Functional Strength Training…
“Functional strength training” has become a buzzword. However, as popular as it seems, there are still people everywhere who don’t get it. So, let’s take a quick look at what it is, why it’s important, and how to do it.
Functional strength training is basically using exercises in your workouts that transfer to real life in a practical way. Think about your training program - especially if you’re into bodybuilding. Will tricep extensions carry over to real life? What about chest crossovers? Leg extensions? Leg curls? No, they won’t. Even the ever-popular bench press offers very little in the way of practical use. None of these will be much use to you as you carry bags of mulch from the front yard to the back, help a friend move, or play your sport of choice.
Functional strength is where the rubber meets the road. The main problem with bodybuilding is that the focus is mainly on looks, and not on practical usage. A good functional program will offer real-world strength - with the side-effect of looking like you’re in great shape. Focus on health and strength and the looks will follow (with a good diet, of course). The opposite is not necessarily true. Building functional strength is what will help your body stay healthy and strong as you get older.
One of the major reasons this is true is because functional exercises teach your body to operate as one piece. Bodybuilding routines (which often focus on isolation exercises) break the body up into parts: chest, back, arms, legs, abs, etc. This is the opposite of what needs to happen. Training your body to work as a single unit also works your all-important stabilizer muscles. This ties everything together for strength you can actually use.
So, how do we incorporate functional strength into our workouts? Here are a few ways:
- Use unilateral movements. These are exercises where you move each side independently of the other. Dumbbells and kettlebells are great for this.
- Stay on your feet. Exercises where you stay on your feet are great for building functional strength. Add drills like standing overhead presses and deadlifts to your routine. These two examples will carry over directly to picking things up from the ground, all the way through lifting them overhead. Exercises where you sit or lie down don’t carry over much, if at all.
- Use free weights instead of machines. Machines are unnatural and force your body to move in a fixed plane. This completely removes functionality from the movement, and can even be dangerous if the machine’s plane of movement overly kinks your body’s natural groove.
- Use odd objects. You don’t have to go crazy here, but simply adding a sandbag to your routine can work wonders. Rocks, logs, kegs, bags of chains, a slosh pipe - anything that is unwieldy and hard to handle will work wonders on your stabilizers, and force your body to work as one piece. This is a step beyond free weights.
- Use multi-joint movements. This is almost a no-brainer for this type of program, however it warrants mentioning. Large, full-body movements are in order. Drills like deadlifts, squats, bent-over rows, and standing overhead presses are great for this.
Obviously, using odd object lifting will be one of the most effective ways to bring functionality into your training. After all, in real life you’re rarely having to lift nicely balanced objects like barbells. If you want to learn how to create an effective routine for building real-world functional strength, The Underground Strength Manual looks like a good, complete course. Or, if you just want to focus on sandbag training, check out The Caveman’s Fitness Guide, or Sandbag Strength.
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, Bodyweight Training, Hardcore & Odd Object, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Womens TrainingPopularity: 3% [?]
New Mike Mahler Beginner Kettlebell DVD…
I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t posted in a while, but I got an email about this DVD this morning and wanted to let you guys know. It’s currently at the top of Mike’s Store.
It’s around 2 1/2 hours of no-fluff basics of kettlebell training. From the sample clip, it looks like the video/sound quality and editing is similar to the Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD, which I have and recommend.
Right now, he’s got special pricing on it, and you’ll get a free copy of his Kettlebell Workshop Manual. Check it out here.
Tags: beginners, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Womens TrainingPopularity: 49% [?]
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD - Review
If you’re not aware, Mike Mahler has produced a new 3-DVD set, with over 7-1/2 hours of instruction, featuring Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison. I’ve been wanting to write a review of Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD since I got it a few weeks ago, but it’s just taken a while to watch the whole thing. So, you might want to grab a drink and sit back, this could be a long one.
Let me say that at first, I was a little skeptical about the quality of the video. Since it was shot at a kettlebell workshop, I was expecting poor quality video and sound. However, Read more
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Product Reviews, reviews, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 100% [?]
More Than a Kettlebell Workshop DVD
Mike Mahler has produced a new set of DVDs. It’s over 7 hours worth of training information from some of the most respected instructors in the industry: Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison.
It was filmed during a workshop in Las Vegas, and is MUCH more than a kettlebell training DVD set. It ain’t cheap, but if you’re serious about your training, or are a personal trainer looking to expand your knowledge (and business), I highly recommend you check it out. You can read all about it here: Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD.
I didn’t want to write up a formal review until I’d seen it. However, since Mike currently has special pricing on it, I really wanted to tell you guys about it so you can take advantage of the discount.
I did get my copy a couple of weeks ago. I’ve only been able to watch about half of it so far, but it’s excellent - and not the same stuff you’ve heard before. New snatch and clean techniques (straight from Russia) by Steve Cotter to really raise your numbers. A different approach to pressing from Mike Mahler to improve your speed and explosiveness.
