1) Build sufficient cardio to train 2) Become strong enough to execute all the necessary movements at the desired intensity 3) Practice the movements to perfection
Well said. Build strength and then practice sport specific movements to build the coordination to use that newly found strength. A little bit more nuanced than this but yes in a nutshell.
@@limitisillusion7 wow look at you with all of those beeg words, did you read them on a book you fucking nerd? Sorry if I'm too busy lifting to care about what any of that means.
@@elpogio4890you could argue there is more coordination involved with a lot of KB moves comparable to DBs. That comes at a decreased ability to transmit strength and power though That’s particularly evident in the shoulders where we almost never put the shoulder into weighted positions with DBs like we do with KBs (although I don’t see why you couldn’t) It’s not really what I view as “strength though” and how functional is it? Congrats you can get up off the floor while holding 30kg in front of you. I can lift 200kg straight off the floor. Which is more functional?
Neurologic strengh is a thing though. There is a huge difference between scientific measurement of work capability and neurologic strenght to a higher degree of motion
Yes but that can still be built using the methods Dr. Mike mentioned. And in fact, things like TGUs would be far less effective for building neurological strength.
@@synergyrevolution2332 neurological strengh is friggin neurological... as in... you need to adapt your brain to control your body. Theres no way every body learns that from exactly te same source, way or exercise...
@@Sewblon You must not have been keeping up with “optimal” bodybuilding then, cause all these science based bodybuilders say the overhead press is redundant since your front delts are already worked in all pushing movements. Overhead press is literally mandatory for having super strong shoulders, bodybuilders don’t care about strength. And yeah they also don’t care about obliques either.
I like free weights in general because they engage stabilizing muscles all over your body, compound exercises, that’s my definition of functional muscles
It seems that people with too much free time, specifically celebrities,try to emphasize unconventional techniques simply because they have too much time…focus on what the experts say 👍
@@nicholasskridla2475 "Functional build" what is it? Dark Souls? 😂😂 No one is arguing that Joe Rogan is a badazz bro, but Joe Rogan is not an expert in this field, Mike is.
Dr. Mike…. Thanks for all your knowledge. I’m not a complete noob, but not a pro and your knowledge has helped me get such better quality workouts and soreness in muscles that seemed to evade me. So basically you’re saving me time, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
It’s a lot less about KB’s vs DB’s vs BB’s but more about the movements you could do with any of them. Specializing in just one of them is okay but i’d say they all have their own set of pros and cons
Listen, man...functional strength is exercising small muscles that are almost never hit in the gym. Yes, you have to do the big 3. That is a given. Once you get high-level in your gym work outs though you can see more real strength gains from exercising the smaller muscles that are never hit on things like bench, squat, deadlifts, curls, pull downs, rows, et cetra. Like if you ever grab a wrestler or a gymnast or these guys that work all day in the oil field or on a farm and they're able to do things that are just like "holy shit." They can't bench or squat as much as you but as far as general strength they have a different kind of power. That's because all their muscles are strong. Their hands and fingers are strong. They are essentially working out muscles others have never hit. I've bench pressed 335-350 in two different periods of my life. I've curled with 50 lb dumbells in each hand at two different periods of my life. The first one was only in the gym, the second was in the gym less but spending 13.5 hours a day 7 days a week building the piping systems for oil rigs. Trust me when I say this, you could kick my ass at either time! Lol. But fr the guy that had more functional real world strength was the 2nd one and it wasn't close. The bf percentages were both 18-20 but because of my 20k minimum steps per day I consumed twice the protein and calories while in the oil field. I had the same lifts but I was way way way fuggin stronger. That is what Joe means.
I can't live without Dr. Mike. I grew up country. My work was 8 hours hauling brush on a weekend. My family did hard labour to be fit. But I realized that was being over worked when I wanted to be fit in the suburbs in my late 30's. I shot my cortisol up sky high & destroyed what my exercise goals were. The work in weight lifting is the 23 hours after your sets & now I can do the hard labour if I had too instead of just jumping in to get fit.
Because of Dr.Mike, I was able to get to 20 percent body fat at 92kilos weight & the Cunningham Calculator says I need a pound of calories a day to keep my calorie needs met. Obviously I want to loose more weight because my waist has a ton of visceral fat still but I would of failed 8 months by now when I started 9 months ago to get fit after a huge back injury & 4 c-sections. Thank you Dr.Mike. You save lives.
Functional strength has become a loose term lately for scattershot programming of inefficient exercises. It really depends on what "function" we want to be stronger at. Even machines give us functional strength if the goal is simply to make a muscle have more force output. I think what he must mean is maybe core stability.
Functional strength is whatever gives you resilience to injury in unpredictable situations. It's basically the ability to be athletic and coordinated enough to avoid injury in the long-term. Deadlifting 500 pounds will give you pretty good functional strength. Mixing in olympic lifts, unilateral and lateral movements, calisthenics, plyometrics, running with directional changes, and various sports will do even more for functional strength. Functional strength is maximized through diversity of movement.
@@JLA91 Nope it is functional , cuz literally every movement he said was part of human pattern movements and each and everyone of them uses the joints in such a way you would be injury free in and outside the gym for years
if any workout requires you to use your entire body, that workout will enhance your strength like crazy, pullups, power cleans, standing military presses, barbell/dumbell upright rows, rowing cardio machine. sprinting, explosive squats with weight, rock climbing and more.
