It’s time to bust some functional training myths, but before we can do that, we have to determine what exactly functional training is. According to the definition in Wikipedia, Functional Training is a classification of exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life.

Why these “fitness experts” feel the need to bash bodybuilding styles of training in order to make themselves sound good, totally boggles my mind, especially when bodybuilders have been using two of the greatest functional training exercises, (Deadlifts and Squats) for ages. You can add in lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and pull-ups to the list as well.

I’m not sure why the issue has to be so black and white when it comes to training. Personally, I prefer to have an open mind and incorporate a variety of training methods into my workouts. That’s how I’ve developed a strong, healthy, athletic, and sexy physique.

The only reason that I see to take such a dogmatic and rigid approach is for marketing purposes. Once again, like I’ve mentioned in the previous articles, The Truth About Fear Based Nutrition Tactics and HIIT: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, this is a case of fear based marketing tactics where these “fitness experts” tell you to avoid certain exercises because they are a waste of time and may injure you.

…oh ya, and for three easy payments of $39.95 you can purchase their program that doesn’t include isolation or “bodybuilding type” exercises

If You Want To Look Like An Athlete… Train Like An Athlete???

Many of these “Fitness Experts” will also tell you that if you want to look like an athlete (collegiate, Olympic, or pro level), you need to train like an athlete. I have to seriously question that approach, especially when it comes to training the general public.

…If the idea is to perform workouts that translate into every day life, why the hell would the Average Joe office worker train like an Olympic bobsled champion or the Average Jane entrepreneur train like a collegiate 100 meter sprint champion?

These elite athletes have personal trainers design programs that will help them become the best in their event. That’s the function of their training. The purpose of their workouts is not to burn fat and get 6 pack abs. The reason that they have lean physiques is a result of their overall active and healthy lifestyle. They are burning crazy amounts of calories because they are so active. In addition to that, they are fueling their body with the best nutrition possible, which will also help them become the best in their event.

…and for some of them, the workouts that are required to help them become the best in their event results in a physique that may not be aesthetically pleasing. I covered this topic in a previous blog post Does Your Workout Program Match Your Goals? where Alison mentioned that training like an athlete in order to excel in her event made her look “Stocky”. She didn’t have a lean and feminine figure.

If these “Fitness Experts” tell you that if you want to look like these elite athletes you need to train like them, shouldn’t their workout programs last several hours per day, include meticulous nutrition details, as well as frequent visits to a Sport Psychologist, masseuse, and chiropractor?

That’s never the case! Often times the workout programs that these “Fitness Experts” pitch, are abbreviated workouts that include some athletic movements. I’m not sure what you think about this, but to me, I feel that it’s very misleading.

Avoid These Exercises… They’ll Injure You???

According to all the emails that I receive from these “Fitness Experts” I should be crippled by now. My body should be riddled with injury after injury. During the past 21 years I have consistently performed at least 75% of the exercises that they tell me to avoid, yet I’ve never been injured from them. For the past 13 plus years, I’ve had my personal training clients perform these same exercises without any injuries. Should I really allow one study to over-ride all of this real life experience? In conversations with my fellow Physique Artists, they too have never experienced the injuries that these “fitness experts” claim.

In the same breath that they tell me a preacher curl will destroy my shoulders, they introduce a wacky exercise that would cause me to fall flat on my face. Here’s an extreme case of functional training going too far…

These experts can warn me all they want about the dangers of the exercises that I perform, but the reality is, many of these functional exercises (the good and the bad), put your body at a greater risk of injury, especially when you are first learning to perform them.

Something that I often ponder while I hear these “fitness experts” tell me how all types of crunches will break my back and how their “functional” methods will help your abs pop out, I rarely see pictures of these “experts” abs. I read all about the glamorous vacations that they take, but I rarely see pictures of them on these beaches sporting their abs and expressing their zest for life. If their methods really work, shouldn’t they be a walking billboard for their workouts?

The Smart Approach To Functional Training

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not sure why things always have to be so black and white. The smart approach would be to incorporate some functional exercises into your training. There are plenty of benefits for doing so. But I do not see a reason to focus all of your attention on performing only “functional” exercises. There are drawbacks to performing only functional exercises in your workouts. Aside from the best functional exercises (squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups), it’s difficult to get strong with functional exercises, because you are required to reduce the weight in order to perform the movement. Another drawback is that it may not produce the aesthetic look that you desire. Which brings me to my next point…

What’s The Function Of Your Workout?

