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Post by mr potatohead on Nov 29, 2022 22:04:51 GMT
And when Steve Justa got better at his hay hauling, it wasn't from doing just anything, it was from doing isometrics. He said in his later book "Iron Isometrics" that isometrics prepared you for tasks you had never done before, that is, in some sense you were used to doing something that you hadn't actually done...which would indicate that isometrics are indeed "functional" training, although I hate using the f word. What "Functional" means to me is, does the exercise you're doing have "carryover" to anything else, or does it just make you better at doing the exercise? I think the issue of carryover is how the debate ought to be framed. I don't consider this a debate at all, I'm stating indisputable facts. I also didn't want to identify the "method" Justa used and potentially open up a whole 'nother can o' worms... Sorry if feelings get hurt but anyone disputing that there's no such thing as "Functional Strength" just has no clue what they're talking about, at least not within the context of my definition of "Functional Strength". Hint: it doesn't include silly acrobatics and standing on Bosu balls.. And just for clarity my definition of Functional Strength would be the same definition as explained by Steve Justa in Rock Iron Steel. It's the same definition as understood by many others that have written books on the subject of strength as well. How am I so sure of myself ?...It's because years before there was an internet and I'd ever heard of Steve Justa, I also worked heavy manual labor jobs and realized that there was a whole lot more to 'strength' than what meets the eye. In order to keep up for myself I dropped the bench press, tricep pushdowns and other 'less functional' moves like lateral raises, and got with the heavy Power Cleans, Dips, Bearhug Squats and high rep dumbbell step-ups, etc. I also did a little bit of Iso's and dropped the weight workouts down to usually twice per week....basically turned myself into an animal  So, you did some functional training or exercise that was specific to your job. That doesn't mean anyone else's strength isn't functional or that the strength you had before training wasn't functional. The strength you started with just wasn't developed enough for your specific activity. All strength is functional. By thoughtful training, we can increase our strength (or a number of other physical abilities), which is what you did. Without being in a context of performing a specific task, stunt or activity, can you give an example of strength that is does not function? Even in the specific activity situations, strength still functions, but it may not be enough strength for that specific activity. |
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Post by mr potatohead on Nov 29, 2022 22:54:54 GMT
And when Steve Justa got better at his hay hauling, it wasn't from doing just anything, it was from doing isometrics. He said in his later book "Iron Isometrics" that isometrics prepared you for tasks you had never done before, that is, in some sense you were used to doing something that you hadn't actually done...which would indicate that isometrics are indeed "functional" training, although I hate using the f word. What "Functional" means to me is, does the exercise you're doing have "carryover" to anything else, or does it just make you better at doing the exercise? I think the issue of carryover is how the debate ought to be framed. I don't consider this a debate at all, I'm stating indisputable facts. I also didn't want to identify the "method" Justa used and potentially open up a whole 'nother can o' worms... Sorry if feelings get hurt but anyone disputing that there's no such thing as "Functional Strength" just has no clue what they're talking about, at least not within the context of my definition of "Functional Strength". Hint: it doesn't include silly acrobatics and standing on Bosu balls.. And just for clarity my definition of Functional Strength would be the same definition as explained by Steve Justa in Rock Iron Steel. It's the same definition as understood by many others that have written books on the subject of strength as well. How am I so sure of myself ?...It's because years before there was an internet and I'd ever heard of Steve Justa, I also worked heavy manual labor jobs and realized that there was a whole lot more to 'strength' than what meets the eye. In order to keep up for myself I dropped the bench press, tricep pushdowns and other 'less functional' moves like lateral raises, and got with the heavy Power Cleans, Dips, Bearhug Squats and high rep dumbbell step-ups, etc. I also did a little bit of Iso's and dropped the weight workouts down to usually twice per week....basically turned myself into an animal A private definition is not a statement of indisputable facts, m8. However, that doesn't make you a bad person. |
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Post by Magnus on Nov 30, 2022 2:06:07 GMT
I don't consider this a debate at all, I'm stating indisputable facts. I also didn't want to identify the "method" Justa used and potentially open up a whole 'nother can o' worms... Sorry if feelings get hurt but anyone disputing that there's no such thing as "Functional Strength" just has no clue what they're talking about, at least not within the context of my definition of "Functional Strength". Hint: it doesn't include silly acrobatics and standing on Bosu balls.. And just for clarity my definition of Functional Strength would be the same definition as explained by Steve Justa in Rock Iron Steel. It's the same definition as understood by many others that have written books on the subject of strength as well. How am I so sure of myself ?...It's because years before there was an internet and I'd ever heard of Steve Justa, I also worked heavy manual labor jobs and realized that there was a whole lot more to 'strength' than what meets the eye. In order to keep up for myself I dropped the bench press, tricep pushdowns and other 'less functional' moves like lateral raises, and got with the heavy Power Cleans, Dips, Bearhug Squats and high rep dumbbell step-ups, etc. I also did a little bit of Iso's and dropped the weight workouts down to usually twice per week....basically turned myself into an animal is not a statement of indisputable facts, m8. However, that doesn't make you a bad person. You're snipping the full statement so as to take the statement out of context. It's not a "private" definition at all... This was my full statement: "And just for clarity my definition of Functional Strength would be the same definition as explained by Steve Justa in Rock Iron Steel. It's the same definition as understood by many others that have written books on the subject of strength as well." |
