When just looking strong isn’t enough

The first thing you notice when you walk through any gym is that there are mirrors everywhere. Where there’s a wall, there’s a mirror. What do you think this tells you? Most people that go to the gym are simply going to look good. Performance and function in the training world take a back seat to being ripped and looking good.

Being functionally fit means that you have trained to improve your ability to perform your favorite activities, like a sport or hobby, and increase your effectiveness in everyday tasks, like picking up your child. Functional exercises improve strength, stamina, flexibility, and in essence, your ability to live.

The fact of the matter is that if a person is training to improve their performance, improved looks will soon follow. Setting goals and breaking them will get you started. For example, test your limits of pull-ups and try to do more next time you try. This is the path of functional performance training.

Training for functionality can be started simply with the following list:

1. Instead of traditional cardio machines, do hill sprints and jump rope intervals

2. Instead of isolating your muscles while exercising, do full-body exercises like pull-ups and squats

3. Instead of splitting your workouts into body parts, work your whole body with kettlebells and sandbags

When you train to be stronger and improve your functionality, you will look better too. Having worthwhile goals to accomplish, beyond simply how you look, will make you feel better once you achieve them. Why look strong without being strong?

Most government entities, like the FBI and CIA, have performance test for their field personnel. For example, there is an assessment called the Secret Service Snatch Test. This involves taking a 53lb kettlebell and performing 200 Snatch reps with it in or under 10 minutes.

A kettlebell snatch involves swinging a kettlebell from between your legs to above your head in one fluid motion. Just a reps will cause most people to start sweating, and accomplishing the test could require months of practice and hard work. Even so, I promise that if you can do it, you will not only feel accomplished, you’ll being extremely functionally fit.

The point of this story is to illustrate that performance training is a far more efficient way of training. You get stronger and look the part. It’s win-win. Just remember the next time you go to workout, start with performance and the rest will follow.

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