functional fitness + building?

[successocelot]

hello
I plan on going into professional wrestling school within the next couple of years. being a fan, i realize that the sport requires muscle mass, for practical and visual reasons, but i also think that it would be very beneficial, maybe even more important, to have a strong foundation of functional fitness. if your body is trained to handle doing actual work, then i think it would be better than having huge muscles in a few key places that you don't know how to use. in short, a smaller guy who can effectively push, pull, and lift, may be better than a big guy who can't do those things as well.

i do need to bulk up, but i want to keep the functional aspect of my training in tact. what would be the best way to pair the two styles of training together, and get good results for both?

i am currently using the GSP Rushfit system, to build a foundation. i like this system very much, it's the only one i have been able to keep with. would it be a good idea to do the workouts in this system, then do some bulking workouts before or after?

i look forward to hearing back with your suggestions.

ps. also cardio

 

[Goldfish2.0]

I don't know the contents of rushfit, so I can't make an educated statement one way or the other about it.

Here are some exercises that I would recommend doing to build a big, strong, useful body:

- Deep front squats (squat)
- Deep back squats (squat)
- Deadlifts (hinge)
- Glute ham raise, RDL, goodmorning, hyperextension, glute bridge etc (non-deadlift hinge)
- Some form of bench press and/or weighted dips (push)
- Strict overhead press (push)
- Push press (push)
- Weighted pull ups and/or lat pull downs (pull)
- Some form of row (pull)
- Tyre flips (event)
- Farmer's walks/yoke walks (event)
- Pushing and dragging of heavy things [eg sleds, cars] (event)

So, there's 5 basic things above: squats, hinges, pushes, pulls and events. I'd recommend getting a fairly even amount of each of the above into your program. As a beginner, I'd have you doing an A/B split training 2-3 non-consecutive days/wk, with one exercise from each category in each session, for example:

Day A:
- Back Squats
- Glute Ham Raise
- Bench Press or Dips
- Pull Ups (weighted if you can)
- Tyre Flips or Farmer's Walks

Day B:
- Front Squats
- Deadlifts
- Push Press
- Row
- Prowler Push or Sled Drag

You'd keep most exercises in the 5-10 rep range (although you can go heavier or lighter than that once you've got sufficient technique and safety measures in place), and the events would be for distance/time with the given weights. A high level of training density on the events (ie doing lots of work in a short amount of time with minimal rest) should work well for your cardio. And you'd eat a lot. You can't build much muscle without providing your body with extra energy and protein to make the new muscle with. Having an otherwise nutritious, balanced diet will also be advantageous.