Functional Training From a Coach’s Perspective: How Bodybuilding, Strength Training, and Athletic Movement Work Together
I have spent more than 20 years bodybuilding, strength training, coaching, and studying how the human body responds to exercise.And one of the biggest lessons I have learned throughout my career is that there is no single style of training that works for every person or every goal.
Bodybuilding has taught me how to build muscle. Strength training has taught me how to progressively overload the body. Sports have shown me the importance of speed, balance, coordination, power, and movement efficiency. And functional training brings many of those qualities together. When people hear the words functional training, they sometimes imagine unstable surfaces, complicated exercises, resistance bands, balance boards, or athletes performing unusual movements. That is not how I define it.
To me, functional training means:
Training your body to perform the movements required by your life, your sport, and your goals.
For an athlete, that may mean producing more power, changing direction faster, or maintaining control on one leg.
For a bodybuilder, functional training may mean improving shoulder mobility, hip stability, core control, and movement quality so you can continue training hard without constantly fighting restrictions.
For an older adult, it may mean being able to climb stairs, carry groceries, get off the floor, and maintain independence.
For someone who simply wants to become healthier, it may mean having enough strength and endurance to perform everyday activities without struggling.
The exercises may change.
The principle does not.
Your training should make you more capable.
Bodybuilding and Functional Training Are Not Opposites
One of the biggest misconceptions I see in fitness is the idea that bodybuilding and functional training belong on opposite sides.
I disagree!!
I have been involved in bodybuilding for approximately two decades, and I believe bodybuilding provides an excellent foundation for many aspects of physical performance.
Bodybuilding teaches:
Discipline
Progressive overload
Muscular control
Exercise technique
Training consistency
Recovery
Understanding individual muscles
Developing muscular strength and size
All of those things have value.
The problem occurs when training becomes so focused on individual muscles that we forget what those muscles ultimately need to do:
Work together.
You can have extremely strong quadriceps but poor single-leg stability.
You can develop a large chest but still have difficulty controlling your shoulder blades.
You can build strong abdominal muscles but struggle to transfer force during rotational movement.
You can have powerful glutes but limited hip mobility.
That does not mean bodybuilding failed.
It means another physical quality needs attention.
This is where functional training can complement bodybuilding. Rather than replacing muscle-building exercises, functional training teaches the muscles you have built to work together during more complex movements.
I do not look at the question as:
“Should I do bodybuilding or functional training?”
I look at it as:
“What combination of training will best help me achieve my goal?”
Muscle Matters
Before going deeper into functional movement, I want to make something very clear.
Muscle is functional. There is a tendency in some functional-fitness circles to make bodybuilding sound purely cosmetic.
That is an oversimplification.
Strong muscles help:
Stabilize joints
Produce force
Maintain posture
Lift objects
Walk and run
Climb stairs
Protect physical independence as we age
Improve sports performance
Building muscle can be extremely valuable. The question is whether you can use that muscle effectively.
For example, a bodybuilder may have extremely well-developed legs. That muscular development creates significant force potential. But an athlete may need to express that force quickly while sprinting, jumping, landing, or changing direction.
An older adult may need to express much less force but still requires adequate strength to stand from a chair and climb stairs. The muscle is still useful. The way we train that muscle depends on the function.
Your Body Does Not Know What Exercise Category You Are Doing
The body does not say:
“This is bodybuilding.”
or:
“This is functional training.”
Your body responds to the demands placed on it.
If you perform a squat with enough resistance, your body adapts to that resistance.
If you repeatedly sprint, your body adapts to sprinting.
If you practice balancing on one leg, your balance system adapts to that challenge.
If you progressively strengthen your back muscles with rows, they become stronger.
What matters is the specific stimulus. This principle is why I do not believe in blindly following fitness labels.
A squat can be:
A bodybuilding exercise
A strength exercise
A functional exercise
An athletic-performance exercise
depending on how and why it is programmed. A Romanian deadlift can build hamstrings for bodybuilding while simultaneously improving hip-hinge strength that transfers into lifting and sports. A row can build the back while also improving pulling strength and scapular control.
A farmer carry can develop grip, traps, core stability, walking mechanics, and postural endurance.
The exercise does not need to fit inside only one category.
