

Now I know you don't know what you're talking about. I'm turning the channel.

[notkrisroe]

Have you ever heard of proprioception?

In your opinion, trainers such as Mark Verstegen, Paul Chek, and Mike Boyle are just wasting millionaire athlete's time and money buy doing functional training?

So I guess Brett Favre losing 15lbs of fat and increasing his muscle mass had nothing to do with functional training, huh? Read Gray Cook's book and hopefully a light will go off. Love your body, use your mind.

[oderus55]

well when i think of a functional training i think of training that is realistic to life. bench pressing is not really gana make you that strong in normal life were as dead lifting a function drill is actually useful if i wanted to lift something. Cause i know lots of ppl that will out bench me but i can lift a log or move a wheelbarrle things a real person would do much easy then they can

[BodyPerformanceTV]

I'm talking about normal everyday movements being made easier and more efficient by increasing your strength. This will allow you to FUNCTION better. Exercising is not occupational therapy!

[thekillerbee123]

DO NOT IGNORE FUNCTIONAL TRAINING! this guy is talking about sports specific. But functional training for the exerciser who wishes to be fit and healthy need not worry about sports specific stuff, just FUNCTIONAL training that makes completing every day tasks easier. Exercises that improve day to day function. Ive watched this one vid of his and already dont like what hes telling people.

[collin355]

Block this!!! haha your funny!!!! No picture..no credibility!!!! and no I'm not on steroids but thanks for the compliment..If you knew how to train using basic exercises IE sqauts bench press overhead press bent over rows instead of that functional useless silly and pointless crap you might actually makes some gains and can put a pic of your physique up on your channel..untill than keep hiding behind your keyboard you douche..LMFAO

[collin355]

*YAWN*

[thekillerbee123]

good come back. Bitch ;)

[Chukchii]

I get so tired of this fat guy trying to tell something of value. Get in shape, moron.

[arodomus]

Dude, this guy gives us some valuable info.. If you don't like it, and your tired, then stop coming... No offense...

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Thank you!

[PedroGunzalez]

I definetly agree. I'm a good basketball player because I practice on the court. I can dunk and run good because I do the right type of workouts in the gym.

[guineapage]

I got $20 on Steve in a fight

[piperpig]

I got $50 on any of Tiger's bodyguards.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Make it $40!

[Shanedidwhat]

start putting them in High Quality

[Cubu47]

Agreed 110%

[LemonMurphy]

There are more 'functional' movements than others. Take bicep curls vs. chinups, for example the chinup is much more functional movement than curling.

Your view just seems a little hypocritical. When you told the women in your gym to stop using the machine where they push their legs together or apart, you said it's not practical and recommended squats as a better, more practical and functional movement. To say one exercise isn't as good as another is to say the other one is more functional.

[jaybonesNJ]

I think you are confusing the term functional with compound. The bicep curl is more isolated whereas the chinup is more compound because it hits more muscle groups. A functional movement tends to lean toward mimicking the same life-movements that one makes when not training. So you will never move your arm in an exact bicep curl motion in life, so the functional set would never have you do curls, for example. Most would say BS for gaining strength and size and I would agree with them.

[LemonMurphy]

I'm not confusing the term, but in real life movements there really aren't any isolation-style movements. So yes, in a way the more compound an exercise is the more functional it is.

The way I see it, the less you use machines, and the more whole body movements you can do, the more functional your strength becomes. I've seen guys who can do massive numbers on machine shoulder press, but can't do anywhere near it in free weights because they don't have the balance of muscular support.

[jjoaquin]

apparently alot of MMA fighters like GSP use this kind of training though

[piperpig]

I'd be willing to bet that, pound for pound, you're NOT a heck of lot stronger than Tiger Woods.

[YouNoop]

of course he is...hater :D dont be jelous fuking cunt fatass gay fag go too gym u piece of shit lazy bastard!

[BodyPerformanceTV]

You'd lose that bet BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

[piperpig]

I'll take that bet. So provide some info. For starters:

Your weight:___________

Your bench press:___________

Your squat:___________

# of Pull-ups:___________

Then I will provide the (easily verifiable)results of Tiger's workouts at The Kleven Institute.

So let's see if I'll lose the bet BIG TIME, or if you're just a BIG TALKER!!!!!!!

[piperpig]

Our good friend Steve replied that I'd lose my bet "BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!" if I wagered that, pound for pound, he's not "a heck of lot stronger than Tiger Woods."

