FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH

Michael Jen

When most people hear the word “strength”, weightlifting and bodybuilding are often the first things to come to mind. However,
functional strength is very different from weightlifting strength. Most
traditional weight training exercises are done to develop physical
aesthetics. Of course bodybuilders are not weak, however, the strength
from standard weight lifting does not always translate over as
effectively in real life as someone who trains for functional strength.

A great example is the World’s Strongest Man contest. Rather than curling dumbbells, bench pressing barbells, and pumping out reps on a
machine, the World’s Strongest Man contest has competitor lifting rocks,
pulling cars, flipping huge tires, etc… If you look at the competitors
in these contests, though they are big guys, they look nothing like
professional bodybuilders. A few professional bodybuilders have
participated in these contests in the past and most had very limited
success. I am not saying that in order to have functional strength, you
need to be big like the competitors in a World’s Strongest Man contest
as there are many other examples of functional strength. I am using that
as an example with people of comparable mass to a professional
bodybuilder to show how training for looks versus training for function
can directly translate to performance.

Functional strength not about how big or defined a muscle looks, but
rather having strength in the movements of your body that is used in
daily activities, sports, and another other natural forms of physical
exertion outside of the gym. When you look at many standard weight
training exercises, the movements are not natural if you look at it
closely. Let’s take the flat bench press as an example. Most people see
the flat bench press as simply a pushing motion. However, if you really
dissect the flat bench press, you will notice that your back is against
an immovable object (the bench) and you are pushing (the weight)
directly against the force of gravity. When in your regular life do you
find yourself with an immovable object against your back and pushing
directly against the force of gravity? The answer is probably…never. So,
the strength developed for the flat bench press is simply strength to
bench press and developing muscle mass for looks. This exercise and the
strength developed from this exercises is useless and is not functional
for most people and, especially, athletes.

Having functional strength can really be seen when doing movements or
activities outside a person’s norm. People with functional strength tend
to be the ones who are a lot stronger than they look. I have grappled
thousands of people throughout my martial arts career. Interestingly,
some of the strongest opponents I have grappled against were gymnasts,
yoga instructors, and people who did hard manual labor for a living.
None of these people ever did standard weight training and very few were
bigger than me, but when I grappled against them, each one felt like I
was wrestling a bull.

 

POSTURE AND FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH

It is important to remember that functional strength is about
performance, not aesthetic appearance or developing muscle mass.
Therefore, the first and most important key to developing functional
strength is having a solid structural foundation with your body. A solid
structural foundation is having proper postural alignment. Deviation and
alteration of the body’s postural alignment has a very large effect on a
person’s ability to exert and absorb force.

Every muscle in the body has a particular function that it is designed
to do. Each muscle connects at a specific point on a joint and when the
position of the joint changes, it changes the muscle’s ability function
properly. A change in joint position results in the decreased ability of
the muscle to do work or, in the worst case, complete deactivation of
the muscle.

People often to force their bodies to continue working despite the
decrease in muscle function. As a result, the body begins to compensate
by calling upon other muscles groups to help. A person is not reaching
their maximum strength potential because compensating muscles are called
upon to do something they are not designed to do. Put simply, a muscle
doing what it is designed to do will always be stronger than a muscle
doing something it is not designed to do.

Many athletes have not maximized their bodies’ natural potential because
of postural misalignment. With that in mind, you see that athletes can
automatically increase their functional strength without any additional
strength training by correcting postural dysfunctions. Having postural
alignment allows the body to return to a state in which every muscle is
doing its intended job.

An athlete’s strength can later be increased beyond his/her current
potential through a functional strength training program, especially
designed for that athlete’s individual needs. A strength program should
only be incorporated after a certain amount of alignment and
functionality has been achieved or else the athlete will only be
strengthening the compensating muscles and increasing his/her postural
dysfunctions.

Can an athlete increase overall strength and performance without
postural alignment first? Yes, there are numerous high level athletes
who perform extremely well despite their dysfunctions due to their
athleticism and determination. However, problems eventually arise later
on in that athlete’s career. It is all too common to see strength added
before alignment is achieved and that why we see the bodies of many
athletes become worse and worse over time, even though they have been
told that strength training should make their bodies better.

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Michael Jen is a licensed Muscle Balance and Function® practitioner from
Milpitas, CA. In addition, he is also an instructor and 2nd degree black
belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. More information on the MBF® system and how
it can help acute and chronic pain, as well as athletic performance, can
be found at www.solution4pain.com.