BEST AND WORST EXERCISES FOR FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH | the ultimate fitness tier list 

Ugh finally someone who gets the major issues with burpees 😭 there is no exercise I hate more than a burpee and I always felt so dumb for not being able to do them or work up to doing them. Bless!!!!

I agree with so many of these…and the fact that some exercises may be so beneficial but if you don’t have the right equipment or are uncomfortable doing it, ( like hip thrusts and renegade rows) than it’s not the right exercise for you, and there are always so many great options that can benefit you more.

Man,i wish i saw these earlier.Back when i was doing x creator's ab workouts,without knowing wth is the right form of Plank,Flutter Kicks,my back hurted so bad.But thought it is supposed to be lol.The basics are soo important when you are starting out.

I am so glad I found your channel! It’s so nice to hear from someone who is looking at FUNCTIONAL strength. One might assume that at 28 I should still be in “peak physical functioning”, but I have rheumatoid arthritis and have had it for at least twelve years (but probably more). I have tried to do hip dips and Russian twists, and they HURT, so I’m glad it’s not just my own personal failing! 😂

I have 100% hurt my back from hip dips with Cassey Ho - which I have weak wrist and help contribute to overworking my shoulders which I have working to overcome since 2020 since I also have a desk job that is not helping me. I honestly struggle with any body weight exercises involving my shoulders and wrists. I don't like planks BTW but that's cause my shoulders and wrists hurt/were burnt out by downward facing dog - which IS NOT A RESTING POSE!

Love this, Justina! I love how you explain the why for everything in these. As a newer CPT, I know a lot of this already, but some of it is new, and it’s just great to hear these things explained from multiple perspectives. It will make it easier for me with clients down the road. I had to laugh when you said no one should be holding a plank for more than 30 seconds, though. The new Army physical fitness test has an alternate event for the leg tuck, it’s a plank, and the minimum to pass is at least 2 minutes, maybe 3? 😅😅 So us military folk who can’t leg tuck yet are doing mad planks right now. Thanks for the great video!

For some reason I'm just seeing this video, but it's the kind of video that I want to bookmark on my phone's home page. You packed a TON of information into 24 minutes; I feel like I just came out of a lecture

I discovered your channel yesterday and have since been bingeing all your content. So informative, down to earth, and funny. Big thanks!

I love the level of perspective in here! Thank you for continuously demystifying training and workouts in a fun and including way 🙌🔥

I really enjoy your content. Thank you for your knowledge

Love this video - so much great information! If I can do it justice, I'm going to make a poster version of this to hang on the wall in my workout space. :) Thank you for continuing to share your knowledge!

I loved this! Honestly I love your point of view and I also love functional training💓.always learn so much here 🤩

I love everything about this video, and I always learn so much from you, Justina. You make my group fitness classes better. :) Love the tip about counting your breaths during planks, that's so amazing!

This was great! Definitely some exercises that I personally have to either avoid or be careful with because of hip dysplasia, but the spine twisting ab exercises were an eye opener for me. They seem fun, and I've done them in classes before... but I can also see where they aren't the best way to work the obliques.

So much great information. Love these types of videos!

THIS VIDEO IS EVERYTHING thank you!!! maybe more of these 😭 idk if there’s something left to say but this style is just what i need

I loved this video,the way you explain the advantages and disadvantages makes so much sense. Definitely saving this in my library I'm trying to to be a P.T so these are great tops of knowledge 👌

Justina, thank you for this! I've been waiting for someone to agree with me on the tricep dips!! hahah! I love how you explain everything with such humor. Most fitness influencers out there offer challenging "trendy" workouts with no explanation of how to prevent injury! We need your voice out there too :)

Fantastic review of exercises! Thank you 😊

Fantastic info and confirms some of my own intuition when modifying workouts over the years. Would love a similar video for hypermobile people so I can get more modification ideas to protect joints yet strengthen adjacent muscles to help with the hypermobility.

Thank you, this was a very helpful video! Filled in all the gaps and I will be referring to it often.

yess please do more videos like these! i’ve been having low back pain recently and had no idea about the potential for injury with russian twists and flutter kicks 😭

I’m so happy to find this channel. This is amazing information!

