Functional compound core exercises - worth it and suggestions?

floggg

Hi. I'm currently doing a three day push/pull/legs split. Been doing this consistently for about 4 months, and still seeing progress. I'm also doing a reasonable amount of hiking at the weekends, and seeing the benefits of strength training there as my legs and back seem stronger and more robust (have had some back issues in the past).

I'm wondering whether there is any benefit to adding in some core specific work, and if so are there are any routines people could point me towards that would include some compound and functional movements.

I'm currently doing some compound movements likes squats, deadlift, bench etc. I am mostly interested in building strength and stability. I've had a few injury issues over the years, and part of this is doing to muscle imbalances and lack of proper functional strength. I would like to do more hiking and hopefully get into trail running over the next few months, and so I feel improving my core strength and stability will help.

I generally hate most of the "typical" core work like planks, crunches etc. and so find it hard to bring myself to do it. I'm wondering if I could get similar benefits for my core from more dynamic compound exercises like kettle bell swings, farmer carries etc and if anybody could recommend some good exercises to add in - or maybe a core focused day I could add to my routine (generally work out 4x a week so another day would be fine for me to do).

Cill94

Functional training is a bit of a gimmick term that doesn’t really mean anything outside of ‘training that is relevant to the goal’. In that sense, all training is functional, or it would just be exercise and not training. Bench press is functional for someone wanting to build their chest for example.

Core work can have its place in a programme, but the amount is dependant on your goals. A full day of it is almost never warranted and a poor use of most people’s training time, as the bigger compound lifts you mentioned like squats deadlifts etc confer much more benefits for the full body.

I would personally recommend you look at either switching to full body sessions, or doing 4 days of an upper/lower split. Reason being that a push/pull/legs split only hits each muscle group once per week. It works best when done 6 days a week by more advanced lifters.

In terms of direct core work, you don’t have to include it if you don’t want to. Squats, deadlifts, lunges etc will carryover way more to hiking than a plank ever could. If you did end up wanting to do some ab work, 1-2 exercises at the end of a session is plenty.

I personally think the likes of farmers carries and kettlebell swings are poor choices for general strength development but others here will likely disagree. Farmer carries are essentially a grip and trap exercise, and swings tend to be much harder to load for the muscles it targets than something like an RDL.

Black Sheep

Agree with Cilian on all of the above, but this is one of those situations where if someone wants to add specific abdominal and hip flexor exercises on top of whatever else they're doing, they're going to do them one way or another, so I'll make some suggestions.

I'd definitely just do 1-2 movements at the end of another workout, and not worry about it beyond that.

If you don't like thinks like planks, weighted planks, stir-the-pots, then you could try something like banded standing ab pulldowns for the abdominals, and heavy dumbbell side bends for the obliques.

If you do a farmer's walk I agree with Cilian they are mainly grip and general upper back. A one sided farmer's walk is a lot more obliques, and could be fun and introduce some variety, but the dumbbell side bends are probably the better choice for oblique strength.

If your hip flexors are weak then just regular weighted sit ups and/or hanging leg raises.

If you don't like planks, and it's the duration, you could do them weighted or google 'hard style' plank.

You could also do something like a high volume of renegade rows or push-ups with alternating shoulder taps at the top, and 'hide' the abdominal work there, but at that point you would have to return to the fact you say you're making good progress on your compound lifts, and ask yourself whether adding in this kind of thing is a form of self sabotage.

Mellor

Functional is a label that gets gimmicked about. Mostly in a meaningless sense.

Push/Pull/Legs is a classic BB split for a reason. But if you're not following a BB 6 day/week style, it's less useful imo. I'd probably just go with typical A/B alternating full body or a established 3 day strength program.

There's plenty of core involvement with heavy compound lifts. If you really think you need some additional core work, add in 1 to 2 assistance lifts like you would any other body part, not a whole day. But the biggest question is do you need ask is do you need dedicated core work? Why?

If you do decide add assistance it doesn't have to be planks or similar time slog. Can easily be something in a typical 6-12 rep ranges. Some with weights, linear progression, etc.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122357408#Comment_122357408

Agree with that. I wouldn't be using add Farmer's carries for core. But I think they have there benefits. It's mainly grip/forearms, that's ok. I think grip's something that people generally neglect - ironically grip is much more functional that most "functional training". Not sure it hits traps much compared to shrugging movements - at least no more than it hits everything. It's a very complete full body exercise. But yeah not especially a core lift.

Cill94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122358605#Comment_122358605

Yeah a strong grip is really underrated for real world strength. Most people I've encountered with grip issues throw on straps for pulling movements a little bit too liberally. Have noticed significant increase in my grip strength and forearm size since I started limiting my straps use 1-2 years ago. I don't have carries in my programme but I can see why someone would if they wanted to take their grip to that next level.

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122358654#Comment_122358654

Yeah, I think the genuine use case for straps is really really narrow. They have their uses of course. But most people usign straps all the time, probably need them because they are using them all the time. I apply that even to mixed/hook grip too. Warm up double overhead, only twice to mixed if I can't lift it double over. Treat it like a separate PR to progress.

If you want an insane grip, you prob need specific grip work. But for general strength deadlifts, fat bar, farmers carries etc go a long way with the added benefit of being major compound lifts.

Black Sheep

Easy to throw in some bar hangs into a warm-up, or to throw in some grip work like plate pinch holds, around-the-worlds and DB carries at the end of a workout. They're a fun thing to finish with and your hands recover very well so grip work like this doesn't take away from anything else.

Agree not everyone really needs the extra grip work though.