# Functional training vs. conventional training?



## carter1990 (Mar 5, 2011)

I posed the question in this thread to get others take. Now me personally I think functional training has its place in its ability to target stabilization muscles as well as create a great foundation for movement, that being said I believe it can be taken overboard same goes for conventional training. Sometimes conventional training can taken overboard when stabilization exercises are needed to create that foundation as well as rehabbing injuries but to me each has their strong and weak points. I was reading an article that recapped what I was thinking but the article expressed it simply, paraphrased it said something to the extent of

"Both are good in their own way but its about your goals". Its about the specificity of your goals.  Naturally an individual looking to create a good supple physique should include both forms of training. Now I do understand the word functional is a broad term and can be defined differently by many people but I would like to know what others opinions are?


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## DaBeast25 (Mar 5, 2011)

Functional Exercise = Deadlift, Squat, Overhead Press, etc...

NOT Functional = Balancing on a f**king bosu while trying to simultaneously curl one arm and scratch you a** with the other


I have a serious hate towards the direction the fitness industry has gone over the last 10 years or so.  Good fundamental exercises are all the sudden bad for your back, knees, shoulder, etc... Yet stability work somehow works you core?!?!  Give me a break....

In my book "functional exercises" are more like circus tricks.  You may get more proficient at performing that particular movement, but there is no carry over to "actual movement" as in what occurs in day to day life.  

Balance exercises have their place and for the most part they should be done unilaterally for rehab/prehab purposes... NOT to work the core or to be calle "functional"

Funtional Training


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## carter1990 (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for the response my friend.

I have to agree with you, I actually heard one trainer say she does not believe in elbow flexion. I was thinking to myself how can you not believe in something your body naturally does. To me you can learn from books and through experience and each have their place but sometimes book knowledge is taken overboard same for experience.

Since the exercise science field is so varied there are many words that are used that can have multiple definitions


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