It’s important to ask yourself, “Why am I working out? What’s the outcome that I’m seeking?” and “Is my workout designed to bring me closer to achieving this outcome?”

The function of my workouts are to improve my strength physically, mentally, and spiritually. To improve my health and vitality. To help me live to my potential and live life to the fullest. To express who I am, my passion, my heart, my desire, my self-respect, my values, my beliefs, my attitude, and my drive. To bring more joy into my life. To look absolutely freakin’ HOT. To sculpt my body into a work of art… a Masterpiece, which boosts my confidence and carries over into all areas of my life.

There’s no doubt that vanity plays a big role in why I train the way I do. I love to hear people tell me that I look jacked, that I’m becoming more vascular, and that I’m looking shredded. I know that vanity is a big reason why many other people workout as well, because I am constantly being asked “Scott, how do I get arms like you?” I guarantee that you won’t get them from performing functional exercises. You need to do the exercises that these “Fitness Experts” are telling you to avoid.

Every exercise that you perform does not have to serve the purpose of helping you perform your every day tasks. Some of the exercises that you perform can serve the function of making you stronger, others can make you more agile, and some can allow you to carve out that finished and polished look that you desire. So as you can see, “Functional” can be a very broad term and it’s very individual to your own personal goals.

The purpose of this article and the past few posts that I’ve written, is to bring truth to the topics that appear to be controversial in the fitness industry, while encouraging you to have an open mind when it comes to nutrition and exercise strategies. Having an open mind has served me well. It allows me to see and appreciate all aspects of health and fitness. Often times it’s not the protocol that is the problem, it’s the exaggeration of the details and the deception that really irks me.

When it comes to health and fitness it’s not “My way or the highway”. The methods, strategies, and practices that I recommend are simply “A” way. 99% of the time I am applying multiple strategies from varies walks of nutrition and fitness. That’s what makes this process so enjoyable. At the same time, I respect the fact that my way may not appeal to some people. Although their preferred strategies and lifestyle may not resonate with me, I have a great deal of appreciation for the fact that they have discovered what works for them and what brings joy to their life while embracing their healthy and active lifestyle.

It’s been the journey that has brought me to the point that I’m at today. Experimenting with a variety of methods to see what is most effective for me, both physically and mentally. If I didn’t have an open mind I would have missed out on a great education through experience.

Fitness is meant to be an enjoyable journey. When you get too wrapped in the little details and the controversy, it takes away from the fun aspect. It takes away from the art form that it truly is. You’re body in motion is a beautiful thing.

I’m here to help you make an informed decision about the direction of your training and nutrition, but more important, I’m here to help you discover the rewards of the process itself. At that moment, you will realize that you have the opportunity to celebrate your victories every day. You won’t have to wait until you drop that last 10-20 lbs in order to feel successful and happy. You can feel successful today!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

One of the members from my local gym recently asked the question, “How often should I work my abs?“ I recorded a video, which reveals the answer to this question as well as some very key issues that you must be aware of when it comes to achieving great abs, plus, my Top 6 Abs Exercises!

Here’s some key points about working your abs…

The most important point to clear up is that it doesn’t matter how many abs exercises you do or how often you work them, if they are covered with a layer of fat, you’ll never see them.

The way to remove the fat around your belly is to create a caloric deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. It’s as simple as that. There’s no magic bullet.

It’s difficult for some people to grasp the idea that abs exercises really have very little to do with developing 6 pack abs. That’s why I recommend that abs exercises should only make up a small portion of your overall workout program. I’d rather see you doing more squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and presses.

The benefits of working your abs are not really noticed until your body fat percentage is low. If you have been working your abs they will pop out more and create deeper ridges, than if you weren’t working your abs. If you work your abs and build them up, you may actually begin to see them a little sooner as you drop your body fat percentage down… but the difference won’t be significant.