As a dancer, I feel this as the more I build strength from gym work the more I learn how to use that strength in movement or when partnering, for both safety and look of movement
A lot of functional strength is neurological adaptation to movements that are more awkward to execute than more conveniently loaded lifts like barbell and machine exercises. A heavy piece of furniture doesn’t have a nice knurled handle on it. Nor does a large bag of cement mix. So to me functional strength is about training my muscle coordination to handle difficult loads where perfect form isn’t really an option. I enjoy sandbag training as a mainstay for this sort of thing, even though the majority of my strength gains come from traditional barbell work.
Functional strength is awesome. The only major issue I see with it is that it is often put as exclusive rather than inclusive of things like machines and barbell lifts. Deadlifts are also functional. Squats are also functional. Bulgarian split squats are also functional. Incline bench press is also functional. Even cable machines and isolation machines can be functional. Kettle bells do have a wide range of full range of motion options that make them practical for functional training, which is where I agree so much with Rogan's comment. It's just that I don't think that makes the other lifts less functional as much as some (not necessarily Rogan) do. Still, I think we have all seen someone do a lift in a non-functional way. A full range of motion incline bench press may be functional, but we've all seen someone move that bar a quarter inch and call it a lift...
I stand by what I've said for years that full Zerchers are one of the most functional movements you can train. I've had to carry people and many different things exactly the same way as doing full zerchers in the gym
Kettlebells are great for people who can't make it to the gym regularly. A starter set (2,3,4kgs) is like £20, which, if you're just starting or are skinny fat like me, will be fine for getting into the rhythm of working out and finding what you can and can't handle. If you're coming from a sedentary lifestyle, kettlebells can cover most of your basic strength exercises and start building up stability so you don't hurt yourself when you do want to jump up to heavier weights.
I love the way he just takes the stupid trending topics and explains them with the original common sense factor, while not calling these people stupid but giving them the look that insures they know, without a shadow of doubt, that they are stupid!!😂🤣🤷🏽♂️👏🏻
Dr Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts on training for golf and golf long drive. What do you think of Brooks Koepka or Bryson DeChambeau and Kyle Berkshire?
Try fit for golf podcast - he has some really interesting guess including a guy who has his PhD (I think) in rotational movements. Martin B has been on and a really interesting guy tre Mullins Also I’m not sure if it’s a placebo or actually helping but I’ve been using smelling salts before my absolute max fastest swing when I’m doing my speed training and have definitely experienced faster swings
For functional training, look at what you struggle with throughout the day and what would be useful if you could do it. Sprints are a very functional movement in a dangerous city, for example.
There are more sport-specific exercises, but those are still based off regular strength movements (eg cable woodchopper for rotational strength, box squats for jumping power, facepulls and dumbbell pullovers for overhead throwing strength and injury prevention)
This is simply wrong. Construction workers have a very different strength than bodybuilders. They put it to the test even. They did a barbend and to no surprise the construction worker was able to bend the hardest one and the bodybuilder didn't even come close. So there actually is something called funktional strength. It just so happens there are many different things it can apply to. Construction workers will on average have stronger hands, grip and forearms simply because they use those muscles extremely much in their work. Which is going to be vastly superior than anything one can get done in an hour long gym session for obvious reasons.
That's not a different strength they just use their forearms more than the average person. Also you didn't mention if the body builder trained his forearms or not. Strength is built by extremely heavy loads I highly doubt construction workers are stronger all across the board. Especially since their loads vary daily. Take a competitive strength athlete and put it to test the construction worker is getting whopped. Also the construction worker might have stronger forearms but weaker legs, core, etc. It's not more functional at all if they neglect every other body part. All top strength athletes and the strongest people in the world use weights functionality is based on the sport and what you are trying to accomplish.
I agree that it covers 90% of your needs, but I had to switch entirely to unilateral training a couple months back because I had absolutely no range of motion or strength in rotational movements. That problem really sucks for construction workers
“Functional strength” implies that there is a type of strength that somehow isn’t functional. People love adding “sciencey” terms to sound like they know what they are talking about.
People in the gym asked me many times to help them pull their shirt up so they can take it off, they muscles become so huge that they cannot even reach behind their shoulder. I think this is why people think bodybuilding is not functional, because if done incorrectly people lose their full range of motion.
I would include resistance bands as well for sports. People heavily underestimate resistance bands they are extreme sleeper for fighting, and anything combat sport related
He's sort of right. Being very strong in compound lifts helps, but the reality is, strength in a certain sport will vary by sport. When I was in high school, my lifts were fairly trash, I weighed like 120 pounds and wrestled in that weight class. But even though my lifts were trash, even against opponents who could probably lift DOUBLE on the compound lifts, I would dominate because I had strength that was very good and specific to wrestling. Don't get me wrong, weightlifting with normal lifts is not going to worsen your chances, but choosing exercises that target muscles most used are going to be far more efficient. Specifically for wrestling, I could do a ton of pull-ups and my arms were insanely strong for my age.
I lean now towards believing Mike here. But there's also people like Alvin Kamara that go crazy with balancing drills where I can definitely see that makes him a better football player
I would think of "functional strength" as movements that combine multiple planes of movement. Most lifting movments isolate one plane of movement, and few exercises have transverse movements. This isn't an issue if you have exercises for those planes, though.
