OPEX FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING

FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING

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7826 E EVANS RD SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260

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“Functional Bodybuilding is balance. The way in which it is designed means lower overall demand on the physical systems. sy stems. The beneft is that you have more brain and physical energy to do more inside and outside of the th e gym.” - Director of Coaching Mike Lee

Bodybuilding has long been associated with muscle bulk and an inability to move. Meanwhile, the term functional has been linked to its opposite: movement.

Specifically, movement that transfers positively into a sport, activity, or physical goal. It’s easy to see then why Functional Bodybuilding may at first seem like an oxymoron. Functional Bodybuilding, however, is really just the bringing together of those two ideas. When bodybuilding meets function you get the discipline, the science, the reps, sets, tempo, and more. It's a powerful tool to look good naked, decrease pain, and improve energy and performance.

In the pages to come, this guide will introduce you further to Functional Bodybuilding, outlining its benefits, how to introduce it into your training, and more specifically, how we’ve successfully used it at OPEX Fitness to train competitive fitness athletes. A sample 8-week workout program designed by Head Coach Mike Lee wraps up the guide. Mike was responsible for introducing Functional Bodybuilding to his client, Marcus Filly, following the 2016 CrossFit® Games and GRID season with good results. As Marcus Filly himself wrote: “By switching up my training, my coach has allowed my body to heal, build strength, and become energized and excited again.”

Marcus Filly (Six Time CrossFit® Games Veteran) actually happens to be one of the founders of this training style in addition to OPEX HQ Coach Mike Lee. Marcus has created an excellent brand around Functional Bodybuilding, and he has even crafted the motto driving the entire movement: Look Good, Move Well. We hope The OPEX Fitness Guide to Functional Bodybuilding for the Sport of Fitness encourages you to see the benefits of introducing, where appropriate, structural-based bodybuilding activities into your training.

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FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING

DEFINED Functional Bodybuilding is a training system that prioritizes quality of movement over intensity. Bodybuilding and controlled methods of movement are used to help athletes fulfill their ‘function.’ This methodology is beneficial to athletes because it can enhance performance. For non-athletes, it helps them look good, move well and gain mental clarity.

There are significant differences between Functional Bodybuilding and Bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is about intensity in stable environments, while Functional Bodybuilding is the inverse of these two qualities. Functional Bodybuilding may not be ‘intense’, but the movements and exercises are conducted in ‘unstable’ environments. The purpose of Functional Bodybuilding is to teach people quality movement, bring balance to people’s training, and help athletes gain efficiency at their ‘function’.

What an athlete’s ‘function’ is varies from person to person. Functional Bodybuilding provides the necessary foundation of strength which allows any athlete, regardless of their goals, to fulfill that ‘function.’ Areas like speed, balance, mobility, gymnastics, agility, and coordination are addressed in perfect harmony within a Functional Bodybuilding Program. Those areas keep people’s bodies in balance and helps them reach their goals.

THERE ARE THREE STEPS TO SUCCESS FOR FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING

1 Movement quality is more important than the amount of load (weight) or intensity (work) applied.

2 Be present and aware. You must follow the tempo, adhere to the full range of movement and repetitions and sets, and observe the proper amount of rest. It all has purpose.

3 The lifestyle of anyone participating in Functional Bodybuilding must be balanced. Everything that happens outside the gym is vitally important to the success of the program.


THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING Functional Bodybuilding is characterized by its use of eight key ftness principles and methodologies.

RESISTANCE TRAINING Resistance Training is a type of exercise in which you use load or weight to increase

mass and grow strength.

BODYBUILDING Bodybuilding is a significant focus on high-rep ranges with less intensity (lower rep,

higher effort per rep), and the focus of the training is on hypertrophy, physique and recovery.

WEIGHTLIFTING What’s commonly known as Olympic Weightlifting Movements, such as the Clean & Jerk and Snatch, are usually performed in low sets and reps. These lifts are supplementary, not primary, in a Functional Bodybuilding Program.


MIXED FUNCTIONAL TRAINING Mixed Functional Training involves various rep range and intensities, including both

bodybuilding and support mechanisms to fuel people’s training. The characteristics of this training methodology include building: Aerobic Capacity

Strength

Bodyweight Endurance

Bodyweight Skill

Mixed Modality Training

Power Development

MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION The Mind-Muscle Connection teaches athletes to send the correct messages, or stimulus, to their brain in response to movements in order to heal the mind’s connection to the muscle.

