Poll: ***The all new gymrats thread***

Do we archive this thread and start a new one for 2010?

  • Yeah good idea.

    Votes: 11 78.6%

  • Nah I'm happy with this one.

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • Total voters
    14
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Functional strength I've always defined as the sort of strength that is useful in your day to day life or activities. So this could be at work, or in sports. It's strength that makes your life easier, and becomes is useful and useable. Functional strength is, flexibility, endurance, speed, and of course pure power/strength in itself. As opposed to non functional which is just size, and low impact exercises designed to accentuate parts of your body and whilst doesn't offer much in terms of functionality does offer your body strength development in another way (i.e. muscle fibres etc...).

I guess functional strenght is the wrong word but that's what I've always used.
 
Whether or not you disagree with it's concept is irrelevant as it's very much an actual measure, but maybe you just misunderstand it? I also think you've completely misunderstood my point, maybe I wasn't clear or maybe you're not getting it, either way it doesn't matter as long as we both understand what we mean.

Functional strength is not a static measure - it's very much dynamic. The term "strength" is probably somewhat erroneous and is what people who are into the game use and forget it's roots, I'm guilty of this despite being well read and relatively knoweldgeable, one gets lazy and uses terms not quite accurately enough.

The history of the expression comes from functional training and condition training. i.e. strength/power atheletes to aesthetic atheletes. There's no denying that aesthetic training involves some strenght involvement and some would argue that hypertrophy and muscle volumising is akin to strength - not so, not at all. Look at someone like Pyrros Dimas the world record clean and jerk holder for his weight class - overall a very slight person (though his legs are phenomenal) however with tremendous power and strength, his functional strength is that of his phenomenal clean and jerk ability. A gymnast, his functional srength is that to enable him to hold his weight and balance in some fantastic feats on the olympic rings for example.

However put this two in a daily life, they are no different to any other commuter on the train etc... Put them on a rugby pitch for example, and they're ****ed. Their functional strength doesn't lend them to being useful in that environment. Just like me doing the gymnast's routine, or 2.5x BW C&J. However, my range of functional strength is potentially larger and more well rounded (though gymnasts are phenomenal and in my opinion have nearly the perfect all round dynamic range of functional strength, bar perhaps lower body range).

When people/experts/begginers/etc... talk about functional strength it typically is to do with their specific area. i.e. it's functional to them. The term functional strength in itself means nothing. However if you encapsulate it with an entire physique and state that he has a good overall functional strength - it's very clear what is meant by this.

Functional strength != pure out and out strength. It's a separate measure of it's own.

I understand what your confusion is in terms of, "to be able to move from a to b, you need to have some functional strength", well of course you could define that as functional, but let's face it, we're not creatures in a vegetative state - we're all able to walk from a to b? Does that mean we have functional strength? Yes, but as I said, it's a dynamic measure. I'd hazard a guess I have more functional strength than 50% of commuters. Does that mean I can do the task of walking better? No of course not. However, overall, my measure and dynamic range of functional strength is phenominally larger than 50% of commuters. That's the key element, the dynamic range. Functional strength in itself means nothing - so I admit it was probably a bad explanation on my behalf.

Strength is a relative term, what is strong for one person is weak for another. Personally I think if you can't do BW exercises or push/pull bodyweight weights it's weak. However comparing like for like is just not possible, hence why there are weight classes, and different leagues for different disciplines.

For me the ultimate show of functional strenght would be someone like mariusz pudzianowski who has phenomenal power/strength/aesthetics but also fitness, flexibility and for a man of his size, agility and balance. If you were able to combine someone like him with Bruce Lee and and elite gymnast you'd have the perfect example of a full dynamic range of functional strength.

That's what people mean by functional strength - it's not your ability ot push a weight from here to there, it's a dynamic range of ability, and the able to the move that weight from here to there better/faster/more times if that's how you're being measured. In day to day life it's hard to quantify - in an office, the fact that I am by some margin the strongest person here mean I can do my job any better? No... leaving fitness and well being aside. However other than basics of each day, it does mean that I can lift more boxes when I move house, I can carry heavier things for longer, I don't run out of breath running up 4 flights of steps, I can carry out more physical work per hour than someone else (if I were to do physical work which I have done in the past). It's the ability to go about your day with more efficiency and be mroe functional. So in general it's hard to see, but if you look at it on a bigger scale it's very clear to see the difference.

I can't see the link you posted unfortunately I get a 403 error.
 
There are many nutrition/sports books out there with sample recipes in them (often in the index pages) - plus you get some informative reading before you get to them! :)
 
My training this Saturday was awesome. And my new regime is really starting to pay off, I could actually stomach to look at myself in the mirror! LOL! I won't get SPW to pass a commentary however :p

I felt good this Saturday, you know when you just get on with it and feel strong and relentless amount of strength? Deadlifts were straightforward at 180 for reps, 30kg dips again felt straight forward and 120kg bench for reps weren't excessively difficult.

I'm just startign to get into my training again and unfortunately it's the Christmas break, but at the same time it'll be nice to have some time off and recover and just not worry about food, diet or exercise.
 
I can't wait! I want to do it more regularly - mayeb twice a month or something like that. SPW is keen for it too. Can we make the weights heavier?! :D
 
carvegio said:
Hi FF, would you mind posting your routine?

I am looking to mix it up and try something new in jan/feb.
Click to expand...

Sure - I'm doing more of a conditioning/maintenance program at the moment - SPW is probably the only one who could impartially tell if it's working, but I think I'm making progress, certainly looking a bit leaner, though haven't lost that much weight, down to 15'10lbs (4lbs lighter).

I split it into 3 sessions, and 2 HIIT sessions (hill sprints, skipping, or conditioning workout in the gym).

They are full body movements with a warm up sets for EVERY movement.

The warm up sets are 50%, 75%, 90% @ 6reps, 4 reps, 2 reps. Those are percentages of my working set weights. The 50% can be replaced by BW if doing BW typre exercises (dips/chins etc...)

Exercises between {} are ones I alternate in between sets. Not supersetted but when I do one, I rest, then do the next. etc...


[session 1]

YTWs (RC joint strengthening) 3 sets of 8 reps, no warm up sets

Reps 10-12 for all exercises below:

{Chins - warm up sets + 3 working sets
Standing DB Shoulder press - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{Back Squats (below parallel) - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{Seated DB Curls - 50% + 2 working sets
Close grip weighted pressups - BW + 2 working sets}

{Hanging leg raises - as many reps as possible - 2 working sets}



[Session 2]

YTWs (RC joint strengthening) 3 sets of 8 reps, no warm up sets

Reps 8-10 for all exercises below:

{45 deg DB press - warm up sets + 3 working sets
45 deg elbow out row - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{DB Lunge & reach - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{CGBP - 50% warm up set + 2 working sets
Standing hammer curls - 50% warm up set + 2 working sets}

{Single leg calf raise - 10-15 reps - 2 working sets}


[session 3]

Reps 6-8 for all exercises below:

{DLs - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{Dips - warm up sets + 3 working sets
T-Bar rows - warm up sets + 3 working sets}

{Bench press - 50% + 2 working sets
Standing DB Curls - 50% + 2 working sets}

{DB Pull ins - 50% + 3 working sets}


And that's it. Quite tough though. The warm up sets are important.

The movements are 1-2 slow eccentrics and powerful concentrics. All have a 1s pause at the bottom of the movement for pushing or top if it's a pulling exercise.



Hill sprints are self explanatory as is skipping. Conditioning exercises consist of DB pull ins, goblet squats, single arm db clean and press, DB swings and some skipping/basketball/activity.
 
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