So based on this, you could train like dr mike for 10 years and then transition to any type of endeavor where "functional" strenght is required. (lets suppose you would learn the right technique very soon) I am sorry but i think that when certain muscles become too big, they hinder your movement in a lot of ways. Also they require oxygen as mad. What about slow twitch muscle fibers? I feel mike always talks only about the fast twitch
Well you’d want to get the muscles that help whatever sport or activity you do bigger and stronger and I guess ignore the other ones. Slow twitch fibers get used up when you use fast twitch fibers, because the slow ones give out first and then the bigger stronger ones come in to do the work.
This is on the same level as saying I want to train with lighter weights to work those smaller muscles and not get too big like heavy weights don't work smaller muscles and it's so easy to get too big.
Only a complete idiot would use not getting "too big" as a reason. The real reason is that you don't want to injure yourself because the muscles that you're isolating are relatively small compared to major muscle groups. For example, no sane person would attempt preacher curls with 200 lbs.
Actually from an athletic standpoint , nobody hit the point more then Dr Mike . I mean he actually said it the most easiest way . Train by human movements pattern . Like vertical push and pull , horizontal push and pull etc with free weights as primary and machines to just be some additional use cuz in terms of functional, it is less then free weights as it doesn't train the joints and literally at that point you can be more vulnerable out of the gym . But fr , if you bench , squat , deadlift a lot of weight , do a lot of pullups , fans of standing overhead press etc you already have one the most healthiest stsbilisers , so 1 or 2 machines won't kill you , actually it helps you . And the last part was true . Practicing the sport is the main point cuz 1 Skill is a technical ability x a body to maximise the technique . For example a kick . If you already are good at kicking and got even stronger legs , you maximised your skills . Having longer limbs also maximises you skill cuz of more reach .
Functional athletes can touch their back with their hand, unlike bodybuilders. Joe fought, while Mike, at most, performed. I’ll take Joe’s advice on this one.
I loved the part in the full video when Rogan says “turkish get-ups are not a glamorous move” and Mike immediately says “turkish get-ups may be the most glamorous move ever invented in lifting” 😂😂
I am not sure if you will answer this, but how about reversing the emphasis during the movements and training the muscles to stop after quickly dropping the weight and slowly pressing up, would this have a positive, although different effect on the use of the muscle? Is there any possible benefit to it or is it contrary to the way the body has been created?
Yeah but people who train “functionally” dont train muscles but movements. And the benefit of barbells and kettlebells isnt the full rom but the core and stability demands which machines take away completely. Saying just train every muscle an play your sport covers 90% of functionality is just plain wrong
Isn't the issue here that "functionality" is a vague term? I agree that barbells are great for training basic everyday movements (deadlifts for example). However, the critique against the "functional training" crowd is that they seem to promote exercises that just aren't the most effective for anything while rarely giving clear arguments as to which specific "function" they are trying to improve. Want to improve the function of pressing overhead? Do presses. Want to lift more off the ground? Do deadlift? Want to become good at lifting atlas stones? Lift atlas stones
@@absw6129yeah you’re right about how the term “functional” is pretty subjective but the definition i and most s&c coaches use is that functional exercises allow the movement to transfer outside the gym to sports and daily living which typically means exercises with a core and stability demand which does not include machines. Of course stuff bosu ball exercises are full of crap but a turkish get up which mike was critiquing in the full clip is a great exercise
The most 'functional' exercises are reqlly just big lifts like deadlifts, rows, squats and presses, don't waste your time with kettlebells or bands unless you enjoy it or use them as an injury prevention/treatment thing
you can be a bodybuilder and not be naturally athletic. Those are two different things. As you don’t need to be athletic to be a bodybuilder. World famous Kevin levrone though was athletic and a bodybuilder and a great sprinter even at his top weight.
I hate when people talk about things like functional strength, or what I see a lot is a video of a random dad/blue collar worker doing something that "body builders" can't do and people comment "that's dad/construction worker strength. You can't get that in a gym." Like... yes you could get that strength in a gym, if you trained to do whatever random movement it is. But most people in the gym aren't doing every weird movement possible
Anyone who thinks that the commenter is claiming that kettlebells wasted effort is a fool; it is simply a supplemental form of training that enhances quality barbell training.
I am struggling with the concept of “slow on the way up and fast on the way up”. Like I have got the slow on the way down thing covered. We are Gucci there but fast on the way up? Maybe it’s because I favor lower rep ranges but if I’m challenging myself with the weight I straight up can’t explode upward. Like if I am doing anything that’s challenging the. I’m struggling on the way up, even at like rep 1.
But why are bodybuilders with clearly larger muscles, often weaker than, say ol bubba down at the construction site, if functional strength is malarkey? Genuinely curious.
You get good at what you practice. The bodybuilder won't be able to do what an experienced construction worker does on the construction site, but a construction worker also isn't able to outlift a bodybuilder in the gym. That was the point of the video, so called "functional strength" is really just experience and training specificity
@@benedict5544 well, functional strength makes sure that you are strong in all the aspects of fitness. body builders don't train isometric strength and loaded carries, something that is very functional and applicable to real life. Bodybuilders are also known for their lack of stamina becuase big muscles dont mean more strength or endurance. people who work construction and do these functional training methods would have more usable strength.
