A Defense of Functional Training (Response Video)

No hard feelings toward Natural Hypertrophy! His video was measured and nuanced and well put-together. I welcome the discussion.

That said...

Despite having been around for a long time now, functional training still receives a lot of hate and misunderstanding. I have some theories as to why that might be, which I will get into in the video.

Primarily, though, this video serves as a defense of functional training. This is partly in response to Natural Hypertrophy's video and partly to content from the likes of Starting Strength.

Here, I hope to explain why functional training needs to exist, what it can offer, and what it actually *is*. Functional training can mean lots of different things to different people, but it primarily means "training for a function." This DOES change the way you approach your training and it is a useful term as I hope to demonstrate.

Attacks against functional training often seem to focus on semantics and technicalities. Sure, everything is "functional." But every exercise can also offer some form of hypertrophy when practiced enough/with resistance. That doesn't undermine the usefulness of the term "bodybuilding."

This turned into a bit of a rant but it's something important to me that I wanted to share. This is my take on the whole debate, as it stands right now.

I wanted to make something like this for a while but Natural Hypertrophy's video served as a catalyst.

[carlmurphy]

Honestly being fit, mobile, strong etc. basically feels like having a superpower compared to the average sedentary untrained person.

[jpelirrojo]

I think at the end it's all reduced to: why do you train? And if your way of training is aligned to your why... It is functional! The thing is that many of the people that watch this channel, including myself, have similar whys: Don't feel pain, feel strong, feel healthy, feel "functional" not only for every day life, but also for those specific situations like when you have to help a friend move home or play with ten kids in a family party :)

[NaturalHypertrophy]

Looking forward to listening to this tonight as I train. You were cited as the representative of functional training in my video because I consider you to be the best "functional" channel on Youtube, and it's always a good idea to go for a "high hanging fruit" when strawmanning an argument (although most of the criticism I have for "functional training" are things I never heard you say.)

I'm probably not going to make a response to this (unless you end up bringing up ideas I truly disagree with) since I already know we agree on most points, but I believe it important to keep the discussion around training specificity going to make sure that the audience heads down the path that will be best suited to their final goal. Cheers!

[JaxBlade]

Listened to this while doin my workout and I always appreciate your input and take on things and how explain it so incredibly well. Always keeps me experimenting and growing as a person, Great work ADAM!

[cenauge]

What's often overlooked by people who claim that gym strength is all you need is that it is the movements you don't practice that are often the ones that injure you. Unless I do something stupid (like ignoring signs from my body), bench press within a certain weight range will probably never injure me. You know what will? Twisting in my car seat and reaching behind me to grab something without thinking about it. Leaning sideways to grab something lightweight. Taking a tumble after an unexpected step down (or up). Lifting and carrying bulky or oddly shaped furniture.

Training these odd movements for someone who doesn't have a Youtube channel or a fitness job is a lot like learning self-defense for someone who isn't a martial arts instructor or professional fighter: the biggest benefits come at the beginning. Adding functional training as a small fraction of your overall training yields massive dividends even if you never learn to backflip, or pistol squat, or do clapping push-ups.

[noelbrown]

I spent my working years as a industrial Pipe fitter and Welder. I was put into situations where I had to force my body into positions I was not prepared for. ( I wish this channel had existed all those years ago.) I've only viewed one other of these videos: one about deep squatting. Being an older man and now retired, I've allowed myself to stiffen up. I took up the deep squatting a month ago and it has actually made me much more active than I've been in such a long long while. I'm tall, and I've resisted doing things near the ground as I find it uncomfortable. Since performing the squatting, I just realized the other day that I have been doing things that I'd been putting off for months. I ve been crawling under my classic car and doing maintenance I'd been avoiding. Also I've finally gotten around to working in the garden with the benefits of my newly acquired squatting skill. At first I couldn't figure out what had changed and made working at ground levels something I could now perform without hesitation. Then yesterday I was gardening, and it hit me. Yes, the squatting! "Functional training" is a no brainer for this guy. Thanks for your wonderful training insights!

[littleflor]

I don't care what others do, but I'll just give my experience: since I started doing all kinds of variety in exercise and some of these 'functional' movements ( I didn't label it that, I just do what I enjoy), I've noticed every day life is so much easier. Walking, carrying, lifting, gardening, energy levels etc just seem so much easier and I just feel better over all. But that's just me. You do you.

[KYRebei]

#1 Functional priority: Stay out of the assisted living facility... Don't allow ego to override age, inherited frame size and genetics. Moderation, and sparing your time and energy for other interests. Not obsessing over sleep, rest, and diet routines to then exclude yourself from other aspects of life. Everything Adam expresses is valid in this video is valid. We must each apply it from our own perspective, and objectives, and I believe that is the underlying message.

[varunok]

You and Natural Hypertrophy are my two favourite YouTube fitness videos. Top two. I always love healthy debate, and I love the tone you've taken in this video. I'm sure Natural Hypertrophy would love to engage with you.

