Is there a difference between Instagram muscles and functional muscles? Let’s dig in.
This post was inspired by a recent conversation. The gentleman concerned had given up body building type exercises for what he considered more functional pursuits such as calisthenics.
He felt the former was just focused on building muscles for Instagram.
So, what is the difference between muscles gained using body building methods and those developed via body weight activities such as calisthenics?
This is a surprisingly polarising topic among exercise professionals. Whilst it might not be the Middle East, it seems to force people into divergent camps.
On the one side you have those advocates of a more focused isolationist approach to stimulating muscle growth. This typically uses strength training machines and equipment like dumbbells.
On the other, those who think muscle is better trained using the weight of the body with gymnastic type activities.
So who is right?
Whenever a question like this is asked, it’s best to get more specific by asking the following questions.
Who’s this for?
Are we talking about a healthy 20 year old with no injuries and a background of athletic activity?
Or a 70 year old with Osteoarthritis in both knees and lower back pain?
What’s your goal?
Are you looking to avoid pain and maintain function as you move towards later life?
Or do you want to compete on the parallel bars at the next Olympics?
How much range of motion do you have at each of your joints?
If you want to do a handstand for example, you’ll need at least 180 degrees of shoulder flexion. Or in another words, be able to raise both arms comfortably above your head.
Do you have control of those positions?
Once in these positions are you able to both produce and resist force? If not, your risk of injury increases.
What is your tolerance for activity?
How do you feel both during and after the training session? If you have pain or discomfort in or around your joints then you should probably reassess.
Look past the marketing of exercise
By looking past the marketing and getting into the nuts and bolts of exercise, perhaps you can see what a nonsense these debates are.
“It depends” won’t win an argument on Twitter, but in the real world it’s the only rational response to such questions.
Every exercise exists on a continuum of complexity, ranging from your ability to produce a basic muscle contraction, to performing highly skilled activities like calisthenics.
Commonly the decisions taken by exercise professionals as to what’s appropriate for their clients are not based on facts, but rather bias.
Summary
There is no difference between muscles that are built with machines and those that are built with body weight exercises.
The difference is the increased level of complexity that’s involved in the latter.
Whether this will benefit you is dependant on a number of individual factors which should be assessed before you begin.