There is functional and there is strength, strength is functional, but functional strength means nothing really, if you wanna seperate it by words, it would be to learn how to practically move efficiently in movements, but that is not strength, it’s teaching yourself to walk bike etc literally.
Go watch a Alexander karelin workout video it's all kettlebells, bands ,nd bodyweight ... bodybuilding type lifting makes people stiff and makes them only strong on a linear plain
I'm not sure hes interpreting "functional strength" the way most people do. I think when people talk about it they mean in the military sense (as an example). Hi strength, high endurance, where every exercise is a totall body workouts. Curls workout arms. That's not a "functional exercise". It gets you nice looking and strong arms, but it's limited in its scope. I'm pretty sure thats what people mean. Where every muscle, especially the ones you can't see, get atronger and more useful woth certain types of workouts. Kettlebells are nice because of how they move in your hand as you twist and move. But sure, you can do that woth dumbbells too.
Has society really regressed this far? To the point where we need someone to explain the most obvious methods of improvement? Lift weights+practice sport=get better at said sport. Wow truly groundbreaking science
I remember watching some really jacked guys utterly fail at lifting an Atlas stone. Personally, I hate machines and will fire a trainer who insists on using one for bench press or squats
Ill be honest i disagree entirely. Farmer walks and sled pulls are much more functional than any exercise you can do. Same goes for log press/overhead press. Unless you are specifically training for weightlifting/bodybuilding. By functional i mean the strength developed can actually be put to use in the most general tasks. Very rarely will you ever have to actually bench press something unless you are in sumo/football. Squatting hardly ever exists and if you are an electrician (I am) who needs to get low for long periods of time its just bodyweight strength training will probably make you worse because of the lactic acid. Deadline can definitely be argued to be useful but log press is much better due to to the awkwardness
A lot of “functional” bros in the comments not making ANY sense. All you need to do is get stronger and bigger more capable muscles, and then practice the skill you want to be good at with that newfound strength. It’s as simple as that. You don’t have to replicate movement patterns during exercise at all for your body to be more functional.
3 sets of tomfoolery to failure
Some buffoonery perhaps
Supersetted with horseplay 8-10 reps
@@Caio-ow5tm with a bit of shenanigans. Maybe a little touch of antics if you really wanna get crazy.
@@elpogio4890 some debauchery even
@@Caio-ow5tm that's the secret to get big like Dr. Mike
1) Build sufficient cardio to train
2) Become strong enough to execute all the necessary movements at the desired intensity
3) Practice the movements to perfection
4) get paid
5) party
6) wake up
Recipe for success 😂
Good thing I found this video, I can always trust dr mike to tell me how to handle heavy loads 👍
Gay sex keeping you big as hell
You're clearly a fan of his 😂
@@ken_kaniff246 oh for sure BIG fan
@@TheDrunkenPickle Big loads keeping you big as hell
@@Mike-bc7xv exactly, this guy knows
Well said. Build strength and then practice sport specific movements to build the coordination to use that newly found strength. A little bit more nuanced than this but yes in a nutshell.
I think that some people use "functional strength" to mean "coordination across multiple joints"
I would define it as the coordination across multiple joints that enables long-term injury resilience to unpredictable stimuli.
@@limitisillusion7 wow look at you with all of those beeg words, did you read them on a book you fucking nerd? Sorry if I'm too busy lifting to care about what any of that means.
Just like when you lift weights if you ask me.
@@elpogio4890you could argue there is more coordination involved with a lot of KB moves comparable to DBs. That comes at a decreased ability to transmit strength and power though
That’s particularly evident in the shoulders where we almost never put the shoulder into weighted positions with DBs like we do with KBs (although I don’t see why you couldn’t)
It’s not really what I view as “strength though” and how functional is it? Congrats you can get up off the floor while holding 30kg in front of you. I can lift 200kg straight off the floor. Which is more functional?
@@limitisillusion7what a great way to put it, i’m stealing this
*HEAVY LOADS MENTIONED*
#heavyloadsgang
_HEAVY LOADS KEEPING YOU BIG AS HELL_
Neurologic strengh is a thing though.
There is a huge difference between scientific measurement of work capability and neurologic strenght to a higher degree of motion
Yes but that can still be built using the methods Dr. Mike mentioned. And in fact, things like TGUs would be far less effective for building neurological strength.
@@synergyrevolution2332 that in fact you cited is where exactly?
@@synergyrevolution2332 neurological strengh is friggin neurological... as in... you need to adapt your brain to control your body. Theres no way every body learns that from exactly te same source, way or exercise...
@@pliniocastro1546 Yes, and you do that by practicing the movements you do for your sport, like Dr. Mike said.
the standard bodybuilding routine neglects many areas that are important for athletes
like what? Doesn't that vary from sport to sport?
I saw a guy saying specifially to keep obliques small because they make the waist "blocky". That won't fly in, say, ammerican football.
@@Sewblon they neglect overhead pushing strength and oblique training.
@@William1683BT But, overhead presses are a standard body building exercise. Overhead presses are an overhead pushing strength exercise.
