I cannot tell you how many injuries I have seen over the years from people adhering to bodybuilding and machine training principles instead of functional training principles.

Functional training is “reactive” teaching muscles to “fire” in a pattern, with primary “moving” muscles and secondary “stabilizing” muscles working in sequence to execute movement. This integration engages strong, stable “core” muscles aiding in balance. The result? Your body attains equilibrium between strength and flexibility, between agonist and antagonist muscles, increasing functionality while reducing risk of injury.

The bottom line: you can either have a bulky, unfunctional body that is injury prone or a lean, functional one that is resilient. It also never hurts that functional training workouts are shorter, more effective, and more interesting than all those monotonous curls, leg curls, bench presses, etc.

Related posts:

1. The 4 Principles of Functional Training – Principle #3 Balance vs Bulk
2. The 4 Principles of Functional Training- Principle #4 Multi- vs. Limited Movement
3. The 4 Principles of Functional Training: Principle #1 – Isolation vs. Integration
4. Exercise Myth #1 – Fitness Machines Are Better than Functional Training
5. Functional Training