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3 Ways To Construct An Athletic Functional Body For Optimal Fitness

3 Ways To Construct An Athletic Functional Body For Optimal Fitness

  1. Are you interested in learning how to develop an athletic functional body? 
  2. Are you training your body in a way to be optimally functional for any sport or life situation? 
  3. Are you curious as to how you can improve your training to help you move with greater control and confidence? 
  4. Are you training your body to be able to last over the long haul? 

The pursuit of an athletic functional body is a solid plan. I had a friend the other day that was just starting back into working out and he was asking me “what is the best thing for me to do to get back into shape?” I proceeded to tell him that he needs to start training like an athlete again. Why, he asked? I followed up by asking him at what point in his life was he in the greatest shape to which he replied “when I was doing preseason workouts for football in college.” I rest my case. 

Athletic Functional Body 

Now I’m not saying that my friend, or you for that matter, necessarily needs to go back into training exactly the way he did in college. However, I am definitely saying that you should still strive towards training some big core movements again while also focusing on improving on some athletic conditioning to help you to develop that athletic functional body.

Brandon deadlifting 315 lbs. for repsStep 1:

The first step you need to take in building an athletic functional body is to train some big multi- joint lifts to develop power and total body strength. You want to get back into performing some squats, deadlifts, and presses on a consistent basis.

By including these lifts and variations of them into your strength program you will find that you will get a much quicker workout because of the intensity and stress demand of the big lifts on the body. In addition to this these movements can be done with both barbells and dumbbell variations which can be cycled on and off to prioritize your joint integrity. 

Also, these lifts can be structured into your workouts as primary lifts and movements which can be readily combined with the remaining lift and workout strategies I will explain here in Steps 2 and 3.

Brandon Richey Fitness students lifting kettlebells to develop functional bodies Step 2:

The second step in your journey for elite and athletic functional body involves the inclusion of kettlebells. Yes, kettlebells are a tremendous way to supplement your other big core lifts that you might execute with barbells and bumper plates.

Because of its shape and size many dynamic movements can be executed kettlebells to help you build athletic function. In addition to this kettlebell training allows you to bypass some other training obstacles that you frequently have to deal with involving other free weight barbell training. An example here would be like having to slow down to change weights, racking plates, and having to move to a different area of the gym for another lift.

In other words, it eliminates a lot of interruption involving your workouts. The kettlebell can be used for heavy explosive type lifts, conditioning-oriented lifts, and slower lifts that create tremendous muscular strength and tension. All of these will enhance the development of your athleticism and help with getting you closer to an athletic functional body. 

Brandon Richey Fitness student bounding hurdles for plyometric training Step 3:

The third step in getting ridiculously quick results in your program is making sure to incorporate some plyometric training. Plyometrics involve completing intense quick explosive movements that stretch and shorten the muscles rapidly. These movements stimulate your nervous system causing the muscles to react quicker involving athletic movements such as sprinting, jumping, and agility.

This is also a great way to gain tremendous conditioning and to reduce the risk of injury by stressing your body in this manner. My workouts frequently involve the use of plyometrics on some level. 

Athletic Functional Body: The Takeaway

Remember that none of these three steps should be included into your program unless you are 100% confident in your technique. Work on getting proficient and confident in all lifts and movements and you’ll be well on your way to optimizing and getting an athletic functional body. 

Are you currently using any of the three steps mentioned here to optimize your physical function and athleticism? 

What is your favorite way to develop athletic function? 

Post up and share here below in the comments. 

Also if you want to learn how to tie these together then make sure you check out my brand new 120 Day Functional Fitness Training Program right here below! I guarantee it’ll get you into the best shape of your life, or I’ll give you your money back no questions asked.

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3 Steps To Build Your Turkish Get Up For MMA

3 Push Up Variations To Give You Knock Out Punching Power For MMA And Combat


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Thai Fighter Jeff Perry delivering a knee strike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Brandon

I'm a Certified Strength And Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and author. I have had over 17 years experience in MMA fitness, strength and conditoning, and athletic performance for most every sport. As an author and specialist I've written close to a million words on fitness and strength. I'm also a Muay Thai practictioner and enjoy helping others to reach their peak potential through fitness and performance.

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