@@Sewblon You must not have been keeping up with “optimal” bodybuilding then, cause all these science based bodybuilders say the overhead press is redundant since your front delts are already worked in all pushing movements. Overhead press is literally mandatory for having super strong shoulders, bodybuilders don’t care about strength. And yeah they also don’t care about obliques either.
I like free weights in general because they engage stabilizing muscles all over your body, compound exercises, that’s my definition of functional muscles
This really flipped a switch for me. Love Dr Mike!
It seems that people with too much free time, specifically celebrities,try to emphasize unconventional techniques simply because they have too much time…focus on what the experts say 👍
I agree but using this video to make the comment wasn’t the move considering it’s Rogan who has zero free time and is a certified savage lol
They listen to so-called experts who are actually grifters or idiots, therein lies the problem.
How is a KB unconventional technique?
@@nicholasskridla2475meatrider
@@nicholasskridla2475 "Functional build" what is it? Dark Souls? 😂😂
No one is arguing that Joe Rogan is a badazz bro, but Joe Rogan is not an expert in this field, Mike is.
Every video is a masterpiece, thank you!
Thank you very much for making body building simple and easy to understand. Also, love the sarcasm 😂
Big fan Dr. Mike! ❤
Physical Work itself is also a great builder of natural strength as long as the work you are doing varies
Most bodybuilding is very limited in this regard. Very small range of motion is used to target specific muscles.
Dr. Mike…. Thanks for all your knowledge. I’m not a complete noob, but not a pro and your knowledge has helped me get such better quality workouts and soreness in muscles that seemed to evade me. So basically you’re saving me time, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
It’s a lot less about KB’s vs DB’s vs BB’s but more about the movements you could do with any of them.
Specializing in just one of them is okay but i’d say they all have their own set of pros and cons
Uncle fester hitting them kettlebells ! Nice 🤘🏽
Listen, man...functional strength is exercising small muscles that are almost never hit in the gym. Yes, you have to do the big 3. That is a given. Once you get high-level in your gym work outs though you can see more real strength gains from exercising the smaller muscles that are never hit on things like bench, squat, deadlifts, curls, pull downs, rows, et cetra. Like if you ever grab a wrestler or a gymnast or these guys that work all day in the oil field or on a farm and they're able to do things that are just like "holy shit." They can't bench or squat as much as you but as far as general strength they have a different kind of power. That's because all their muscles are strong. Their hands and fingers are strong. They are essentially working out muscles others have never hit. I've bench pressed 335-350 in two different periods of my life. I've curled with 50 lb dumbells in each hand at two different periods of my life. The first one was only in the gym, the second was in the gym less but spending 13.5 hours a day 7 days a week building the piping systems for oil rigs. Trust me when I say this, you could kick my ass at either time! Lol. But fr the guy that had more functional real world strength was the 2nd one and it wasn't close. The bf percentages were both 18-20 but because of my 20k minimum steps per day I consumed twice the protein and calories while in the oil field. I had the same lifts but I was way way way fuggin stronger. That is what Joe means.
I can't live without Dr. Mike. I grew up country. My work was 8 hours hauling brush on a weekend. My family did hard labour to be fit. But I realized that was being over worked when I wanted to be fit in the suburbs in my late 30's. I shot my cortisol up sky high & destroyed what my exercise goals were. The work in weight lifting is the 23 hours after your sets & now I can do the hard labour if I had too instead of just jumping in to get fit.
Because of Dr.Mike, I was able to get to 20 percent body fat at 92kilos weight & the Cunningham Calculator says I need a pound of calories a day to keep my calorie needs met. Obviously I want to loose more weight because my waist has a ton of visceral fat still but I would of failed 8 months by now when I started 9 months ago to get fit after a huge back injury & 4 c-sections. Thank you Dr.Mike. You save lives.
Functional strength has become a loose term lately for scattershot programming of inefficient exercises. It really depends on what "function" we want to be stronger at. Even machines give us functional strength if the goal is simply to make a muscle have more force output. I think what he must mean is maybe core stability.
Functional strength is whatever gives you resilience to injury in unpredictable situations. It's basically the ability to be athletic and coordinated enough to avoid injury in the long-term. Deadlifting 500 pounds will give you pretty good functional strength. Mixing in olympic lifts, unilateral and lateral movements, calisthenics, plyometrics, running with directional changes, and various sports will do even more for functional strength. Functional strength is maximized through diversity of movement.
That's really a dumb comment...
@@limitisillusion7I'm fairly sure that's what they call endurance.
@@JLA91 Nope it is functional , cuz literally every movement he said was part of human pattern movements and each and everyone of them uses the joints in such a way you would be injury free in and outside the gym for years
functional strength is well functional and a squat or hinge movement is going to be more functional on average than a leg curl
if any workout requires you to use your entire body, that workout will enhance your strength like crazy, pullups, power cleans, standing military presses, barbell/dumbell upright rows, rowing cardio machine. sprinting, explosive squats with weight, rock climbing and more.
As a dancer, I feel this as the more I build strength from gym work the more I learn how to use that strength in movement or when partnering, for both safety and look of movement
A lot of functional strength is neurological adaptation to movements that are more awkward to execute than more conveniently loaded lifts like barbell and machine exercises. A heavy piece of furniture doesn’t have a nice knurled handle on it. Nor does a large bag of cement mix. So to me functional strength is about training my muscle coordination to handle difficult loads where perfect form isn’t really an option. I enjoy sandbag training as a mainstay for this sort of thing, even though the majority of my strength gains come from traditional barbell work.