The key to this is to work your abs with greater resistance instead of cranking out 1000 reps of crunches or sit-ups. For the most part I recommend that you choose a resistance that allows you to perform 8-10 reps, and mix in a few sets of 15 reps.

In the video I demonstrated my 6 favorite abs exercises, most of which incorporate higher resistance and fewer reps…

Cable Crunches
Leg Raises
Stability Ball Sit-Ups
2 Dumbbell Twists
1 Dumbbell Twist
Planks

How Often Should You Work Your Abs?

My recommendation is twice per week. Here’s a routine that you could use…

After performing all three exercises you can now rest for 60 seconds and repeat for two more rounds. You can perform the above workout on Monday and the following one on Thursday…

Exercise Leg/Knee Raises 2 Dumbbell Twist Stability Ball Sit-Ups

Rest 0 0 60

I hope that this video and article helps bring you closer to achieving a flatter stomach and 6 pack abs if that’s what you desire.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

It’s time to change up your abs workout program and add some variety to it. Today’s guest post from my colleague David Grisaffi, author of Firm and Flatten Your Abs, reveals many of the big reasons why you absolutely must break out of your boring ab training routine and it includes 5 great stability ball abs exercises. There may actually be a few that you’ve never seen performed before.

I have been following David’s abs workouts for the past six years and have incorporated many of the exercises into the programs that I have designed for my personal training clients.

Firm and Flatten Your Abs is unlike any abs workout program out there. It focuses on training your deep core muscles for a healthy, strong, and sexy midsection.

These exercises have helped my clients flatten their tummies, but the most common feedback that I have heard from them is that they no longer experience lower back pain. That’s the benefit of working much more than just your rectus abdomins muscle (6 pack).

Enjoy today’s guest post and the 5 exercises for your abs…

Multi Dimensional Ab Training

By David Grisaffi
Author of Firm and Flatten Your Abs

In some of my previous articles, I’ve written about why you need to change your ab programs frequently to avoid muscle adaptation, repetitive pattern overload injury, muscle imbalance and of course, boredom!. But those aren’t the only reasons you need exercise variety.

The functions of the abdominal and core muscles are so numerous, so varied and so complex, that entire textbooks have been written on functional anatomy and kinesiology without even scratching the surface.

What this means to you is that since there are more actions and functions of the abs and core than any other body part, there are more possible exercises you can do for abs and core than for any other body part.

With literally hundreds of ab and core exercises to choose from, the irony is that most people are STILL doing workouts that revolve around only a few exercises such as crunches, sit ups, leg raises and maybe some ab machines…

This is what I call “training in only one dimension“… and that can spell “trouble”

One dimensional training leads not just to progress plateaus and muscle adaptation, but also failure to engage all the functions of the core region, to strengthen thoroughly in every plane of movement, or to develop the proper neurological link to the muscle.

The end result is muscle weakness, muscle imbalances, injuries, a distended lower abdominal area and or and a not so impressive midsection.

The Firm And Flatten Your Abs program includes about 50 exercises which allow you to train every muscle in your core region in every “dimension.” These dimensions include:

Flexion
Extension
Stabilization
Rotation
Side flexion
Prone
Supine
Seated
Standing
Quadruped
Stable
Unstable

One way to enter a whole new “dimension” of abdominal training is to start using a Swiss ball – also known as a stability ball because a ball is an unstable surface. Training on an unstable surface flips the switch on your nervous system and activates stabilizing muscles that are weak in most people due to sitting at a desk all day long and or doing too much machine training.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

Here are the exercises and descriptions for the 5 abs exercises:

Prone Ball Roll

Place your breast bone or sternum on the apex of the Swiss ball and wrap your arms around the ball. Slowly roll side to side, holding your end position. As you gain more strength and stability you will be able to roll farther out and hold the position longer.

Supine Lateral Ball Roll

This exercise improves many things in your body at one time.

Lie on your back on a Swiss ball. Position your body so that your head is comfortably supported on the ball, as well as the area between your shoulder blades. Extend you hip upward until your knees , hips and shoulders are all in the same horizontal plane.

Place your tongue on the roof of you mouth just behind your front teeth, a position that can be found by swallowing.

Extend your arms outward and turn the hands so the palms are facing upwards. Place a dowel rod in you hands.