Before I ordered, I was concerned about the video and sound quality - since it was shot during a workshop. However, I have no issues at all. The workshop was indoors, and both the video and audio are great. Here’s a teaser video:
I won’t say any more about it here, you can find out for yourself at:
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD
And remember - order now for special pricing!
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 81% [?]
Deals at Tactical Athlete
Hey Guys,
Jeff Martone has recently started having monthly specials. Buy two get one free, 30% off of DVD bundles, that sort of thing.
Get the details at the home of H2H Kettlebells, H2H Circuit Training, and the innovative shotput workout, S.H.O.T. - Tactical Athlete.
Tags: Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Speed StrengthPopularity: 70% [?]
Ready to Purchase Kettlebells?
So you think you might be ready to purchase kettlebells. You’ve been looking around online for the best way to get into shape, and found out about them. Personally, my results from kettlebells have been better than any other type of exercise I’ve tried.
Fortunately when you’re ready to purchase kettlebells, you have a few options. Unfortunately, good kettlebells are rare in the “real world”, so you’ll probably have to get them online. I’ve found a few trustworthy options, whether you just need one or two, or a full kettlebell set.
First, you can buy kettlebells from RussianKettlebells.com. These are the kettlebells designed by Pavel Tsatsouline and offered through Dragon Door. These are the kettlebells that started the current trend in the US and are Read more
Tags: beginners, Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, KettlebellsPopularity: 73% [?]
How To Structure A Kettlebell Workout For Size and Strength
Here’s another article by guest author, Mike Mahler.
How To Structure A Kettlebell Workout For Size and Strength
By Mike Mahler
I get tons of emails from kettlebell trainees on how to structure kettlebell workouts for getting bigger and stronger. Many trainees make the mistake of doing too many exercises; apply improper use of volume; and use flawed training frequency. Training frustration is soon to follow with the inevitable lack of progress from not having a clear target. When designing a program, you must consider that you can only be good at so many things. Thus, one of the keys to designing an effective program for strength and size is to keep things simple and focus on doing a few things well. Moreover, your balanced development is critical as is proper exercise selection. Lets get into some key ingredients for maximizing a kettlebell program for size and strength.
The first thing you need to do is focus on are exercises that provide the most bang for you buck. I like to break down a full body workout into five categories. Pick one pressing exercise, one pulling exercise, one exercise for the quads, one for the hamstrings, and Read more
Tags: Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 60% [?]
Deals at Mike Mahler’s shop…
Hey guys,
You need to check out the current deals that Mike Mahler has right now.
Some of the biggest names in physical training - Mike Mahler, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, and Nate Morrison - have a new DVD set that just came out that is just loaded with material - over SEVEN HOURS of video. He’s currently offering special pricing, so grab it NOW before the price goes up! I ordered mine a couple of days ago. You can read all about it here: Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD.
Mike also does some discount bundling with his other DVDs as well:
DVD Bundle - Fat Loss/Mental Toughness, Size/Strength, Speed/Explosiveness
DVD Combo - Fat Loss and Mental Toughness PLUS Speed and Explosive Strength
DVD Combo - Size and Strength PLUS Speed and Explosive Strength
Check them out - especially the Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD. That’s a can’t miss deal at the current price.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 65% [?]
The Turkish Get-Up…
The Turkish Get-Up is a great exercise for overall bodywork. It’s a good workout for the core, shoulders, and even the legs. In addition, there’s an added element of shoulder stability and flexibility that you don’t get with many other drills. These are a few reasons why Pavel has made it one of the only two exercises in Enter the Kettlebell.
Another great thing about the Turkish Get-Up is that it can be done with different tools. While kettlebells are excellent for them, you can also get creative and use a dumbbell, a sandbag, even a barbell with some work.
Jeff Martone has a great article on the Turkish Get-Up that covers both a warm up and the TGU itself on his Turkish Get-Up article.
Tags: Barbells & Dumbells, beginners, Kettlebells, Strength TrainingPopularity: 59% [?]
The Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength
Here’s a full article expanding on some thoughts in a recent post about how to gain muscle with kettlebells.
Another guest article by Mike Mahler.
Over the last few years, kettlebell training has grown by leaps and bounds in the US and overseas. Thousands of people have experienced the cardio and muscular endurance benefits of kettlebell training. However, not too many people realize that kettlebell training is a great way to pack on some functional size and strength. In other words, be as strong as you look with the strength and size that you build via kettlebell training. Is kettlebell training the best way to get bigger and stronger? Of course not. Progressive resistance with barbells will always reign supreme for that. However, if you enjoy the benefits of kettlebells and want to use them to get bigger and stronger, then this article is for you. Lets go over the best kettlebell exercises for getting bigger and stronger as well as a training program to get the job done.
MAHLER’S KETTLEBELL ARSENAL
- Double Front Squat
- Double Swing
- Double Snatch
- Double Windmill
- Turkish Get-up
- Double kettlebell Clean and Press
- Double Bent-over Row
- Kettlebell Pull-up (pull-up with a kettlebell attached to your waist)
- Floor Press
It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that most of the above kettlebell exercises require two kettlebells. Why? The reason is obvious Read more
Tags: Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 59% [?]