Functional strength is awesome. The only major issue I see with it is that it is often put as exclusive rather than inclusive of things like machines and barbell lifts.
Deadlifts are also functional. Squats are also functional. Bulgarian split squats are also functional. Incline bench press is also functional.
Even cable machines and isolation machines can be functional.
Kettle bells do have a wide range of full range of motion options that make them practical for functional training, which is where I agree so much with Rogan's comment. It's just that I don't think that makes the other lifts less functional as much as some (not necessarily Rogan) do.
Still, I think we have all seen someone do a lift in a non-functional way. A full range of motion incline bench press may be functional, but we've all seen someone move that bar a quarter inch and call it a lift...
I stand by what I've said for years that full Zerchers are one of the most functional movements you can train. I've had to carry people and many different things exactly the same way as doing full zerchers in the gym
Kettlebells are great for people who can't make it to the gym regularly. A starter set (2,3,4kgs) is like £20, which, if you're just starting or are skinny fat like me, will be fine for getting into the rhythm of working out and finding what you can and can't handle. If you're coming from a sedentary lifestyle, kettlebells can cover most of your basic strength exercises and start building up stability so you don't hurt yourself when you do want to jump up to heavier weights.
A 4 kg kettlebell is about as good as having no weights, unless you are a 4 year old.
@@adamsemb8151 i agree. Op can definitely handle more than a 4kg kettlebell.
Agreed i always said this.
Dan gable
Technique
Conditioning
Strength
I love the way he just takes the stupid trending topics and explains them with the original common sense factor, while not calling these people stupid but giving them the look that insures they know, without a shadow of doubt, that they are stupid!!😂🤣🤷🏽♂️👏🏻
Very true, if your work requires creating tension or compression, then the opposite wont help you
Dr Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts on training for golf and golf long drive. What do you think of Brooks Koepka or Bryson DeChambeau and Kyle Berkshire?
Try fit for golf podcast - he has some really interesting guess including a guy who has his PhD (I think) in rotational movements. Martin B has been on and a really interesting guy tre Mullins
Also I’m not sure if it’s a placebo or actually helping but I’ve been using smelling salts before my absolute max fastest swing when I’m doing my speed training and have definitely experienced
faster swings
For functional training, look at what you struggle with throughout the day and what would be useful if you could do it. Sprints are a very functional movement in a dangerous city, for example.
There are more sport-specific exercises, but those are still based off regular strength movements (eg cable woodchopper for rotational strength, box squats for jumping power, facepulls and dumbbell pullovers for overhead throwing strength and injury prevention)
The way your work out has a lot to do with how good you are at activities.
This is simply wrong. Construction workers have a very different strength than bodybuilders. They put it to the test even. They did a barbend and to no surprise the construction worker was able to bend the hardest one and the bodybuilder didn't even come close. So there actually is something called funktional strength. It just so happens there are many different things it can apply to. Construction workers will on average have stronger hands, grip and forearms simply because they use those muscles extremely much in their work. Which is going to be vastly superior than anything one can get done in an hour long gym session for obvious reasons.
That's not a different strength they just use their forearms more than the average person. Also you didn't mention if the body builder trained his forearms or not. Strength is built by extremely heavy loads I highly doubt construction workers are stronger all across the board. Especially since their loads vary daily. Take a competitive strength athlete and put it to test the construction worker is getting whopped. Also the construction worker might have stronger forearms but weaker legs, core, etc. It's not more functional at all if they neglect every other body part. All top strength athletes and the strongest people in the world use weights functionality is based on the sport and what you are trying to accomplish.
I agree that it covers 90% of your needs, but I had to switch entirely to unilateral training a couple months back because I had absolutely no range of motion or strength in rotational movements. That problem really sucks for construction workers
mike with the XL bully dome 😍😍😍
Awesome!
“Functional strength” implies that there is a type of strength that somehow isn’t functional. People love adding “sciencey” terms to sound like they know what they are talking about.
People in the gym asked me many times to help them pull their shirt up so they can take it off, they muscles become so huge that they cannot even reach behind their shoulder.
I think this is why people think bodybuilding is not functional, because if done incorrectly people lose their full range of motion.
I workout and get stronger than use the strength to make my labour job easier and less painful on the joints. It's been working out great so far
I would include resistance bands as well for sports. People heavily underestimate resistance bands they are extreme sleeper for fighting, and anything combat sport related
The only functional strength I want, is to get off the floor once I'm down there.
He's sort of right. Being very strong in compound lifts helps, but the reality is, strength in a certain sport will vary by sport. When I was in high school, my lifts were fairly trash, I weighed like 120 pounds and wrestled in that weight class. But even though my lifts were trash, even against opponents who could probably lift DOUBLE on the compound lifts, I would dominate because I had strength that was very good and specific to wrestling. Don't get me wrong, weightlifting with normal lifts is not going to worsen your chances, but choosing exercises that target muscles most used are going to be far more efficient. Specifically for wrestling, I could do a ton of pull-ups and my arms were insanely strong for my age.
