Why you should add functional training to your routine and how it compares to using machines.
Master Coach Gabe Snow
January 15, 2025
When it comes to strength training, there are many paths you can take, but if you want to build a body that’s strong, durable, and adaptable for dynamic movements, then functional push-pull exercises should be at the top of your list. As someone who has spent years experimenting with different training styles—from collegiate football to bodybuilding and coaching—I’ve learned the immense value of functional movements over traditional machine-based exercises.
While machines forever have their place in the gym, functional push-pull exercises provide a far more dynamic and well-rounded way to build strength that translates to more than just bigger pecs and lats. Let’s break down why functional movements should be a key part of your routine and how they compare to using machines.
What Are Push-Pull Exercises?
Before we dive into the benefits, let’s quickly define push-pull exercises. A push movement is any exercise where you are moving a weight or resistance away from your body, like a push-up or overhead press. A pull movement, on the other hand, is when you’re drawing a weight or resistance toward your body, like a pull-up or bent-over row. These two types of movements target the upper body—pushing exercises work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, while pulling exercises focus on your back, biceps, and forearms.
1. Real-World Functionality
Functional Push-Pull Movements
Functional push-pull exercises are movements that involve multiple muscle groups working together to create a movement pattern. For example, a push-up doesn’t just engage your chest and arms—it requires core stabilization, proper breathing, and body control. When you do a bent-over row, you’re not just working your back and arms, but you’re also engaging your core, glutes, and legs to stabilize your body throughout the movement.
Push-Pull Machines
Machines isolate specific muscle groups and limit your body’s natural range of motion. They force you into fixed movement patterns, which can be helpful for building muscle size and strength, but they don’t replicate the way we move in real life. For example, a seated chest press machine targets the chest and triceps but doesn’t engage the core or legs in any way, leaving those essential stabilizers underdeveloped.
Why It Matters:
In life, we don’t move in isolated patterns. We push, pull, twist, and stabilize all at once. Functional push-pull exercises train our muscles to work together in a more natural way, making us stronger and more resilient in the real world.
2. Strength and Stability Across Multiple Planes
Functional Push-Pull Movements
Functional push-pull exercises, like the push-up or pull-up, force your body to engage multiple planes of motion. Whether you're pressing overhead or pulling from a hanging position, you’re training your muscles to move in the same way they do in everyday life—by stabilizing your body while you perform a pushing or pulling movement. This strengthens not only the primary muscles involved but also your stabilizer muscles (like the core, hips, and shoulders), improving balance and stability.
Push-Pull Machines
Machines typically limit movement to one plane of motion. A machine chest press only moves in a fixed path, and while you may be pressing weight, your body doesn’t need to stabilize itself the way it would if you were doing a push-up or overhead press. While this helps isolate muscles, it doesn't mimic the real-life challenges of stabilizing weight or moving in multiple directions.
Why It Matters:
By focusing on functional push-pull exercises, you develop full-body strength that translates to the dynamic movements we encounter in real life. Whether you're carrying groceries, lifting a child, or pushing a door open, you rely on multiple muscle groups working together. Functional movements ensure those muscles are trained in unison.
3. Better Posture and Joint Health
Functional Push-Pull Movements
Functional exercises encourage better posture by promoting proper alignment and engagement of the muscles. For example, performing a dumbbell chest press or standing overhead press requires you to activate your core, maintain proper posture, and move your arms in a natural, free-moving way. Your body learns to stabilize itself through the core and legs, preventing any undue strain on your lower back, shoulders, or neck.
Push-Pull Machines
Machines, on the other hand, can often encourage poor posture. They force you into a seated or reclined position and don’t require the same body awareness or engagement of stabilizing muscles. This can lead to muscle imbalances and tightness in areas like the lower back and shoulders. For instance, sitting on a chest press machine with improper form can strain the lower back and create muscle imbalances by neglecting key stabilizer muscles.
Why It Matters:
Posture is key for avoiding long-term pain and injury. Functional push-pull exercises teach your body to move in a way that supports healthy alignment and joint integrity, which helps keep you moving well and feeling strong in the long term.
4. More Versatility and Less Monotony
Functional Push-Pull Movements
One of the greatest benefits of functional push-pull exercises is their versatility. You can perform them anywhere—at home, at the gym, or in the park. Movements like push-ups, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, and even sled pushes are all great examples of push-pull exercises that don’t require a machine. They can be done with bodyweight, dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands, offering endless variety to keep your workouts fresh and challenging.
Push-Pull Machines
Machines are typically confined to the gym, requiring access to specific equipment. While they can be useful, they don't offer the same versatility as free-weight and bodyweight exercises, and you may find yourself getting bored with the same routine over time.
Why It Matters:
Functional push-pull exercises not only provide a more engaging workout experience, but they also allow for more flexibility in how and where you train. You’re building strength and mobility with tools you can use anywhere, from your living room to a mountain trail.
Final Thoughts
We all know if bigger, more voluminous muscle growth is the goal then you can never go wrong with using the good ole pec deck or the lat pulldown machine. There isn't any move or equipment that are more useful for isolating muscles and targeting specific muscle groups than machines but they don’t offer the multitude of benefits as functional exercises. Functional movements build strength, coordination, and stability, while improving posture, reducing injury.
If you want to develop strength that will help you in and outside of the gym, incorporate functional push-pull exercises into your routine. Your body will thank you for it.