I absolutely love this video! This is crazy helpful. Thank you so much!

Such an interesting and helpful video!! Love your channel!

That was so more than perfect! Thank you sooooooooooo soooooo much! It is what I really need now! I know now why I had lots of problems when I was training with uncertified trainers in the gym I used to go to! 😤

I've been watching for a while and I think this is one of your best videos yet! Love it!

Ayee great way to start my morning off watching Justina

Loved this video. I feel both informed and entertained! 👏

I have a love hate relationships with bear crawls, harmstring curls, all the "carry" and "swing-stop" moves 😁. Have a great day Justina !

You really renewed my views on some of these exercises! Thanks for the knowledge!

Thanks Justina, this was a great and super helpful video! I do all of these exercises and some I hate (with a passion) because they hurt my back... Thanks for giving options on what to do instead. This was great 😘

I only do plank hip dips and Russian twists when I’m in a class and always find them uncomfortable…..now I have a reason to opt out. Great video- thanks!

I loved this video so much, i always learn something from your videos, thank yo so much

I'm happy to see less renegade rows since I always fall lol. Great information as always!

Justina, back with a great video again! 😄

I love this!! I have just been introduced to functional and strength workouts and exercises and it really helps seeing different exercises that we do in our everyday lives doing everyday things. Im so happy to know about it now because it’s so essential!! Also Justina for so long I’ve been doing core exercises completely wrong, by not engaging my core and my core became very weak (yeah i did like a million crunches everyday thinking I was doing soemthing😭)Do you have any tips for core engagement because I have tried so many times and I’m still not sure if I am doing wrong. I haven’t figure out how to do it right yet.

I love how so many of the pictures had bad form 😆 that rdl with her head completely looking forward.. hurts me to watch! Great video! 100% agree with everything 🙌🙌 My fave body weight exercise for just sheer pain is the beast. You throw that into a program with a sled push superset 😭🥵

I loved this! I think I will ignore Russian twists when I see them from now on because I don’t feel them where I should and would prefer to just do bicycle crunches. I’ll stress less about doing OHP with a barbell too.

Thank you for making this video. Love this video. I'm glad that I watched this video. there are times I do exercises from pls stop category and my back hurts. Also I'm suffering from scoliosis and herniated disk for lower back .

This video was so fun! And I'm not just being biased because I submitted my favorite and least favorite and they each wound up where I thought they should go.

Love this information! I also very much appreciate you giving me a reason to tell people I won't be doing a burpee anymore lol

Wooowww, I love love love this video ❤️💛💚💜💙! It is simply amazing! You explained each exercise so precisely and showed everything with a perfect form, it helps so much! This is my new favorite video from you 💜! I really appreciate your knowledge! Thank you for sharing this with us!

Flutter kicks was one of mine and I am so happy you put them in that category! I feel vindicated LOL😂

I was so happy with the workouts and modifications I had been doing until the end of the video LOL. I have a specific kind of bunion where I can't put any pressure on the toe joint so I can't do planks, normal push-ups, lunges, or split squats :( I miss them so much it sucks. It's good to affirm most of the things I've been doing are good though!!

Wow, this was super-helpful and informative! I just found you a few days ago (bet you didn't know you were lost, did you??) and am I ever glad!

Really enjoy this type of videos from you. Also thank you for the burpee insight. I hate them and they aggravate the crap out of my hips.

I was starting to wonder when is Justina gonna upload those 3 videos she teased on her insta stories 👀 and here you are! btw I'm really excited for the middle one that you teased 😏 also thank you for this breakdown! i have a hard time knowing what's important or not and this helps so much😊

I am so glad that I found your channel!

I enjoyed this video! So informative!

Your videos are just the best!!

Love your advice as obs who has had many injuries due to bad exercise advice from other trainers

I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on all of these exercises. It’ll help me improve my own training program. I have had lunges in my training for at least a month maybe two now and I love them so much. I used to hate them a bit because they were hard for me to do even while stretching, but I have noticed a significant improvement in my form and overall feeling stronger in my lunges. It helped me believe that consistency and time is the biggest factor of all. I would love to know your opinion on some yoga exercises such as: downward dog, wheel pose, butterfly, or spinal twist

Great video. I would love to see a video on how to strengthen and avoid injury of low back.