Functional Training Starts With Human Movement
Throughout my years of coaching, I have found that most physical activities depend on a relatively small number of fundamental movement patterns.
These include:
Squatting
Hinging
Lunging
Pushing
Pulling
Carrying
Rotating
Resisting rotation
Walking
Running
Bodybuilding exercises often strengthen the muscles that create these movements.
Functional training places greater emphasis on how those muscles coordinate during the movement itself. Both approaches can be valuable.
The Squat: More Than a Leg Exercise
As a bodybuilder, I naturally think about the muscles trained during a squat:
Quadriceps
Glutes
Hamstrings
Adductors
Core musculature
But as a coach, I look at something else too:
How does the person squat?
Do their ankles have enough mobility?
Can they control their knees?
Can their hips move through the required range?
Can they maintain trunk stability?
Can they generate force efficiently?
The squat is functional because we use variations of the movement throughout life.
We squat when we:
Sit down
Stand up
Lower ourselves
Pick objects up
Perform athletic movements
That does not mean everyone needs to squat with a heavy barbell.
For one client, the appropriate squat may be a chair squat.
For another, a goblet squat.
For an experienced bodybuilder or power athlete, it may be a heavily loaded variation.
Same movement pattern. Different level.
The Hip Hinge: One of the Most Important Movements You Can Learn
The hip hinge is another movement I believe almost everyone should understand.
It teaches you to generate force from the hips while maintaining control of the trunk.
Common exercises include:
Deadlifts
Romanian deadlifts
Good mornings
Kettlebell swings
From a bodybuilding perspective, hinges can build:
Glutes
Hamstrings
Spinal erectors
Posterior-chain thickness
From a functional perspective, they teach people how to use their hips during lifting.
From an athletic perspective, hip extension is essential for:
Sprinting
Jumping
Acceleration
Explosive movement
One exercise pattern can serve multiple purposes.
That is exactly why I believe bodybuilding and functional training work well together.
Lunges and Single-Leg Training
One area bodybuilding programs sometimes underemphasize is single-leg control. Bilateral exercises are excellent for developing strength and muscle. But life and sport frequently occur on one leg. Walking is essentially repeated single-leg support. Running requires even greater single-leg control. Stairs require one leg to produce force while the other moves.
Sports frequently involve:
Cutting
Jumping
Landing
Changing direction
Exercises such as:
Lunges
Split squats
Step-ups
Single-leg deadlifts
develop:
Unilateral strength
Balance
Hip stability
Coordination
Core control
For bodybuilders, unilateral work can also be useful for addressing side-to-side strength differences and providing another hypertrophy stimulus. That makes these exercises valuable across several training goals.
Pushing and Pulling
Bodybuilding already uses plenty of pushing and pulling exercises.
Push:
Bench press
Incline press
Shoulder press
Push-ups
Pull:
Rows
Pull-ups
Lat pulldowns
Machine rows
From a bodybuilding perspective, we may think about:
Chest, shoulders, triceps, lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps.
From a functional perspective, we also need to consider:
Shoulder-blade movement
Shoulder stability
Thoracic mobility
Core control
This becomes particularly relevant as training age increases.
After decades of lifting, maintaining healthy joint movement becomes increasingly important.
Building bigger muscles is valuable. But if you lose the mobility required to use those muscles comfortably, training becomes more difficult. That is one reason I have come to appreciate the importance of mobility work as part of long-term strength and bodybuilding.
Carrying: The Exercise Almost Everyone Should Do
Farmer carries are one of my favorite examples of functional training because they are incredibly simple. Pick something heavy up.
Walk!!
Carries challenge:
Grip
Forearms
Traps
Shoulders
Core
Hips
Posture
Walking mechanics
From a bodybuilding perspective, they can challenge the traps and grip.
From a strength perspective, they develop the ability to maintain control under load.
For everyday life, the carryover is obvious:
Groceries.
Luggage.
Equipment.
Children.
Work materials.
Functional training does not need to look fancy.
Sometimes the most useful exercises are the simplest.
Rotation: Essential for Sport
Bodybuilding often occurs primarily in relatively controlled movement planes.
That is useful because stable environments allow us to load muscles effectively.
Sports are different.
Athletes rotate.
They react.
They change direction.
They absorb force.
They produce force in several planes.