CHANGING THE STIMULUS Changing the Stimulus refers to adjustments made to an athlete’s reps, sets, rest, or

time under tension.

MUSCLE ENDURANCE Muscle Endurance the high number of muscle contractions increases the size and

number of capillaries to the specific muscles, and engrains patterns of motor control and efficient movement.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING Before participating in Functional Bodybuilding or programming Functional Building for a client, an assessment MUST take place.

For coaches, you must understand where your client sits on the continuum of fitness. This will help dictate what movement progressions to follow, what to prioritize later, and which exercises make the most sense.

The same can be said for fitness enthusiasts who wish to participate in this program. Awareness of where you sit allows you to better follow a program and see results.

Fitness coaches are encouraged to develop their own assessment protocols, but for the purpose of this document, we will be referencing the OPEX CCP Assessment Protocol.

Movement quality is a top priority in Functional Bodybuilding. If the client can not reasonably pass the initial assessment, they need to start from step one in the strength continuum which is developing motor control, stability, and building muscle endurance. These characteristics may be “steps back” but even an advanced athlete needs to go back to simple principles to build quality patterns to handle intensity of load, work, or capacity. Quality movement reduces loading of the joints, allows faster adaptation, and ensures maximal recruitment of fibers when needed.

Here are some of the basic assessments to investigate with yourself, or a client before they engage in Functional Bodybuilding. The key of any assessment is to discover imbalances and address those in training. The outcome of any assessment should dictate the direction of the training regiment.

The following movements are used a form of assessment by LEVEL 1 OPEX CCP COACHES. TOE - TOUCH

Have the client touch their toes. The client should be able to sit back into their hips, show a good spinal curve, and be able to touch their toes without pain or difficulty. Regression Option: Glute Activation, hamstring exibility through proper muscle activation.

SCRATCH TEST

Have the client reach back (low) with one arm and try and ‘scratch’ the center of their back. The middle finger of the arm reaching back should touch the upper portion of the shoulder blade and the upper arm pointed toward ceiling without the neck coming forward to ‘cheat’. Regression Option: Side Plank Rotations, Scap Wall Slides. STEP - UP

Have the client step up onto a small box with one foot. They should be abletosustain tensionwithoutmoving rightto left toget uponto thebox. Regression Option: Elevated Step Down, Petersen Step-Up. SQUAT

Have the client perform an air-squat. They should be able to squat to a depth where the torso becomes parallel with the shins. The left and right hip should be even as should the knee and ankle when they are in the bottom of the squat. Regresion Option: SL Activity, Unilateral Closed Chain Activities. SPLIT - SQUAT

Another way to describe a ‘lunge.’ Have the client take a step forward into a lunge. Their front shin should be vertical and they should be able to balance on the way down and up unassisted. Regression Option: Supine Lying Single Leg Activity. SIDE BRIDGE

This is a plank performed on the side. The ears, shoulder, hip and ankle all should be in line. Regression Option: Plank on forearms, deadbug, supine lying stability activities.

If you or your client is incapable of mastering the simple movements, consider working on the basics of fitness before you try a Functional Bodybuilding Program.

Should the client, athlete or yourself fail to pass the above assessment through improper movement mechanics, try this movements instead. These are ‘regressions’. The me chanics required for the following movements are similar to their respective assessment movement above, but they are less demanding in terms of movement mechanics.

Not sure how to regress or progress your clients? Check out the CCP Level 1 Course

where you’ll learn how to assess and design programs specifically for their current ability.


TEMPO EXPLAINED One thing you must understand in order to engage fully with the provided training plan is tempo, how we write it, and how to understand it. Tempo is the rate or pace that an activity is performed. Essentially, tempo and the way it is prescribed represents how long the muscle or group of muscles is under load or tension. Manipulating tempo can change the complete intent of the the training program. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that you understand this concept. Tempo represents the foundation of Functional Bodybuilding.

Seems complicated? Check out this Blog where we explain Tempo, how to program it and how to understand its use in training and progression.

Before we discuss how to write a tempo ‘prescription’ you need to understand the different types of muscle contractions.

Isometric

Is an application of force to a muscle in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction. EXAMPLE: The Bottom and Top of a Squat, as well as a Plank.