I didn't grow up dancing but I have been doing dance cardio and barre classes for a year and I've started picking up things using the single leg deadlift. I wouldn't have thought much about it if you had not mentioned it.

Love all of your content! I actually started Charlee Atkins’s Le Sweat app based on your review video, and she is amazing I have already learned so much! How much cardio for heart health do you recommend a week and your favorite way to get cardio?

This was so interesting, thanks!! 😊😊

Great Justina!!

First of all Sorry for my english, but im italian. I Just want to tell that the exercises that you put in the "pls stop" category are exactly those exercises which cause me a lot of Pain in my low back. thanks for all your work.

This was great, thank you!

Oh wow, so many of the exercises I knew from physical education in school were in the bottom categories and hardly any in the functional staple. It explains why we got injured so often.

Yes!!! I haaaate tricep dips so much, I’ve always felt it pinch in ways i know its not supposed to. Whenever i get a plan with them in, i swap them out so quick.

Great video! I can't do tricep dips anymore. I'm currently in PT for a shoulder injury and I just don't have the mobility. I opt for other tricep exercises. I also have a hip thunk (pop) that makes it annoying to do anything with extending my leg (deadbugs, bicycle crunches, leg lowers, etc.) so I tend to do other stuff for abs or don't let my legs/knees go up too far. Haha I'm a mess 🤣😅

First, awesome video! Second, I really want to be able to do a pistol squat. I was wondering if you could do a video about the progression into a pistol squad in particular with people who have had leg and ankle injuries. You're awesome! keep up the good work. 👍

Hi Justina, love, love your videos, and just wanted to let you know that I have been doing Lauren Ohayon's Restore your core Prime Program for the past 2 years..she is one of the best functional fitness teachers I have ever come across! She has an insta page too. I really wish you would review her content too! People like you and her should reach more and more people to make them realize how important functional fitness is!! I watch your videos regularly ❤❤

The plank… she was sinking into it. I was happy to hear you say to stop doing hip dips. I just never got it. And even the “best” trainers include them in their routines. But every time I did them I really didn’t even know what they were for and it just felt awkward doing them.

Loved this explanation! Greetings from Portugal

Absolutely love your videos!! Keep up the good work🥰🥰

This was a very informative video and I look forward to incorporating the staples into my routines! What is your opinion on Rebounders/Trampolines and the benefits? I’m curious about the impact on joints and the spine - good or bad? I’d like to do it for my daily cardio (I currently don’t do any!) I just don’t want it to do more harm than good. Thanks!

my low back has always always always been my limiting factor for russian twists and I thought it was just cause I was weak!

Oh my, Justina... You've marked as funtional staples a lot of exercises that are tought love for me (but I'm doing them anyways, I hate you so much push-ups, cause my form isn't 100% correct or my shoulders are my weak point or... whatever, I modify like crazy and persevere).

Incredible video….I agree with another comment here that this has to be your best video yet….and I love them all. Cannot believe I got to watch this and get this info for free.

Great video, lots of valueble info. But I'm gonna have to partially disagree with you about the burpees. On one hand, you are right, you shouldn't do burpees if you haven't mastered jump squats, push ups etc. But for people who have, it's an absolutely brilliant exercise for your conditioning, endurance and overall athletisism.

LOVED this!💗 What do you think of Roll ups, donkey kicks, and Fire Hydrants? I'm really curious!

Oh, got so many ideas for rehabbing my back. These are gonna have to wait until physio says I can start doing these though. Just had my herniated back operated so I'm gonna go slow and steady. I love doing planks & dead bugs, my absolute favourite core execises. I abhor doing burpees, absolute hate, just no. As a side note, if you can do not twist with a weight. That's how I got herniated disc.