I would love to hear your thoughts on yoga and Pilates. I understand you won’t “gain” a ton with them- but even from a warm up stand point?
I lean now towards believing Mike here. But there's also people like Alvin Kamara that go crazy with balancing drills where I can definitely see that makes him a better football player
This describes exactly what my college football program was like during the off season
I would think of "functional strength" as movements that combine multiple planes of movement. Most lifting movments isolate one plane of movement, and few exercises have transverse movements. This isn't an issue if you have exercises for those planes, though.
Plyometrics are the king of a strength and conditioning program for athletes
So based on this, you could train like dr mike for 10 years and then transition to any type of endeavor where "functional" strenght is required. (lets suppose you would learn the right technique very soon)
I am sorry but i think that when certain muscles become too big, they hinder your movement in a lot of ways. Also they require oxygen as mad. What about slow twitch muscle fibers? I feel mike always talks only about the fast twitch
Well you’d want to get the muscles that help whatever sport or activity you do bigger and stronger and I guess ignore the other ones. Slow twitch fibers get used up when you use fast twitch fibers, because the slow ones give out first and then the bigger stronger ones come in to do the work.
If you can push and pull in both a vertical and horizontal plane, squat, hinge, carry, hold, walk, run, jump, throw... you're functional.
This is why I love resistance bands. They develop nothing but functional strength and stability. I'm sure he'd agree.
Kettlebells are very practical. Some people call them “ portable strength.” They have their uses. They are not so bad.
This is on the same level as saying I want to train with lighter weights to work those smaller muscles and not get too big like heavy weights don't work smaller muscles and it's so easy to get too big.
Only a complete idiot would use not getting "too big" as a reason. The real reason is that you don't want to injure yourself because the muscles that you're isolating are relatively small compared to major muscle groups. For example, no sane person would attempt preacher curls with 200 lbs.
@@julianbroughton well there's a lot of ignorance about fitness in the fitness industry
Actually from an athletic standpoint , nobody hit the point more then Dr Mike . I mean he actually said it the most easiest way . Train by human movements pattern . Like vertical push and pull , horizontal push and pull etc with free weights as primary and machines to just be some additional use cuz in terms of functional, it is less then free weights as it doesn't train the joints and literally at that point you can be more vulnerable out of the gym . But fr , if you bench , squat , deadlift a lot of weight , do a lot of pullups , fans of standing overhead press etc you already have one the most healthiest stsbilisers , so 1 or 2 machines won't kill you , actually it helps you . And the last part was true . Practicing the sport is the main point cuz
1 Skill is a technical ability x a body to maximise the technique . For example a kick . If you already are good at kicking and got even stronger legs , you maximised your skills . Having longer limbs also maximises you skill cuz of more reach .
I think Joe likes Kettle-Bells so much, because he feels a deep conection to them due to his head shape.
I recommend the Ben Echmeyer training technique.
Functional Athletes when you tell them the function of a muscle is to contract
Functional athletes can touch their back with their hand, unlike bodybuilders.
Joe fought, while Mike, at most, performed. I’ll take Joe’s advice on this one.
@@max7971 most bodybuilders don't ever stretch after their workout like they should
It would be really interesting to see your opinion on someone called the “bioneer”, who talks a lot about functional training.
I loved the part in the full video when Rogan says “turkish get-ups are not a glamorous move” and Mike immediately says “turkish get-ups may be the most glamorous move ever invented in lifting” 😂😂
I am not sure if you will answer this, but how about reversing the emphasis during the movements and training the muscles to stop after quickly dropping the weight and slowly pressing up, would this have a positive, although different effect on the use of the muscle? Is there any possible benefit to it or is it contrary to the way the body has been created?
Yeah but people who train “functionally” dont train muscles but movements. And the benefit of barbells and kettlebells isnt the full rom but the core and stability demands which machines take away completely. Saying just train every muscle an play your sport covers 90% of functionality is just plain wrong
Listen again, use a slower playback speed if you need.
Isn't the issue here that "functionality" is a vague term? I agree that barbells are great for training basic everyday movements (deadlifts for example). However, the critique against the "functional training" crowd is that they seem to promote exercises that just aren't the most effective for anything while rarely giving clear arguments as to which specific "function" they are trying to improve. Want to improve the function of pressing overhead? Do presses. Want to lift more off the ground? Do deadlift? Want to become good at lifting atlas stones? Lift atlas stones
Isn't "play your sport" training the movements? And then you train your muscles conventionally too so they get strong? What is there left to do?
@@absw6129yeah you’re right about how the term “functional” is pretty subjective but the definition i and most s&c coaches use is that functional exercises allow the movement to transfer outside the gym to sports and daily living which typically means exercises with a core and stability demand which does not include machines. Of course stuff bosu ball exercises are full of crap but a turkish get up which mike was critiquing in the full clip is a great exercise
The most 'functional' exercises are reqlly just big lifts like deadlifts, rows, squats and presses, don't waste your time with kettlebells or bands unless you enjoy it or use them as an injury prevention/treatment thing
I like Mike hes wrong though functional strength inhibits stiffness which is common with with bodybuilders
you can be a bodybuilder and not be naturally athletic. Those are two different things. As you don’t need to be athletic to be a bodybuilder. World famous Kevin levrone though was athletic and a bodybuilder and a great sprinter even at his top weight.
