Does any one have a good functional training routine?

[Kuma]

I guess the concept of functional strength is lost in this post.

What is your definition of it then?

[Wastelander]

Fantastic post! We do some of the things you mention, and I do many of them on my own time. But the rest, I may have to add some of the things you listed to my workout... I've been looking into that Stronglifts (Strongman?) 5x5 workout. What you've listed may just do it for me...

Thanks! I do quite a few other supplementary exercises, of course, but my list was getting pretty long and I didn't want to write a book, haha. I actually do Stronglifts, and mix in the other exercises between sets or after my lifting. Right now I'm nursing a mild quadriceps tear, though, so I can't squat or deadlift, and I'm having to go easy on most leg-intensive exercises in general. For a while I have to be a bit of a "captain upper-body" .

Barbells are too balanced to develop certain types of strength.

Much like you dont practice bench pressing when you want to develop strong grappling. You would grab a bag or a person and do lifts, squats, kneel, etc to develop assisting muscles besides the major muscles worked in normal weight training routines.i have found mytraining has always made me stronger that my friend who is a gym rat. He is 40 pound heavier than i am and can bench, deadlift, and squat more than I, but he is weak in motion. Weak in grappling, and weak in endurance work.

So, that is why some folks do not use the "sterile" gym scene for functional strength training.

I partially agree with this, and partially disagree. Barbells are balanced, yes, which means you have to do less stabilization, but you do still have to stabilize the bar with weight on it, so it isn't a complete loss in that regard. The biggest benefit that barbell lifts have is that you can simply move more weight, and moving more weight is going to make you stronger than moving less weight. No matter what you are doing, stronger muscles are stronger muscles. The biggest thing we gain from "functional" workouts is working ranges of motion and series of muscular engagement that more closely mimic what we do in martial arts. This makes us much more effective at applying our strength to our training.

I actually agree with you on the fact that someone who only does barbell lifts, even doing them properly (many "gym rats" cheat to lift more weight than they actually can), will not be as effective at using their strength in martial arts as they could be if they ALSO did "functional" workouts. I also think that a person that only does "functional" workouts will not be as strong when they apply their strength in martial arts as they could be if they ALSO did heavy barbell lifts (properly). I'm a proponent of doing both! Adding heavy barbell lifts will only help, not hurt, your "functional" training, and vice versa.

[bassaiguy]

Now that I'm older and not chasing trophies I've pared down my routine. basically I do Karl Gotch's Royal Court, Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups and Wrestlers Bridge, and makiwara. I'll add leg lifts and other abs exercises as well as dumb bells , too if I'm feeling motivated. I used to run a lot, but injuries began mounting and I found that distance running really didn't contribute to my fast muscle conditioning. Keep in mind that I'm now 42, I don't fight continuous rounds like boxers and kickboxers and I'm no longer in law enforcement. My goals are to maintain functional strength for self-defense well into old age.