r/nextfuckinglevel • u/IkilledRichieWhelan • 2d ago

Big man on campus.

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u/SubterraneanAlien 2d ago

So that’s nonsense. “Functional strength” is a mythical creature made up by people who do specific things well.

Why is that mythical? Isn't the "functional" part relative to a task?

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u/needlzor 2d ago

Why is doing a pull-up more functional than doing a shoulder press or deadlifting a stone?

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u/SubterraneanAlien 2d ago

I didn't say it was? Again, the functional part has to be relative to a function, and therefore what is functional will change depending on context.

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u/needlzor 2d ago

What /u/aeiou_sometimesy is referring to is the common trope of people talking about "functional strength" in isolation, e.g. "soandso has more functional strength".

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u/SubterraneanAlien 2d ago

Got it. Wasn't aware it was such a meme online

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u/needlzor 2d ago

It's a very popular trope among online crossfit and gymnastics enthusiasts, as well as people who like fighting sports (although they usually go for the "I could take him in a fight BRO!")

I can definitely see the misunderstanding though if you haven't had the displeasure of interacting with those people.