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Post by Magnus on Nov 30, 2022 2:48:30 GMT
I don't consider this a debate at all, I'm stating indisputable facts. I also didn't want to identify the "method" Justa used and potentially open up a whole 'nother can o' worms... Sorry if feelings get hurt but anyone disputing that there's no such thing as "Functional Strength" just has no clue what they're talking about, at least not within the context of my definition of "Functional Strength". Hint: it doesn't include silly acrobatics and standing on Bosu balls.. And just for clarity my definition of Functional Strength would be the same definition as explained by Steve Justa in Rock Iron Steel. It's the same definition as understood by many others that have written books on the subject of strength as well. How am I so sure of myself ?...It's because years before there was an internet and I'd ever heard of Steve Justa, I also worked heavy manual labor jobs and realized that there was a whole lot more to 'strength' than what meets the eye. In order to keep up for myself I dropped the bench press, tricep pushdowns and other 'less functional' moves like lateral raises, and got with the heavy Power Cleans, Dips, Bearhug Squats and high rep dumbbell step-ups, etc. I also did a little bit of Iso's and dropped the weight workouts down to usually twice per week....basically turned myself into an animal Without being in a context of performing a specific task, stunt or activity, can you give an example of strength that is does not function? Even in the specific activity situations, strength still functions, but it may not be enough strength for that specific activity. Regardless if I was working for a tree service in Brooklyn NYC, removing large trees that were in backyard areas with no access, so that you had to take the tree down and then manually carry all of the brush and heavy wood up and down flights of stairs within the house before making it out onto the street and then loading the wood and chipping the brush... ...to working for a company installing highway lane reflective road makers out on Long Island, New York; where part of my job responsibilities was hand mixing stacks and stacks and stacks of dry 75 pound bags of super fast set and super strong concrete non-stop for hours on end, all while standing on the back of a flatbed truck exposed to the elements, successfully keeping up with the two guys and their wheelbarrows who were both intent on completing an almost unobtainable 'quota' of reflective markers installed for the day... ...OR, a few years before that working for an asphalt paving company, wheelbarrowing and raking asphalt and stone all day; and many times that was after another day previous where we possibly had to first bust up the existing asphalt and/or concrete with sledgehammers and wheelbarrow and/or load the very heavy concrete chunks into the bucket of a backhoe. ...and there were other 'labor' jobs as well, like busting my ass all week long doing the 'as previously mentioned' heavy labor stuff and then working 'part time' on the weekends delivering furniture for a busy company. Did I forget to mention there was also a period of time sandwiched in there where I took an 'easy' job pumping gas all night from 5 pm to 5 am, 5 days a week ?... I would sleep between customers, while sitting in a chair, until I heard the *Ding* *Ding* whenever a new customer pulled in. I had just enough time after the gas station shift to drive home for a quick shower and a big cup of black coffee before heading over to the asphalt yard for the 7 am start of my 'main' gig. Oh yeah, and breakfast was always the food truck that sat near the outside of the yard where my boss rented a spot to park his paving equipment. Bacon Egg & Cheese on a roll, salt pepper ketchup and another big ol' coffee to get my new day started... LOLOL The point in all of this ?... I feel fully qualified, probably even MORE qualified than Justa was when I say there IS something called "Functional Strength", and when the chips are down and you have to call upon 'a different kind of strength' to get you through the day unscathed, bench pressing, tricep kickbacks, and other common 'methods' etc. ain't gonna get you where you need to be |
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Post by Magnus on Nov 30, 2022 2:53:24 GMT
Here's a young man that seems to have been well on his way to achieving 'Functional Strength'...   |
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Post by BigBruvOfEnglandUK on Nov 30, 2022 6:45:41 GMT
And when Steve Justa got better at his hay hauling, it wasn't from doing just anything, it was from doing isometrics. He said in his later book "Iron Isometrics" that isometrics prepared you for tasks you had never done before, that is, in some sense you were used to doing something that you hadn't actually done...which would indicate that isometrics are indeed "functional" training, although I hate using the f word. What "Functional" means to me is, does the exercise you're doing have "carryover" to anything else, or does it just make you better at doing the exercise? I think the issue of carryover is how the debate ought to be framed. Functional isometrics! (As opposed to non functional isometrics, m8s). archive.org/details/bob-hoffman-functional-isometric-contraction-text |
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Post by mr potatohead on Nov 30, 2022 7:26:17 GMT
I'm fine with calling it "a different kind of strength" or "isometric built strength" or "tendon strength" or "activity specific strength", but "Functional" strength?