Eccentric

A contraction where the muscle elongates while under tension due to opposing force being greater than the force generated by the muscle. EXAMPLE: The lowering portion of the squat.

Concentric

A type of muscle contraction in which the muscle shortens while generating force greater than the external load. EXAMPLE: The standing portion of the squat.

Now that we understand the definitions of the various contractions. Let’s take a look at an example of how tempo appears in the provided training program. Tempo is always written as a 4 digit prescription like the example below.

@4121 You may be scratching your head at what exactly that means. But let’s break it down.

Digit 1 Represents the Eccentric Digit 2 Represents the Isometric Bottom Digit 3 Represents the Concentric Digit 4 Represents the Isometric Top

For visual examples of what this would look like, please refer back to this video.

BENEFITS OF FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING There are three big reasons to introduce Functional Bodybuilding into your clients or your own training program:

- To improve efficiency of movement - As preparation for the dynamic contractions prevalent in the Sport of Fitness - To illicit metabolic response

That said, it should be recognized that as with any fitness prescription, it can’t be broadly and thoughtlessly introduced.

For you or your clients to reap the full benefit of functional bodybuilding, you or the cli ents must already possess a certain base level of muscle endurance. Should you not, we suggest full body, isolated resistance training three times a week to improve your core control. For example:

When your muscle endurance capabilities have progressed you can begin Functional Bodybuilding properly. Start by introducing lower and upper body splits four times a week. For example:


HOW FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING FITS INTO YOUR BROADER TRAINING Whether you’re just beginning or more advanced when it comes to muscle endurance, it’s important to appreciate that the above principles are broad. Best practice would see you look at how this work fits into your overall fitness plan and goals. This comes down to understanding what contractions you’re undertaking in your strength training and how they compliment (or not) any other training you’re doing. In an ideal world, for strength work to be truly functional it should have a bias so it can be carried over to whatever you wish to accomplish; be that to prepare for dynamic contractions in the Sport of Fitness™ or the improvement of movement or metabolic capacity.

To give you a sense of how Functional Bodybuilding might fit into a broader training plan, a year for an athlete in the Sport of Fitness™ might look like this:

FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING FOR THE SPORT OF FITNESS ™ Since 1999 and the founding of OPEX Fitness (formerly OPT) James FitzGerald has been investigating ways of using strength training to create the structure necessary to compete in the Sport of Fitness in a strong and healthy manner. As a former CrossFit® Games Champion, James had good results introducing Functional Bodybuilding into his off-season training, allowing his brain and body to develop the necessary strength, tendon, and joint requirements to stay healthy throughout competition.

In the eight-week program design that completes this guide, Mike Lee draws and builds on James’ work plus his own experience of training athletes for the Sport of Fitness™. It’s important to remember the template is for illustrative purposes only, and to get the most from Functional Bodybuilding a program should be designed to meet your individual fitness requirements. Use the template as a way of learning how diferent strength movements can facilitate specific aspects of performance for athletes with an advanced training age.

“You don’t have to do intensity all the time. This balance that Functional Bodybuilding provides allows athletes to enhance their physical skills and progression without causing burn-out and injuries down the road.” - Director of Coaching Mike Lee

Functional Bodybuilding provides the athlete and client with tools to approach longevity in training. Because of its balanced approach to training, people will experience an excitement for the progression, nurture good movement patterns to enhance performance, decrease the likelihood of injury, and a balance of the both the mind and the body.

You don’t need to grind away day in and day out in order to reach your goals, whatever they may be. Intensity is not the path to success, but it is the path to burnout and fatigue for a large percentage of trainees. You may be surprised at how simple movements and concepts can deliver powerful results.

Like any training doctrine, the best way to learn about Functional Bodybuilding is to do it. So, once you are done reading this guide, be sure to actually try out the above program and experience what Functional Bodybuilding can do for you and your clients. Self awareness combined with a commitment and openness to try new things will teach you the majority of what you need to know.

Functional Bodybuilding is here to stay as a fitness program. The appeal of this approach to training goes far beyond the competitive athlete and is touching lives all over the planet. We are connecting with people that love to move and look good at the same time. We are connecting with people that are tired of being fed the lie that if you don’t suffer you aren’t any good and that your fitness is inferior.

Are you a fitness coach who wants to learn about how to create a comprehensive and structured functional bodybuilding program? Click below to apply for our Coaching Certificate Program.


OPEX FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING

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