hybrid functional strength programs? also... avoiding the big 4 nonsense

[chryssa1791]

@sharkbait13 The “functional strength” stuff is more of a fad. It was a term thrown to market fitness programs to people who buy gluten free food despite not having celiac disease. AthleanX was the worst for this. Doing one legged squats while standing on a bosu ball saying things on camera like: “oh gosh this so functional and safe I can feel the activation in my quads muscles this is so smart and normal”. Obviously it was ridiculous and everyone moved on.

 

[sharkbait13]

@chryssa1791 Haha, AthleanX is so obviously over the top. Put on a damn shirt guy. I only recently found out about the fake weights controversy. Sad! I've gotten a lot of value from Jeff Nippard and Renaissance Periodization I'll say though, but their primary audience and goals differ from my own.

I don't think it is a "fad" so much as a poorly defined term. There are movements we regularly do which really really aren't accounted for in the big 3/4. It's clear when you play actual sports as well. "fitness" for most of these subs I think is equivalent to strength training and there is very little conditioning talk or care about hybrid athletics.

I'd like to be strong, but I don't need my heart going out at 60 or my back going lights out at 45 because it was never balanced with conditioning and agility/flexibility

 

[chryssa1791]

@sharkbait13 Yoga is perfect for that. Bodyweight exercises are pretty good. The stuff is tough but involves very little clanging and banging of weights. Just need to be extra careful with that stuff don’t want to be the guy at the yoga studio who injures himself and now someone has to drive him to the hospital.

 

[sharkbait13]

@chryssa1791 Maybe I should upgrade from my once-a-week (missed a couple) restorative class to a regular vinyasa flow. Chair pose murders me, few others as well.

 

[chryssa1791]

@sharkbait13 It’s worth it. I would suggest that because it involves lots of “functional” training but there are so many opportunities for coaching and classes. That one factor increases the safety factor by a large amount.
Socially it would definitely take me outside of my comfort zone. At a yoga studio, I would have more of a chance to meet new people and learn new things from them. Worth a try

 

[magdaleen]

@sharkbait13 "Tactical Barbell" is what you are looking for.

Also check out "The Bioneer" and "Enkiri Elite Fitness" on YouTube.

 

[sharkbait13]

@magdaleen I just found Bioneer! He's great. Will check out Enkiri

Thank you!

 

[cheyenne630]

@sharkbait13 While i agree wholeheartedly with @olirain, to answer your question, look into the bulgarian bag, the hydrocore bag, clubs, and sandbags. Most of the companies that sell this equipment have programs or lists of exercises you can put together to make your own program. Mark Wildman on YT has a lot of videos you might find helpful.

 

[sinnerchief]

@sharkbait13 God forbid you try any training other than 5x5 or some form of split.

 

[sharkbait13]

@sinnerchief I know... tons of research on stuff comes out every year but apparently it is set in stone and everyones goals, outcomes, bodies are the same.

 

[sinnerchief]

@sharkbait13 The fitness industry is just a nightmare.youncant really trust any of the advice out there. It's all about preying on people's ignorance and insecurities to make money.

I just do whatever I feel like doing in the gym now.

 

[sharkbait13]

@sinnerchief I think there is a ton of great advice out there. The difficulty is in personalizing it both for your body and your personality.

There are grifters out there for sure though

 

[kocarkacirx]

@sharkbait13 I am jacked and have not done BB squat, deadlift, bench, or BB OHP for a few years. I started off doing all of those though and I did them for 5-10 years.

In order to pivot like the people you are talking about, you have to build your base first. You get strong as you can for the first 3-8 years using these basic movements and eventually you will just learn that you need specific movements like squat, hip hinge, vertical pull, horizontal pull, vertical push, and a horizontal push. You will learn how to effectively do any exercise that is not these exact BB workouts while still hitting all the muscle groups.

Functional fitness is strength training but also cardio. You can break these two categories down even further the more you optimize.

Keep it simple, build your strength up for a few years my friend. Optimize the time you spend in the gym instead of wasting it. You can retain your cardio.

BTW Dr. Peter Attia is a leader in this "functional fitness" sphere and even he mentions the basics.

 

[elministro50]

@sharkbait13 Resistance bands can be great for building functional strength. I’d recommend incorporating some resistance band movements/exercises in with the traditional barbell/dumbell exercises. We’ve seen good results with that approach

 

[sharkbait13]

@elministro50 Interesting... I've seen people do it with RDLs and even with bench... I'll look into it a bit more. Especially for side-to-side imbalances

 

[paulotarsus]

@sharkbait13 I put together my own program by thinking about fundamental movements. So thinking about jumping with extension led to throwing a slam ball backwards, explosively from a crouch. Or thinking about hip flexion, and twisting to do a sledgehammer. Triple extension led me to picking up a sandbag to my shoulder, and so on.

 

[sharkbait13]

@paulotarsus Sort of like wood choppers, which I might bring back, mix with sprinting or something.

Triple extension example you gave reminded me of a simpler version of snatch, clean & jerk. Might try it with a KB. Mix it with a turkish get up or something

 

[greekprincess]

@sharkbait13 I think it’s important to train for your sport/hobbies correctly. For example, as a tennis player, I’ll never need to deadlift across the tennis court.
A kinesiologist helped me with my workout programming tailored to my hobbies and activities. They really emphasized building good core strength, endurance, and landing mechanics and mobility over the big lifts.

I could’t find anything like this online and had to seek professional advice.

 

[mikedelmar]

@sharkbait13 Just do stronglifts 5x5 but sub exercises that hit the same muscles if you can't do the big 4

 

[sharkbait13]

@mikedelmar I do 3 out of the 4 already. Belt squat though and working towards doing RDLs again. I don't need a program, I've one I like already which I'm progressing on.