Too Fast, Too Functional

I've spoken a fair bit before about why "functional training" doesn't cut the mustard.

But seeing as I still get told not to do certain exercises because they're not "functional", it's helpful to revisit the topic every so often and explain why there's a better way to train.

There are a set of fundamental training principles that all training should abide by. The two that are relevant to functional training are Specificity and Progressive Overload.

Specificity dictates that adaptations occur specifically to the muscles trained, according to the intensity, the metabolic demands, and the movement, among other things.

For example, if you want to get faster, you need to train fast.

Progressive Overload is the concept that to continue getting stronger or improving your fitness, you need to progress your training in some way with greater load.

For example, you won't get any stronger if you stick with just squatting the bar.

This is where we run into two fundamental problems with functional training.

1. Often the exercises aren't specific to anything useful.

I get told exercises like Halos or Lunge Curls are great because they're "functional". What exactly are these movements specific to? Sure, it's great to have strong legs and arms, but there are very few movements that require both at the same time. So many "functional" exercises are so unnecessarily complicated that they're not relevant to anything outside of that movement.

2. When different movements are combined into one exercise, it doesn't allow you to progressively overload effectively.

If a single exercise involves jumping off the floor, lifting something overhead, and some kind of squat, one of those movements is going to be the most demanding. That becomes the limiting factor for the exercise, and for everything else, it's a poor stimulus to actually get stronger. Isolation exercises like leg extensions or bicep curls are labelled as "not functional", when really they're a great way to get stronger because they're very easy to progressively overload.

In general, functional training makes exercise far more complicated than it needs to be, and makes it difficult to progress.

Just go back to the principles of Specificity and Progressive Overload. If you're trying to improve your overhead press, then train that movement and progressively overload it. You don't need to add in a lunge, squat, or single-leg stand to make it "functional".

Additionally, if you're struggling to progress an exercise because you're limited by a muscle that you're not directly trying to train, you might need to rethink that exercise.

That said, there can be benefits to this style of training. These are often full-body workouts with a reasonable metabolic demand, as well as being in a class setting, which is great for a social atmosphere. Just don't justify doing an exercise because it's "functional". Justify it because it aligns with a principle of training, or simply because you enjoy it.

If this resonates with you and you'd like to start training to make real progress, sign up for one of my Coaching Packages.