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This e-book has been written for information purposes only. Every effort has been made to make this ebook as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this e-book provides information only up to the publishing date. Therefore, this ebook should be used as a guide - not as the ultimate source.

 

The purpose of this ebook is to educate. The author and the publisher does not warrant that the information contained in this e-book is fully complete and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this e-book.

 

© 2016 – Noah Daniels

What is Functional Strength?

 

 

Health and fitness fads come and go all the time but unfortunately not all of them are worth your time and effort. Some of them don’t work, some of them are overhyped and some of them are just plain dangerous.

 

But ‘functional strength’ is different. While functional strength is very much in vogue right now, it’s not a ‘fad’ by any means. In fact, functional strength is the opposite of a fad and it’s a step in the right direction for all of fitness.

 

That’s because functional strength take it all back: takes it all back to the reasons that most of us started training in the first place. Or at least the reasons we should be training.

 

Because let’s be honest: far too many people train ‘for the mirror’. How many guys do you see pulling their t-shirt up in front of the mirror after a set of sit-ups? How many women do you see on treadmills wearing the tiniest pants in the world and barely working up a sweat?

 

Do you think these people are training for the right reasons?

 

And how about the guy who is so ridiculously muscular that he can’t touch his toes any more without busting a gut?

 

This isn’t fitness – not really. And that’s what functional strength addresses.

 

As the name suggests, functional strength is strength that is functional. In other words, it’s strength that you can use. So you’re not trying to look strong or look health – you’re trying to be those things.

 

This is the difference between training like a gym bro and training like Bruce Lee. Which would you prefer?

 

And don’t worry if you’re not super fit, or if you don’t have any interest in becoming an elite athlete: functional strength is important for everyone. Functional strength helps you in every aspect of your life because it gives you better control over your body and your environment. Functional fitness extends to things like flexibility, correct breathing technique and posture. All these things enable you to move with less pain, more grace and more speed.

 

When you train for functional strength and fitness, everything becomes easier: from opening a jam jar, to helping a friend move furniture, to getting out of bed in the morning.

 

And if you want to train for your appearance as your first priority? Well then this is still the right way to go: because when you train for strength and power, you look much better. Don’t believe me? Then think about it logically: the reason that humans find healthy people attractive is because we assume they have better genetics and are better able to protect themselves and their families. Someone with functional strength really can do all those things and really is healthier – so they send all of those unconscious signals that make them more attractive to the opposite sex!

 

Why There Are Different Types of Strength

 

This all sounds great but perhaps you’re confused now as to how you can have more than one ‘type’ of strength. Surely strength is strength… right?

 

Well to an extent you’re right but in other ways… you’re not.

 

To start with, let’s take a quick look at ‘isolation’ training versus ‘compound’. Isolation training means that you’re specifically training certain muscle groups in isolation – on their own. This is how many of us have been told to train. For instance, when you perform bicep curls, you’ll probably do this by holding a dumbbell in one hand and then curling the weight up to meet your shoulder.

 

This is an isolation movement because the only muscle working is the bicep – especially if you’re sitting down. Only one joint (the elbow) is moving and everything else is static, thus, one muscle.

 

But in real life we don’t move like this. In real life, nearly every movement from carrying shopping to jumping up steps, requires a combination of muscles working in unison. When you train a bicep curl, you risk building your biceps up bigger than the other muscles around them like the triceps and forearms – which can create an imbalance. If your biceps get much bigger than the triceps for instance (which are the antagonistic muscles to the biceps – meaning they apply the opposite force) then this can make the arms look odd and potentially lead to injury. The same goes for leg extensions, hamstring curls, tricep extensions… the list goes on.

 

Another issue here is that you aren’t teaching the muscles to work together. Instead, you’re using muscles on their own, which means you’re more likely to move more efficiently, powerfully and without injury.

 

A compound movement on the other hand is something like a pull up or a squat. These movements mimic the way we move in real life when climbing or when jumping and that means that they will utilize multiple muscle groups at once in a more efficient and synergistic manner.

 

When performing any movement in the gym, you should always ask yourself: “when would I use a similar movement in real life?”. If you can’t think of an answer, then it may mean that the movement you’re training isn’t actually all that useful and it certainly probably isn’t functional!

 

Training for Strength Vs Size

 

But that’s not the only distinction between training methods either! Another issue

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: Noah Daniels
Bildmaterialien: wolfmedia2000
Lektorat: Wolfgang Buschek
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.04.2016
ISBN: 978-3-7396-5064-7

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