Consider:
Golf
Tennis
Baseball
Boxing
Basketball
Football
Rotation is everywhere.
Functional sports training may therefore include:
Cable rotations
Chops
Medicine-ball throws
Rotational lunges
Anti-rotation exercises
The goal is not to twist the lower back aggressively. Efficient rotation should involve coordination between the feet, hips, pelvis, thoracic spine, and shoulders.
Core Training: Stop Thinking Only About Abs
As a bodybuilder, abdominal development matters aesthetically.
But as a coach, I think about the core much more broadly.
Your core helps:
Stabilize your spine
Control your pelvis
Transfer force
Resist rotation
Resist excessive extension
Resist side bending
A six-pack looks great. But functional core strength is demonstrated when the trunk remains controlled while the rest of the body moves.
Consider a heavy squat. Your core stabilizes your trunk while your legs produce force.
During a sprint, forces travel through your lower body and trunk. During a punch or throw, the trunk transfers force between the hips and upper body.
Exercises such as:
Planks
Side planks
Pallof presses
Carries
Dead bugs
Bird dogs
can complement traditional abdominal training.
Mobility: A Lesson Bodybuilding Has Taught Me Over Time
When you train seriously for years, your priorities begin to change.
Early in my bodybuilding career, most of my attention was naturally focused on:
Muscle size
Strength
Training intensity
Progressive overload
Those things are still important. But after 20 years, you begin to appreciate something else:
You need to keep your joints moving well if you want to continue training hard. Mobility is not the same thing as flexibility.
Flexibility refers largely to how much tissue can lengthen. Mobility includes your ability to actively control movement through a joint range.
Important areas include:
Ankles
Hips
Thoracic spine
Shoulders
If your shoulders lose mobility, pressing becomes more difficult.
If your hips become restricted, squatting and hinging can change.
If your ankles lack mobility, squat mechanics can be affected.
If your thoracic spine becomes stiff, overhead movement and rotation may suffer.
Maintaining mobility helps keep strength usable.
More Flexibility Is Not Always Better
At the same time, I do not believe everyone should simply stretch more. Some people are already extremely mobile. Their problem is that they cannot control the range they have.
These individuals may benefit more from:
Stability training
Strength
Motor control
This is one of the biggest lessons experience teaches you:
Do not treat every body the same way.
One person's restriction needs mobility.
Another person's excessive mobility needs stability.
Functional training should address the individual.
Stability: Control Before Complexity
Functional fitness on social media sometimes becomes unnecessarily complicated. Someone performs a squat while standing on an unstable surface, pressing weights overhead and rotating simultaneously.
It looks difficult.
But difficulty alone does not make an exercise useful.
My approach is:
Learn the movement → control the movement → strengthen the movement → challenge the movement.
If someone cannot perform a stable squat on the floor, placing them on an unstable surface probably does not solve the problem.
If someone cannot control a lunge, they do not need an explosive jumping lunge yet.
The foundation comes first.
That is true in bodybuilding.
It is true in sports.
It is true in functional training.
Strength Is Still King
Functional training should never become an excuse to stay weak. I strongly believe in strength.
Strength provides capacity. A stronger person can generally tolerate more physical demand than a weaker person when all other factors are similar.
Strength helps with:
Carrying
Lifting
Running
Sports
Daily movement
Independence
This is why progressive overload remains important. Functional exercises need to progress just like bodybuilding exercises.
Progress may involve:
More resistance
More repetitions
Greater range
Better control
More challenging variations
More speed when appropriate
If an exercise never becomes challenging, the body eventually has no reason to adapt.
Muscle Size and Athletic Performance
Bodybuilding focuses heavily on hypertrophy.
Athletes often focus more on:
Strength
Power
Speed
Coordination
But muscle size and athletic performance are not completely separate. Increasing muscular cross-sectional area can increase the potential to produce force. The athlete then needs to learn how to express that force efficiently. Think of bodybuilding as helping build the engine. Performance training teaches you how to use that engine.
For example:
A bodybuilder may perform heavy leg presses and squats to develop quadriceps and glutes.
A basketball player may also squat, but then add:
Jump training
Landing
Sprinting
Change-of-direction work
The muscle contributes. The sport determines how that muscle needs to perform.