I hate when people talk about things like functional strength, or what I see a lot is a video of a random dad/blue collar worker doing something that "body builders" can't do and people comment "that's dad/construction worker strength. You can't get that in a gym." Like... yes you could get that strength in a gym, if you trained to do whatever random movement it is. But most people in the gym aren't doing every weird movement possible
Anyone who thinks that the commenter is claiming that kettlebells wasted effort is a fool; it is simply a supplemental form of training that enhances quality barbell training.
I’ve started workout out by moving furniture in my house because as a husband I know that it’s functional.
Which one was Joe Rogan in this video? Or like were they both Rogan? Or both Dr. Mike? Was a little lost.
I agree 100%!
I am struggling with the concept of “slow
on the way up and fast on the way up”. Like I have got the slow on the way down thing covered. We are Gucci there but fast on the way up? Maybe it’s because I favor lower rep ranges but if I’m challenging myself with the weight I straight up can’t explode upward. Like if I am doing anything that’s challenging the. I’m struggling on the way up, even at like rep 1.
Unilateral movements and plyometrics are a huge component of functional strength.
also loaded carries and isometric strength
Joe (bless him) seems to really fond of snake oil 😂
But why are bodybuilders with clearly larger muscles, often weaker than, say ol bubba down at the construction site, if functional strength is malarkey? Genuinely curious.
You get good at what you practice. The bodybuilder won't be able to do what an experienced construction worker does on the construction site, but a construction worker also isn't able to outlift a bodybuilder in the gym. That was the point of the video, so called "functional strength" is really just experience and training specificity
@@benedict5544 well, functional strength makes sure that you are strong in all the aspects of fitness. body builders don't train isometric strength and loaded carries, something that is very functional and applicable to real life. Bodybuilders are also known for their lack of stamina becuase big muscles dont mean more strength or endurance. people who work construction and do these functional training methods would have more usable strength.
Where does this myth come from? Most construction workers are definitely not stronger than someone who is actually lifting weights for years and years
I highly doubt most construction workers are lifting with enough intensity at their job to produce strength adaptations
Someone show the Rios twins the FULL video 🙏
If you want to be functional in a sport then just do the sport, then do gym later to correct imbalances
There is functional and there is strength, strength is functional, but functional strength means nothing really, if you wanna seperate it by words, it would be to learn how to practically move efficiently in movements, but that is not strength, it’s teaching yourself to walk bike etc literally.
Go watch a Alexander karelin workout video it's all kettlebells, bands ,nd bodyweight ... bodybuilding type lifting makes people stiff and makes them only strong on a linear plain
I think often when people say functional they just mean it involves some sort of core strength tbh
@marios need to check this out
Frfr
How about boxers etc who are looking for ways to get stronger without gaining more muscle mass?
bench press
Rogan would be the last person i would take advice from about weights.
{{{}}} The spirit of vigorous_vigor & strong_strength be with you.
707
Word!
The definition sounds like intense wrestling
Functional strength - the ability to employ all available muscle group in harmony
Ugh, I LOVE being challenged with those _HEAVY LOADS_ 😩
Grip is the functional advantage of kettlebells.
I'm not sure hes interpreting "functional strength" the way most people do.
I think when people talk about it they mean in the military sense (as an example). Hi strength, high endurance, where every exercise is a totall body workouts.
Curls workout arms. That's not a "functional exercise". It gets you nice looking and strong arms, but it's limited in its scope.
I'm pretty sure thats what people mean. Where every muscle, especially the ones you can't see, get atronger and more useful woth certain types of workouts.
Kettlebells are nice because of how they move in your hand as you twist and move. But sure, you can do that woth dumbbells too.
Has society really regressed this far? To the point where we need someone to explain the most obvious methods of improvement? Lift weights+practice sport=get better at said sport. Wow truly groundbreaking science
That's not true at all. It's called SST sports specific training.
What about steel maces?
Well how is that concept different from your definition of mobility? You said being mobile is being strong in weird positions
I remember watching some really jacked guys utterly fail at lifting an Atlas stone. Personally, I hate machines and will fire a trainer who insists on using one for bench press or squats
Of course Dr. Mike is talking about heavy loads
The term is conceptually synonymous with "assault weapon"
Rogan always manages to almost get what he's talkin about
Turkey tied up in rope just entered the chat
Last sentence W
From what I understand with what you are saying - then Joe is right
Kettlebells have something magical about them.
Ill be honest i disagree entirely. Farmer walks and sled pulls are much more functional than any exercise you can do. Same goes for log press/overhead press. Unless you are specifically training for weightlifting/bodybuilding. By functional i mean the strength developed can actually be put to use in the most general tasks. Very rarely will you ever have to actually bench press something unless you are in sumo/football. Squatting hardly ever exists and if you are an electrician (I am) who needs to get low for long periods of time its just bodyweight strength training will probably make you worse because of the lactic acid. Deadline can definitely be argued to be useful but log press is much better due to to the awkwardness
When are you going on Boe Jogan
A lot of “functional” bros in the comments not making ANY sense. All you need to do is get stronger and bigger more capable muscles, and then practice the skill you want to be good at with that newfound strength. It’s as simple as that. You don’t have to replicate movement patterns during exercise at all for your body to be more functional.