Functional strength

I’m sure you’ve seen these muscle beasts at the gym.  Their muscles have muscles and there’s usually no neck in sight.  These huge mega monsters can appear to be very strong and powerful at moving extremely heavy weights.  However, being able to pick things up and put them down has very little practical application.  Brute force can be used in some extreme situation.  I’m thinking if I am pinned under a fallen tree, one of these guys can easily move that tree and throw it a few feet.  But other than this I can’t think of any situation where this kind of particular strength can be used.

I would like to draw your attention to what is called functional strength.  This is the kind of ability to handle and move your body in a practical application with force, speed, flexibility, agility and conditioning.  When you train for functional strength you will improve your balance, stability and coordination as well.  Functional strength can also be defined as the ability to move your body including shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles through a full range activity without stiffness or pain.

When you work out at the gym, do you perform the same exercises over and over again taking your body through the same motion week after week, month after month?  If that’s the case, you need to start doing the kind of exercises that will push you out of that range and start engaging your other muscles.  Exercises that you perform while bearing your own weight are the ones you need to focus on.  For example, start doing push-ups, pull-ups, squat jumps, bear crawls, burpees, plank with alternate leg and arm raises.  There are many more that you can do by just looking them up online or signing up for a class that specializes in functional training.  Put yourself through a set of these regularly and expand your body’s ability to function!