Functional Training for Bodybuilders
If bodybuilding is your primary goal, I would not replace your bodybuilding program with endless circuits and balance exercises. Instead, functional training should support bodybuilding longevity and performance.
Useful additions may include:
Hip mobility
Thoracic mobility
Shoulder mobility
Farmer carries
Single-leg exercises
Core stability
Rotational control
Cardiovascular conditioning
These exercises can help maintain movement qualities that traditional hypertrophy programming may not always emphasize. The objective is not to turn a bodybuilder into a gymnast. It is to help the bodybuilder continue training hard, move well, and remain physically capable.
Functional Training for Athletes
For athletes, functional training should become increasingly specific to the sport.
A runner may emphasize:
Single-leg strength
Calf strength
Hip stability
Core control
Running mechanics
A basketball player may focus on:
Squatting
Single-leg strength
Jumping
Landing
Acceleration
Deceleration
Direction changes
A tennis player may prioritize:
Rotational strength
Lateral movement
Shoulder stability
Core control
A fighter may need:
Rotation
Hip strength
Power
Conditioning
Stability
Different sports.
Different demands.
Same principle:
Train the abilities required by the activity.
Functional Training for Beginners
Functional training does not need to be intimidating.
A beginner may start with:
Chair squats
Bodyweight hip hinges
Step-ups
Band rows
Wall push-ups
Farmer carries
Basic core exercises
Walking
The goal is not exhaustion.
It is skill development.
Once the technique improves, resistance can gradually increase.
Functional Training for Older Adults
This may be one of the most important applications of functional training. With age, maintaining muscle, strength, mobility, power, and balance becomes increasingly important.
Functional training can help support everyday abilities such as:
Standing from a chair
Climbing stairs
Carrying groceries
Walking
Maintaining balance
Getting off the floor
Older adults should not automatically be treated as fragile. They should be trained appropriately for their health, abilities, and goals. Strength training can remain valuable throughout life.
A Functional Workout From My Coaching Perspective
A simple full-body workout could look like this:
1. Squat
8–12 repetitions
Bodyweight, goblet squat, or another appropriate variation.
Develops lower-body strength and squat mechanics.
2. Romanian Deadlift or Hip Hinge
8–12 repetitions
Develops posterior-chain strength and lifting mechanics.
3. Split Squat or Step-Up
6–10 repetitions each side
Develops unilateral strength, balance, and hip control.
4. Row
8–15 repetitions
Develops upper-back strength and pulling ability.
5. Push-Up or Press
8–15 repetitions
Develops pushing strength.
6. Pall of Press
8–12 repetitions each side
Develops core stability and anti-rotation.
7. Farmer Carry
20–60 seconds
Develops grip, core stability, posture, and loaded movement. Two to three sets may be appropriate depending on the individual's training level. For bodybuilding clients, I may add additional isolation work afterward depending on the muscle group being targeted. For athletes, I may add speed, power, jumping, or sport-specific training. This is why functional training should not be viewed as one rigid workout style. It is a framework.
Common Mistakes I See as a Coach
Making Every Exercise Too Complicated
The basics work.
Squat.
Hinge.
Push.
Pull.
Carry.
Run.
Build strength.
Master those first.
Forgetting Progressive Overload
You still need to challenge your body.
Functional does not mean forever using light resistance.
Ignoring Mobility
Strength without appropriate movement eventually creates limitations for some people.
Maintain enough mobility for your training and sport.
Overstretching
Not every tight muscle needs more stretching.
Sometimes the muscle needs strength or stability.
Training for Soreness
As a bodybuilder, I understand the satisfaction of a hard workout.
But soreness is not the goal.
Adaptation is.
Copying Athletes Online
Your program should match your needs.
A professional football player does not need the same functional program as a 60-year-old recreational lifter.
Ignoring Pain
Training discomfort and effort are normal.
Sharp pain, persistent joint symptoms, numbness, tingling, or worsening symptoms should not simply be pushed through.
Functional Training Does Not Replace Bodybuilding
I want to emphasize this because it reflects my own experience. I have spent roughly 20 years bodybuilding.
I still believe bodybuilding is one of the best methods for:
Building muscle
Developing discipline
Learning muscular control
Creating strength
Changing body composition
Functional training did not make me abandon bodybuilding.
It made me see bodybuilding within a larger picture.
'
Build muscle.
Then make sure you can use it.
