Functional vs. Traditional Strength Training: Which One Is Better?
It happens to people who are just getting started with strength training finds it really difficult to decide that functional vs. traditional strength training, which one is better? And it also happens that many people are getting strength and muscle mass through traditional gym exercises focusing on individual muscles like biceps, triceps, chest etc. but still they find themselves weak in daily activities.
In this article, I have deeply covered the solution for both of these problems so that you can quickly decide which training method will be more beneficial to you based on your personal as well as body requirement. By the end of this article you will be equipped with enough knowledge to differentiate between the two, functional vs. traditional strength training approach.
What is Traditional Strength Training?
Traditional strength training is the form of muscle building approach where the individual is focused on building specific muscle at a time through targeted exercises. The common examples can be like doing bench press for chest, shoulder press for shoulders, hammer curl or biceps curl for biceps. Through these specific exercises, mostly one muscle at a time is targeted to gain size and strength.
Key Characteristics of Traditional Strength Training
Specific Muscle Focused
Traditional strength training is single muscle focused exercise in which different exercises target different muscles individually.
Machines And Gym Equipment Needed
Not necessary but mostly machines and gym equipment are needed to perform traditional strength training exercises.
Aim To Enhance Muscle Mass And Shape
The main goal of this type of strength training is to gain the size of muscles with proper muscular shape.
Fixed Movements
Since traditional strength training exercises are meant to target specific muscles so they require fixed movements and postures to get the most effective outcomes.
What is Functional Strength Training?
Functional strength training does not focus on one muscle at a time, instead it focuses on the combined working of different muscles. Functional strength training helps improving the balance of the body and it provides strength to the muscles for performing different day-to-day tasks in a better and smoother way like stairs climbing, lifting a bucket of water etc. It also aids during the hormone replacement therapy, testosterone replacement therapy, metabolic weight optimization and peptide therapy.
Key Characteristics of Functional Strength Training
Lower Risk of Injury
Since functional strength training does not require typical gym equipment and machinery so there is lesser risk of injury.
Core Muscle Strength
Better Performance In Daily Life
Improved Balance And Flexibility
Whole-Body Movement
Unlike traditional strength training exercises, this type of exercise does not target the specific muscle. Instead, it focuses on the whole-body movement in a balanced way and engages multiple muscles at once.
Lesser Use of Machine Equipment
In this type of strength training practice, less machine equipment is used as most of the exercises are based on balancing the weight of your own body through exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups or planks. All these exercises helps in improving the body balance and core strength without the use of gym equipment. For example, push-ups require you to life your body from the floor and it engages your arms, shoulders, chest and core all at once.
Key Differences Between Functional And Traditional Strength Training
| Factors | Traditional Strength Training | Functional Strength Training |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Specific muscle mass and strength | Whole body strength |
| Equipment Used | Weights and machines | Mostly body weight or else bands, bottles etc. |
| Muscles Used | Mostly one muscle at a time | Multiple muscles working in combination |
| Calories Burn | Medium | High |
| Injury Risk | High | Low |
| Movement Type | Fixed | Dynamic |
| Core Activation | Limited | Always active |
| Gym Dependence | High | Low |
| Real Life Application | Bodybuilding competitions, heavy lifting | Posture improvement, climbing stairs, carrying grocery bags |
Which One Is More Effective?
Both of these training approaches are effective in their own respective ways, it just depends upon your goals. If your goals are clear and you want to achieve real-life strength, enhanced body balance and more burning of calories then functional training will be more suitable for you. But if you are just willing to focus on building specific muscles through targeted exercises then traditional strength training will be more effective for you.
Common Misconceptions
Whenever there is a discussion about these two types of strength training activities, there are common misconceptions that most people have and it is just because of the lack of knowledge. Let’s discuss about the top three common myths here.
Myth 1: Functional training can’t build serious muscle
Well it depends upon your goal what you want to achieve. If your goal is to build muscle strength, endurance and balance of the body then functional training is enough.
Myth 2: Traditional workouts don’t improve total-body movement
This is not just a myth but it is somewhat a reality. Since traditional workouts are focused on specific muscles so different muscles are not engaged during the exercise, hence total-body movement is not improved in this training.
Myth 3: You have to choose one over the other
This is purely a myth. You can opt for a combination of both these types of strength training routines where you choose traditional exercises for improving the muscle mass. And for improving the core strength, endurance and balance of the body, you can choose specific functional strength training exercises.
How To Start Your Own Path?
If you are willing to start either traditional or functional training then make sure to follow these simple guidelines to get the best effective results without getting demotivated or having any injury.
• Do the proper research or seek proper guidance from a trusted functional medicine clinic
• Start low and go slow, treat it like a marathon
• Maintain accountability
• Keep track of your performance
Final Takeaways
Since I have broadly covered functional vs. traditional strength training in the most comprehensive manner so by now I believe that all your doubts have been cleared and all your questions must have been answered. You can choose one or both of these approaches depending upon the goals that you want to achieve. If your goal is to gain muscle mass only then traditional strength training is sufficient for you but if you also want to achieve core strength, better flexibility in the body and more endurance then you can merge functional strength training in your routine.
Frequently Asked questions
What is the 2 2 2 rule in gym?
2 2 2 rule in gym terminology means performing 2 sets of 2 different exercises particularly for a specific muscle followed by 2 minutes rest between these sets. For example 2 sets of biceps curl with two minutes rest in between then 2 sets of hammer curl with 2 minutes rest in between.
What is the difference between functional and traditional strength training on Apple watch?
There are two different types of workout options available on Apple watch and these are not just the names reflecting on the screen but they have their own parameters defined to measure the amount of calories burned. If you are working on isolated muscle then traditional strength training is best to choose and for normal workout without the gym equipment, functional strength training is best for estimation.
Can you build muscle with functional training?
Yes functional training helps to build muscles but only limited to certain levels and it does not help in gaining bulk mass as we do in traditional strength training activities.
Is functional training the same as strength training?
No functional and traditional strength training are not the same. Functional training focuses on the combined working of multiple muscles at a time and not one specific muscle. Moreover, it is not a gym-dependent approach.
Traditional or functional strength training, which one burns more calories?
Functional strength training burns more calories since it involves continuous movement of the whole body which leads to increased heart rate and burning of more calories than traditional strength training.
What is the 7 7 7 workout?
It means completing 7 sets of a specific exercise by following 7 reps in each set and each set should be following 7 seconds duration in a slow movement form. This 7 7 7 workout approach is used to create maximum tension on the muscles following this specific rule.