That's Fit

Maybe you're strong enough to pick up the back end of a Buick. That's great. But are you able to walk up a long set of stairs without becoming winded? Which of the two are more applicable to functioning in the real world? Unless you're a mechanic who refuses to spend the money on a lift, the second scenario applies more to most people's lives. This, in a nutshell, is the major principle of what's known as functional training.

Rather than focusing on your arms or your legs or your abs as individual sections, think about your whole body as just that: a whole. Sure, you can build your chest and triceps to such a point that you can bench press 400 pounds with relative ease, but when else in your life will you be lying totally flat on your back and lifting a weight that is distributed evenly across a bar that just so happens to fit perfectly in your hands? I'd venture to say never. But, you will probably have to lift a desk, or a couch, or a wheelbarrow, or a bag of groceries at some point or another, which is why training your body as a whole makes your overall strength more functional.

Instead of heading to the gym to do "back and bi's" or "shoulders and tri's," try working out your entire body. Utilize moves that will help make you real world strong; not just gym strong. Not only will it help you look and feel better, but it will also prevent the development of muscle imbalances and the risk of injury.