Maintain mobility.
Develop stability.
Build balance.
Learn to produce and absorb force. Condition your cardiovascular system.
That creates a more complete athlete and a more capable person.
Functional Training Is About Longevity
After two decades of bodybuilding, longevity matters to me much more than it did when I first started training. Anyone can train hard for a few months. The real challenge is being able to train for decades. That requires more than motivation.
It requires:
Intelligent programming
Recovery
Mobility
Strength
Technique
Listening to your body
Understanding when to push
Understanding when to adjust
Functional training helps build physical options.
Can you still squat?
Can you reach overhead?
Can you rotate?
Can you carry heavy objects?
Can you run?
Can you play sports?
Can you get off the floor?
Can you continue training?
Those abilities become increasingly valuable over time.
How I Approach Functional Training as a Coach
My approach is not to give every person the same exercises.
I first want to understand:
What is your goal?
What sport do you play?
What movements do you need?
What injuries have you experienced?
Where is your mobility limited?
Where are you weak?
Where do you lack control?
What can you already do well?
From there, I build around the individual.
My bodybuilding experience helps me understand muscle development and progressive overload.
My experience as an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer helps me apply exercise programming, movement, strength, and conditioning principles. My years of hands-on training have taught me something equally important:
A textbook tells you what should happen.
Experience shows you how different every body can be.
That is why I do not believe in one perfect workout.
I believe in the right training for the person standing in front of me.
Final Thoughts: Build Muscle, Build Strength, and Build a Body That Works
Functional training is not the enemy of bodybuilding. It is not a replacement for traditional strength training. And it is not a collection of circus exercises designed to look impressive online.
Functional training is simply the process of preparing your body for what you need it to do.
As a bodybuilder, I want muscle.
As a coach, I want that muscle to be strong and useful.
As someone who values sports and performance, I want the body to be able to move, rotate, stabilize, accelerate, decelerate, and react.
And as someone who has trained for approximately 20 years, I increasingly value the ability to keep doing all of those things for many more years. That is what functional fitness means to me.
Build the muscle.
Build the strength.
Maintain the mobility.
Develop control.
Train for your sport.
Train for your goals.
And most importantly:
Train for the life you want your body to support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can bodybuilders benefit from functional training?
Yes. Functional training can complement bodybuilding by developing mobility, stability, balance, coordination, core control, and movement patterns that traditional hypertrophy programs may emphasize less.
Does functional training build muscle?
Yes. Functional exercises can build muscle when they provide sufficient resistance and progressive overload.
Should I choose bodybuilding or functional training?
You do not necessarily have to choose. Bodybuilding can develop muscle and strength, while functional exercises can improve movement quality and physical abilities. The appropriate balance depends on your goals.
Is bodybuilding functional?
Many bodybuilding exercises are functional. Squats, rows, presses, deadlifts, lunges, and other resistance exercises develop strength that can carry over into daily life and sports.
Is functional training good for athletes?
Yes. Functional training can be adapted to develop the strength, stability, balance, power, rotation, speed, and movement skills required by a particular sport.
What are the main functional movements?
Common patterns include squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, pulling, carrying, rotating, stabilizing, walking, and running.
Do functional exercises have to involve balance equipment?
No. In many situations, simple exercises performed on stable ground are more appropriate. Instability should only be added when it serves a clear purpose.
Can functional training make me stronger?
Yes. Functional exercises can be progressively loaded just like traditional strength exercises.
Is functional training useful for older adults?
Yes. Functional exercises can support important daily abilities such as standing, walking, climbing stairs, carrying objects, maintaining balance, and staying independent.
Is functional training good after an injury?
It can be valuable once appropriate for the stage of recovery because it helps transition isolated rehabilitation exercises back into larger movement patterns.
How often should I do functional training?
Frequency depends on your goals, training level, sport, recovery, and current program. Functional exercises can often be incorporated directly into regular strength or bodybuilding sessions rather than requiring an entirely separate workout.
What is the best functional exercise?
There is no single best exercise.
The best exercise is the one that develops the strength, movement, or physical quality you actually need.
Fitness Disclaimer: This article provides general fitness education and is not a substitute for individualized medical, rehabilitation, or exercise advice. Significant pain, injury, numbness, weakness, or other concerning symptoms should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional.
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