Begin to roll laterally. Throughout the exercise, hold the alignment of you body exactly as it was before moving, with the exception that you may move you feet in a small shuffle keep them in alignment with the body as you shift laterally.

Go only to the point that you can hold the alignment for the count of “one thousand and One”, then return to the opposite side, repeating the sequence.

Swiss Ball Side Flexion

The Side Sit requires simultaneous contraction of the internal and external Obliques, as well as the quadratus lumborum. This exercise is used to improve core strength and your back.

Place a Swiss ball under your hip and anchor one or both of your feet along the bottom of a wall.

Hold your top leg as straight as possible and in line with the torso, shoulders and head, then lie over the ball to stretch the oblique abdominal muscles. Beginners should place their arms at their sides. Progress to placing your arms across your chest as shown, and then to having your fingertips behind you ears.

From the bottom position, initiate the side flexion movement from the trunk.

Side bend the spine one level at a time until the shoulder and head come up.

On the way down, the spine should dies flex over the ball one segment at a time starting from the bottom up.

Prone Jack knife

The prone jack knife is used to strengthen hip flexors, abdominal muscles and the shoulder girdle.

In a push up position, place your feet on the ball

Hold your spine straight and maintain head and neck alignment

Draw your legs under your body over the duration of two seconds

Return to the start position over the duration of two seconds

Repeat the exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions

Forward Ball Roll

The Forward Ball Roll strengthens the abdominal, hip flexors and shoulder Extenders. This exercise is very good for everyone to improve stability in the spine and shoulder girdle.

From a kneeling position, place your forearms on the ball with your palms facing each other.

The goal is to maintain good spinal alignment as you roll forward. Good spinal alignment is indicated by not exaggerating any of your spinal curves.

Take a deep breath and draw the navel toward your spine just enough to slim your waistline slightly.

Begin rolling forward, moving from the hip and shoulder joints equally. The movement should terminate at the instant you feel you are going to lose spinal alignment. You will know you are losing spinal alignment if the curves in your spine increase and the stick falls off.

Just stop at the point at which you start to lose your ability to keep good form.

I realize if you’re not familiar with Swiss ball and core training, that some of these exercises may look unusual or even “weird” at first.

You might look at them and say, “David, it looks to me more like “rolling around on a beach ball than training.”

Yup… that’s what a lot of people said… until they tried them and their abs started showing for the first time!

By expanding your arsenal of ab and core exercises and working them in every capacity and function for which they were designed, you will…

And maybe best of all..

You can learn more about this concept of multi dimensional training and also see dozens of new core and ab exercises in the Firm And Flatten Your Abs Ebook:

About The Author

David Grisaffi majored in physical education and is a certified high performance exercise kinesiologist with the CHEK institute. David holds a total of 6 certifications, he is a high school wrestling and baseball coach as well as an independent trainer and strength coach, known especially for his work with professional boxers and golfers. David is the author of, Firm And Flatten Your Abs an online best seller which teaches you how to lose body fat and develop “six pack abs’ while improving strength, function and athletic power at the same time.

I hope that you learned something new today from David’s guest post and that you are encouraged to try some new abs exercises. In the next few days I’ll share some more abs exercises with you that will train them in a way that they’ve never been trained before.

Until then, keep on ROCK’n!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

For today’s home office fitness challenge I’m going to have you perform a great home office abs workout. Follow along with the video below and let me know how your abs feel when you’re done…

Home Office Abs Workout

Here are the exercises in the home office abs workout:

1) Side Plank
2) Plank with Side Crunch
3) 1 Dumbbell Twist
4) Stability Ball Sit Ups
5) Jackknife
6) Butt Ups with a Twist
7) Shoulder Lifts
Reverse Crunch
9) Ball Pass
10) Pelvic Tilt

Perform 10 reps for each of the above exercises. If you don’t take any rest between exercises you should be able to complete this home office workout in less than 9 minutes. Yep, it’s a quickie

I don’t recommend performing an abs workout like this more than 2 times per week. Your abs need time to recover and they also get worked during most workouts… especially the Fat Loss Quickie home office workouts.

Please take a moment to share your feedback after you complete the workout.

You ROCK! Enjoy the experience,

Scott Tousignant