By Coach Dan — Tri-State Training | Mindset. Movement. Memorable.
A Better Way to Define Functional Fitness
When I think of functional fitness, I think of training movement patterns that genuinely help an athlete become more capable. Squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, bracing, rotating, sprinting, and learning to create force through the hips are movements that support almost every sport and teach athletes how to coordinate their bodies under different kinds of stress.
The issue is that, especially in the CrossFit and general fitness communities, functional fitness often becomes “anything that looks cool” instead of “anything that serves a purpose.”
A butterfly pull-up or a handstand walk might be useful in a CrossFit workout, but that doesn’t automatically make it functional. The same goes for advanced variations of Olympic lifting. They’re valuable skills, but the word “functional” shouldn’t be a blanket label for every high-skill movement in the gym.
Where Athletes Start Running Into Problems
One of the biggest issues I see in functional fitness programs—especially group settings—is athletes jumping ahead of where they actually are in terms of strength and control.
Athletes want advanced variations before building the foundation:
Kipping before strict pulling
Muscle-ups before stabilizing dips
Full snatches before overhead squats
High-skill barbell cycling before consistent hinging
It’s not a lack of effort—it’s enthusiasm. But without a foundation, “functional” movement becomes dysfunctional very quickly.
Another issue is novelty. Social media moves fast, and athletes want to try every new skill they see. There’s nothing wrong with learning new things, but there still has to be intention behind the training.
Functional fitness only works when the hour you’re training has purpose—not just movement for movement’s sake.
Where Olympic Lifting Fits Into All of This
Olympic lifting is one of the most misunderstood pieces of functional fitness.
My stance—and Tri-State’s stance—is simple: Olympic lifting belongs in a functional fitness model, but it has to be taught the right way.
Not everyone needs to snatch from the floor. Not everyone needs to full clean. And not everyone should be throwing heavy barbells overhead under fatigue.
But almost everyone can benefit from hang variations, hip-extension drills, pulling mechanics, speed under the bar, coordination, timing, and controlled receiving positions.
These are highly functional skills that carry over to almost any sport.
The coaching approach stays consistent: technique first, load second, full movements later.
Once an athlete has the strength and stability to support it, lifting under fatigue is appropriate—but there’s a big difference between adding intensity and skipping steps.
What Functional Training Should Actually Accomplish
Functional training should improve movement quality, increase force production, build resilience, support longevity, enhance coordination, and strengthen positions—not just skills.
For coaches, the goal is to develop these qualities while keeping athletes excited about training—without skipping the steps that keep them safe.
Functional training doesn’t need to be flashy. The work that matters most is often simple, consistent, and repeatable.
The Tri-State Approach
At Tri-State, Olympic lifting is one piece of a larger system designed to help athletes move better—not because it’s trendy, but because it develops timing, explosiveness, coordination, and position-specific strength.
We teach lifts in phases, progress athletes based on readiness, build stability before speed, and improve lifting without sacrificing the rest of training.
Movement quality always comes first.
Functional fitness doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be purposeful.
If you want to train with more intention—whether you’re a CrossFit athlete, a strength athlete, or someone building a stronger foundation—that’s exactly what we do.
We’ll help you train smarter, move better, and build strength that actually carries over.