Exercise selection is one of the training variables that we must consider when designing a program for hypertrophy. When it comes to selecting exercises to maximise hypertrophy there are a few factors we need to consider and one of which is the limiting factor of that exercise.

First let’s just refresh on how we maximise hypertrophy in training. The goal in training is to provide a stimulus of sufficient magnitude and duration to elicit a hypertrophic response. Basically we need to perform our exercises with enough load and to a sufficient relative intensity which means taking our working sets 3-0 reps from failure.

So we’ve established that to grow a muscle we must stimulate that muscle. So which exercises achieve this best? Well what you need to know is that muscles don’t recognise exercises. Your quads don’t know if they are doing a leg extension or leg press. Both will stimulate the quads and therefore both will cause growth. This means at its most basic level, you can pick any exercise you like, as long as it targets the desired muscle group and you work hard enough within the set.

A limiting factor is essentially the component of a system that will be the first to fail. As it relates to the hypertrophy program we want to make sure that the limiting factor of an exercise is the target muscle group. I’ll give you an example and a somewhat contentious example at that. Front squats are often programmed with the goal to increase quad stimulation as opposed to a high bar or low bar back squat. It’s true that quad emphasis is increased in a front squat in comparison to its counterparts due to the front rack position of the bar allowing the lifter to keep a more upright torso position and increase knee flexion. This means the quads are being moved through a greater range of motion. This sounds great but I’d argue that in a majority of cases the limiting factor for people doing front squats is thoracic strength or their ability to hold the bar in the front rack position. If you have to drop the bar before your quads have been stimulated then is this an effective exercise to stimulate growth? Probably not. A more appropriate use of the front squat would be if you find that your torso collapses coming out of the hole and you want to increase your strength in this position. In this case you’d probably program it in another secondary squat session and it wouldn’t be the primary exercise for your quads.

Other common examples include

• Unstable surfaces: Completing exercises on unstable surfaces will more than likely reduce the amount of load you use or reps you can complete. Are you using the exercise to stimulate your target muscle or train your balance?

• Grip strength: Often people in the gym you’ll see people continually dropping weights or ending sets early as their grip strength is failing. They’ll then say things like “It’s all good, my grip strength just needs to catch up”. Well sadly it rarely does and whilst it’s a good idea not to simply use wraps and chalk for every exercise you do, your deadlifts are not going anywhere fast if all you care about is grip strength. If grip strength is a priority for you then there are a number of different and specific exercises for this that don’t interfere with the development of other body parts.

If maximising hypertrophy is the goal then the target muscle must be the limiting factor for that exercise. If this is not occurring then it’s likely the target muscle group is not being effectively stimulated. The good thing about this concept is that it’s very straightforward to come to a conclusion as to whether you’re targeting the appropriate muscle because simply, you’ll feel it. The other factor that works in our favour is that hypertrophy can be achieved through any exercise. This means that through experimentation you can find exercises that best suit you.

The term ‘functional training’ will always be one that shows crops up in the fitness industry. If you ask 10 people what functional training means to them you’ll likely get a few different answers but I’d put money on the majority of people who believe they are doing functional training are doing it as they believe it will carry over into their everyday tasks. Directing your training in a way that will help you more easily complete life’s everyday task is a perfectly fine goal, the way in which some set out to achieve this I believe is questionable. Whilst I think any activity that gets people moving is great, my goal is to educate on how you might do it better. So let’s explore functional training further.

Firstly, lets get rid of the term functional training. If you replace the word ‘function’ with ‘purpose’ then it suggests that your training should suit or be directed at a specific purpose. That purpose could be

• Perform better at work

• Rehab injuries

• Get injured less

• Get swole!

Therefore all training is functional if it serves a purpose. If we wanted to correlate ‘purpose’ to one of the training principles then you would arrive at specificity. Training needs to be ‘specific’ meaning that if you have a goal then your training needs to be specific to that goal. As a coach if someone asks me why they are doing a specific exercise, I guarantee I’ll have an answer that is specific to their goal. If you’re a client of a coach you should test this! Ask your coach why they gave you what they did and see what they say. If they give an answer that doesn’t relate to your goals then that’s something you may want to address.

Now that’s been explained, let’s rewind back to what I believe most people picture when someone says functional training. That is, training in a way that gives you increased strength to perform everyday tasks safer and more efficiently. What’s then happened in today’s industry is that ‘functional’ has been interpreted in a way that essentially means “how can we take an exercise and make it as difficult as possible.” This is then done through the use of:

• Unstable surfaces (big one)

• Taking away parts of the body that would normally be used to complete a task

• Turning a conventional movement into something radically different

• Combining movements

• All of the above

My argument would be that in doing any of the above, are you actually making your training as functional (specific) as you think? Does making exercises harder through the use of these techniques make it easier to complete everyday tasks?

If I wanted to build strength through my legs then I think we can all agree the basic squat and hinge patterns performed normally will allow for larger strength increases than performing a squat on an unstable surface such as a bosu ball.

“But bosu ball squats are great for balance and core stability”.

Well first, you don’t walk around on balloons all day. Second, heavy squats and deadlifts require enormous amounts of core stability and engagement, especially as loads increase overtime. Furthermore, you can train your core with specific core exercises. If the exercise is aimed at building leg strength then do it in a way that allows you to maximise this and this is achieved by ensuring that the limiting factor to that exercise is the ability of the target muscle to complete it, not balance.

Manipulating and adding complexity to exercises in the pursuit of ‘functional’ training can be taken too far and to a point where I strongly believe that the exercise likely isn’t doing much for you at all. I’d argue that there are not many times in life that you will have to pick something up off the ground, while standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg and holding a DB out to your side. It’s much more likely you’ll encounter something heavy that you need to lift off the ground in a safe manner i.e brace through your core and use your legs to perform the task. Sounds familiar right (deadlifts).

In summary, training is only functional if it’s specific and directed towards your goal. Functional doesn’t mean complex and in most cases being as strong as you can be in the most basic movement patterns and therefore exercises is what will make your training optimally functional.