[JimKackley]

This is one of the best channels on YouTube. I've pulled a crazy amount of information from it, along with your books, to add to my own training. If you are open to any requests, I'd love to see more information about dexterity, agility, explosiveness, and the mental aspects of training. Also, if you ever decide to branch into podcasting, I'd give that a listen as well. Thanks for all your hard work and determination.

[prakharmishra]

The fact that your videos are usually based on the concept of functional training makes you my favourite YouTuber when it comes to fitness.

[TheModernMusashi]

Great video Mr. Bioneer. My favorite part was when you talked about how not everyone wants to train to be at a desk job but they want to be there own superhero, I really resonated with that 💪

[prakharmishra]

You are a polite and nice person. I wish you the best and thanks for all the great content.

[khanom]

As an overweight guy who decided to change a healthier lifestyle, I never understand people complaining/talking down to any other form of exercises other than just bench pressing/deadlifting 500 lbs?

Speaking for myself, my health goal is to lose weight, strengthening my so called muscles, being able to jog for more than a minute without calling the paramedics, or heck, tie my shoes without suffocating. I do some cardio (jogging, cycling)and strength training, and apparently I’m insulting the gains gods for doing what i do. I see people packed with muscles that can’t even tho one pull up, or even jog without being winded in a few minutes, but they’re doing good because they can bench pressed their own weight or whatever. Yeah, there’s right and wrong way to exercise, but that comes down to form and just not doing dumb things. But the gym/fitness crowd can be toxic as heck.

Anyhow, rant aside, thank you so much for your content, you have motivated and help me to work on my goal of living a healthier, and safer lifestyle

[Arafax]

A strangely large number of people seem to think that the term functional training refers specifically and only to doing standard bodybuilding/weightlifting exercises while standing on a bosu ball or some other unstable surface.

[wkrapek]

Your hanging and sit/squat video was a home run for me. I’ve never been so wide open in my entire life. All my back and hip problems completely disappeared. I’m also doing wind sprints for my HIIT. So the exercise you showed us for sprinters will be worked into my leg routine TODAY. Keep on keeping on!

[bethanyklein]

I'm in functional training for injury prevention. I routinely move people who are twice my bodyweight and I've had multiple dislocations and partial dislocations in my hips and shoulder girdle and that hurts! I didn't enjoy taking 6 weeks off for a dislocated clavicle and I am not enjoying the clicking in my sternum every time I push instead of pull (for which I lessened my work hours to let it recover rather than continuing to work 80 hours per week and definitely having something disfunction) . Your channel is heaven sent. I love that I can incorporate a couple of movements and my sore spots slowly resolve, it doesn't take all day and it doesn't take a lot of the "go" out of me that needs to be dedicated to my patients.

[RealmofWoodland]

So when I was doing my certification as a personal training specialist, we divided things into functional training and performance training. Functional training being what we give to the average person to improve general fitness and health and literally everybody can benefit from. Performance training being sport specific and much more specific movements that aren't necessarily good for everyone but can create great benefits for the athlete in that given sport.

[juliehammer]

Got your 2.0 program and I'm starting it today. Pre-Covid times I was doing really well with the big compound lifts (deadlift, squat, press, pull etc.) but through having a desk job, working from home, and the childcare/school from home, it threw a major wrench into my routine. I became more stressed, sedentary, and gained weight. My husband and I recently decided to clean up the weight area and get back into lifting. We also decided to add a treadmill so we could get more cardio in during inclement weather. While unpacking it, I could lift it my end fairly easily (yay for deadlifts!), but had great difficulty MOVING with it. I came to the conclusion that being able to lift heavy is fine and all, but then what? I couldn't do much past lifting straight up and down. Forget lifting while maneuvering around corners and down stairs (we did manage eventually). I love practicality and efficiency. The big lifts were very efficient when increasing pure strength, but I found that for my purposes, they weren't completely practical. I'm also a couple of years away from the big 4-0. I want to maintain my ability to move as I age. I've seen the decline in my parent's abilities to move while just doing everyday tasks. But I don't just want the ability to still be able to move when I'm older, I want to move and do it well. Better than well, actually. I've always heard it said that you should define your goals before starting a program, but I never had any past "get stronger/look better/be "in shape"." This time though, I want to be an all around superhero. I want to run faster and farther. Lift more and harder. Move powerfully and with ease. I want it all. I wasn't sure where to find that or what exactly I was looking for, but then I found your channel and it all clicked! This is exactly the mentality that I was looking for! Nerdy / "for fun" reasoning and all! So, thanks for all you do. You are truly an inspiration! But enough from me, I think its about time I start training like Wonder Woman. :-)

[JesusLovesCoffee]

What the Bioneer explains at 8:17 is exactly how I started my fitness journey. Training to be “strong” is what most people would say. Kevin Hart has a great bit about this.
“Why you that big for no reason?! If you’re that big and work at T-Mobile answering phone calls”