If you need to get a nail into a piece of wood, few would argue that a hammer is the best tool for the job. If you need to make a deep, narrow hole in a stone wall to house a Rawlplug and screw, few would argue an electric drill is the obvious choice. If you had an expensive toolbox full to the brim with everything but a drill, then you could mess about all day with your Rawlplug and screw and still be no closer to achieving your goal of getting it securely into the wall.

So what about resistance machines, stability balls, stretch bands, dumbbells, barbells, cardio machines and wobble boards? Colourful and varied tools indeed, but virtually useless if employed for the wrong task.

What’s best, dumbbells or barbells, free weights or machines?

I guess it all depends on whether you want a nail in a piece of wood or a screw in the wall. The more specific the goal, the easier it becomes to pick the right tools for the job.

As I write this, I cannot help but recall a very recent session with a group of young football players, wherein the merit of bicep curls and bench presses came under scrutiny, and the inspiration for my ‘stand up and be counted’ session was forged.

Bench presses and bicep curls are just great, and valuable tools in any fitness enthusiasts’ toolbox, but for this particular group of participants, the question arose, in what position would they be expected to express strength and power through their arms or upper body while performing on the football pitch?

The last time I watched a football match, all the players were in an upright position with feet firmly planted on the ground, or in positions resulting from the feet generating force against the ground, like sprinting or jumping. So what tool do we require to develop superior functional strength for sporting or everyday tasks performed in a standing position?

Easy; we need a complete programme of exercises performed in a standing position. A scary thought for some, particularly those already at a high skill level in exercises like the bench press or any other upper body exercise that involves the use of very heavy weights.

But if you are an athlete or simply interested in becoming stronger in a more functional context, whenever very heavy weights are involved, picture one of those big artillery guns you might see on a military warship or aircraft carrier. Imagine that massive gun set upon a little fishing boat. Fire it, and what can you imagine happening?

Most likely the boat will sink. If not shattered to pieces, it would be pushed down into the water, not to mention the trajectory of the projectile from the gun would be totally misdirected and off-target.

Now imagine an athlete who can lift 100kg on the bench press exercise but never trained using any other exercise or challenged his body in a standing position. Ask him to throw a punch or a push and you might as well be watching our analogy of a naval gun set upon a fishing boat.

Few exercises can rival the squat in the production of full-body force, generated through virtually every key muscle in the body

In a standing position with both feet firmly planted, all our deep postural muscles are engaged, and the body is working as one unit, muscles firing together in perfect harmony just as they would during the functional or athletic movements we are preparing for. There are sequences and patterns during muscle teamwork that become far more efficient when rehearsed, allowing us to generate more force when it matters.

Any martial artist will tell you that the right amount of force accurately applied in the right direction at the right time can have a far more devastating effect than too much force inaccurately applied in the wrong direction at the wrong time. So let’s examine some of the options for those of you who aim to stand up and be counted:

Squats. Few exercises can rival the squat in the production of full-body force, generated through virtually every key muscle in the body. Want to build an aircraft carrier body for your naval gun? Squats will build it faster and more efficiently than any other move.

Clean and press. This exercise takes a loaded barbell from a position resting on the floor to a final position at arms length over your head.

Through the performance of this exercise you will target every major muscle group in your body from head to toe.

In both these moves your body is forced to overcome the force of gravity, which pulls directly down. As we all know, however, sometimes we must generate force in other directions too, not just upwards.

This is where one of the most useful pieces of equipment in the gym comes into play: the functional trainer. Also known as the adjustable cable column, this piece of equipment basically allows you to adjust the height of a cable anywhere from head height to the floor.

The cable can then be pulled or pushed away from the machine in a variety of positions, and this is exactly how our upper body pulling and pushing exercises should be performed: feet firmly planted in an athletic stance, cable just above shoulder height, chest up and lower back tight, twist and push (back to the machine) or pull (facing machine).

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt