Which weight training program is best for building FUNCTIONAL strength/fitness?

[Anonymous]

Three days a week of total body resistance training - Train your whole body using compound movements 3x a week with 48 hours rest.

Upper/Lower split twice a week - Train upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week.

Push/Pull/Legs - Train Tris/Shoulders/Chest one day, Bis/Back another, Lower body another. Each gets hit one day a week.

Which training style is best for building FUNCTIONAL strength and fitness? Not as concerned with fat burning or mass gaining as I am with gaining functional fitness.

[kheserthorpe]

I'd guess 1. What you're doing and now matters as well. Splits aren't evil necessarily, but I think for functional strength the exercises matter a lot. The way you phrase your splits seems ... like you're going to pick the wrong exercises to me.

There's no question you want big compound movements.

Functional depends somewhat on what function exactly you're interested in.

A program like starting strength would not be a bad idea here. If you are not familiar with it, its a 2 day split, you work out 3 times/week.

Workout A; Squat 3X5, overhead press 3X5, Deadlift 1X5

Workout B: Squat 3X5, bench 3X5, power clean 3X5

[rockingpianoman]

functional fitness : use our own body as training machine... don't use those fancy things you find in a gym , for a good workout your own body mass is more than enough :)

[kheserthorpe]

While you can make an excellent program using bodyweight alone, its probably more challenging. Freeweights are extremely useful for building strength.

[sweatgirl]

I would hit each body part twice a week for best results.