No, since ALL strength IS functional. It makes no difference what kind it is, it still functions.
Sometimes, for some people, strength is more and sometimes, for some people, strength is less, but ALL strength is functional.
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Post by mr potatohead on Nov 30, 2022 8:14:14 GMT
Another possibility just occurred to me.
That "different kind of strength" might be called "ethnic strength" or "heritage strength" or "genetic strength" (although, after listening to Dr Wagh talk about "gene theory" I'm not sure that the current belief about genes is factual).
I have a friend that is descended from American Indian (I think I remember you saying you are also?). Many guys have seen him do "impossible" things that displayed what appeared to be superhuman strength. When we tell other people who don't know him about what we've seen him do, they think that we're just exaggerating, like we're telling them a Paul Bunyan story, so we don't usually talk about his feats of strength much except among those who know him.
I don't know about the ancestry of people like Steve Justa or Dennis Rogers, but perhaps their strength potentials or capabilities were inherited?
My strength is not nearly as great as his, but my strength is still just as functional as his is.
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Post by Magnus on Nov 30, 2022 18:12:13 GMT
I have a friend that is descended from American Indian (I think I remember you saying you are also?). Me ?... No, I'm Scandinavian and Northern German on my paternal side, and American pioneer stock on the maternal side. I did the Ancestry DNA test out of curiosity and it came back almost 50% Scandinavian, approximately 25 percent German and 25 percent Scottish & Welsh. The percentages change a bit over time as they zero in the accuracy, but the ethnicity stays the same. |
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brothersteve
Caneguru
He ain't heavy, he's my brother
Posts: 2,245
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Post by brothersteve on Nov 30, 2022 20:25:31 GMT
Here's a young man that seems to have been well on his way to achieving 'Functional Strength'... Perfect example of something I mentioned in another thread....it's the muscles used from pulling from ground level that need the training for them to be more 'functional' IMO, unless you are stacking shelves above your head. |
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captkronos
Caneguru
If you loved the Shovelglove, here comes the Paddletub!
"You Eat Life or Life Eat You"
Posts: 480 
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Post by captkronos on Jan 28, 2024 22:31:38 GMT
Update: My bucket swinging is going well. I keep them in the living room, which I frequently pass through. I just pick them up and do about 40 swings per set, just keeping the slight bend in the elbows and letting the weight keep the stretched iso as they go back behind me then just slightly out to the front, I have found I can easily incorporate a wrist curl in the move. The thin handles on these rolls right down to the last joint of the fingers on the back swing, then as you reach the apex on the front portion, roll the fingers and wrist up. This will torch your arms, shoulders, and traps, also some upper chest involvement.
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Post by BigBruvOfEnglandUK on Jan 29, 2024 6:42:15 GMT
How long before a handle breaks, m8?
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Post by mr potatohead on Jan 30, 2024 1:18:35 GMT
Yeah, a crushed foot is no fun.
Thanks, Bruv, for keeping us safe!
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Post by Magnus on Jan 30, 2024 9:58:58 GMT
How long before a handle breaks, m8? That’s probably one of the reasons kettlebell’s were first invented (?) 🤓 |
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