So I asked him to prove it (see above). After all, Steve likes jumping all over others for not backing up a claim.

And guess what. No response. Zip. Nada. Silence -- BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You've undoubtedly heard of Chicken Parmigiano. Well, what we have here, is Chicken SteveTurano. It's what's for lunch.

[arodomus]

How would you have him prove this? I'm curious..

[piperpig]

Very easily.

All one would have to do is compare how much Tiger and Steve can lift, adjusted in proportion to their body weights.

Example:

Let's say Person A weighs 180 and benches 300 pounds.

If Person B weighs 220, he must bench 366 to match Person A's bench press on a pound-for-pound basis. (If 180 = 300, then 220 = 366.)

Steve has remained silent, choosing not to provide any information that would back up his claim of being "a heck of a lot" stronger than Tiger. BAWK!!!!

[jaybonesNJ]

Careful Steve...there's more to strength than muscle-size... (ok so I think you're stronger too but that's not the point, lol)

[gorila2bambang]

hahahah

so funny -_-

[arodomus]

I'd like to kick Tiger's @ss. Why? Just for the hell of it.. Rich @hole.. LOL...

[Berus7]

If I performed only "functional" training, I doubt I would have 19.5" arms. Funny thing, but by going about my normal, day to day routine, my arms weren't growing. It wasn't until I went into the gym and lifted heavy weights (that weren't part of my "functional" life as a networking engineer) that I began to really grow and become stronger. Gyms and weights exist because there is a NEED for them. "Funtional training" is nothing more than a marketing gimmick to increase dependency on trainers.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Circuit trainng is a good way of beginning an exercise program as long as you are incorporating simple, basic exercises. No balls or core training!

[CoolNewYorker]

please help.. i have some fat (not much) on my abs.. i have a great abs but its not visible cuz of the fats.. i need to get rid of the fat soon.. How can i do that???????????

[doford]

Burn calories. Eat less, excersie more. It isn't a secret, you just have to put the effort in.

Just watch how much you eat then cut out some snacks or have a smaller mill. You might not notice any change at first to you abs because the fat will burn from the rest of your body too.

You have to fight the cravings tho. If you a little hungry it's good.

[CoolNewYorker]

thx man

[reevo9]

unfortunately we cant choose where to loose our fat from. nutrition and diet is very important. whats your diet like? exercise is just not enough for most people diet needs to be correct aswell. if i was in your shoes though i would do some intense anaerobic exercises. its a goot way to srip the fat without loosing muscle.

[009JohnSmith]

@BodyPerformanceTV in beginning an exercise program, why shouldn't we do any core training?

[TazRulesNY]

The so called trainers at my gym push this circut training of 1 set per exercise, I think they call it nautulas or something!

[zephyrnautica]

LOL, I have been doing functional squats for 15 years now. Never really new the difference between that and weighted squats until now.

Can high sets and reps of functional squats be an effective replacement for weighted squats?

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Functional squats and weighted squats are the same thing. It's like saying functional running and running to catch a bus. Same thing. You can always vary the weight and reps.

[sayfaylo]

No Doubt!

[chrisopacity]

nice video, careful with the tiger woods comment, that's a firestorm waiting to happen :)

[GENERALLEEJ]

He uses Tiger as the example because Tiger is the best at what he does. Hitting golf balls. Not lifting weights.

[eric71]

What if the functional training is referring towards something like plyometrics. Such as the russian box jump, specifically made for hockey players. Waste of money, or is it different with plyometrics?

[BodyPerformanceTV]

Plyometics are good but only for the elite athlete, not the average. PLUS you need to be in great shape to do them.

[eric71]

I consider myself to be in good shape. Im about 5"9 145lbs [16 y/o] and in pretty good cardio shape and pretty strong for my size (195 bench 295 squat. Would the russian jumps be effective or should I stick to basic jumps.

[BodyPerformanceTV]

It depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you're strength training skip both types of jumps and do leg presses.

[frankenstein01]

I remember seeing somewhere that Tiger can bench 300, not bad for a golfer.

[uce85]

in your dreams

[frankenstein01]

google it...

[Kloxboy]

Makes sense.

[eurohim]

Tiger Woods has skinny guy strength.

[zebnolsen]

Nice video. I haven't heard this term yet - trainers at my gym are still stuck on 'Core Training'.