So informative - thank you

My reason for not doing high impact exercise is that I workout from my apartment and don’t want to annoy my downstairs neighbors. 😂😂 This was a great video, super informative as always!! 🙂

Hi Justina, thank you for all the wonderful content you provide! I am wondering if some of these exercises would not be recommended with an ACL tear? I am lucky enough to have one that can't be fixed because, apparently, they don't fix these after 50 years old, lucky me (my injury was a year and a half ago). I did just recently get a brace that may help me. Also, I am pretty out of shape at the moment so some of these may be more than I can handle now anyway 😀. Thank you!

extremely beneficial

I love burpees! But i hate push ups too😂 But i do modified burpees without push ups Lol I love the fun side of it to get my heart rate up from time to time. Thanks for the .....again...educative video content! I love how you unpack the "why" aspect of each of these excercises.

Hi Justina! Great video like always. I had question though: what's the difference between a RFESS and Bulgarian split squat, in 10:33? They look more or less the same to me other than the placement of the back toe. Is that the only difference? Thanks for always doin what you're doin!!

Thank you Justina-I despise burpees. They suck and they do not make you lose weight or make you stronger. It's cardio torture. I have also come to loathe Beachbody, but they have become stupid. But I love my planks, swats, pilates, etc. As a fellow true petite (I am only 5'0') I relate to you.

seems like overall a good list. i'm a little questionable about single-leg deadlifts being top tier though. mainly because i'm 6'4, and taller people do tend to have problems doing them (mainly balance, keeping the lower back straight, etc.), they are great for short people, but anyone over 6'2 or so is going to have problems loading them with enough weight. like i have the strength to do them with hundreds of pounds (single-legged), yet i don't have the balance to do them with that weight on one leg. and if i use a lighter weight, it becomes mainly a balance exercise, the challenge is not toppling over, rather than any actual strength challenge. i have done them in the past (using about 150 lbs -- one 75 dumbbell in each hand) but it's really more about balance than any sort of strength improvement, all i'm doing is getting better at balance rather than building any strength, even at that weight (since i can just keep doing them perpetually, dozens of reps, until i fall over due to the lack of balance that comes with being so tall and bending forward on one leg). so i'd say they are a good exercise unless someone is over 6'2 and can deadlift 400+ lbs with two legs, it sort of becomes just about balance at that point. but maybe that's the point (you do mention in the video that it's about improving stability), it's just that it's hard to progress safely on them if you are taller and reasonably strong. like is the improvement in balance worth the injury risk for taller guys on that exercise? that trade off doesn't seem worth it to me, even though i have done and enjoyed them they aren't an exercise i felt i got much benefit from despite doing them for over a year. i feel i benefit much more from jefferson curls and deep but heavy back extensions (hyperextensions) in terms of mobility and functionality, so i just do those instead of the single-leg deadlift now.

You know I was here for the Russian twist LOL!!! (Justina and I bonded over our mutual hatred of this exercise.) GREAT VIDEO as always!!

Great info. I hate doing Russian twists and now I won’t feel guilty that I don’t like to do them and I will happily leave them out of my works out. Can you do a video about breathing. How to breath or get more air instead of gasping and how soon should I continue on with the next exercise if I am still heavily breathing or sometimes gasping before the next exercise in the program. I notice sometimes I have to put whatever video I am watching on pause to catch my breath a bit longer then the time given, is that ok or do I just need to work on my cardio more. I work out pretty regularly but I definitely know some days are better then others especially when I feel tired but I just want to know is there a right way to breath or control it? Thanks again for all that you do. 😊

Leg flutters are not my cup of tea, but mainly because whenever I extend and lower my right leg, my hip makes this snaping sound and I feel like a band or so is just snapping over a bone. That sound alone puts me off of all exercises where I have to move my legs up and down or pull them in and extend them again 😅 Could you do a video on why this hip snapping occurs?

I wanna know how you feel about walking and running!!! I really feel like walking deserves so much credit

i follow Natacha Oceane’s workout programs and would 10/10 recommend for those wanting to build muscle (hypertrophy) and become more functional. She has most of these moves + more

Hi, I was just wondering why you don’t do the full range of motion with your squats. I was always taught that you should go as deep as possible, but I would be curious to hear your professional opinion on that!

Great video Justina, What are your thoughts on holding the depth of a Goblet squat while rocking from toes to heel? It's occasionally incorporated in x RU-vidrs program.

You said "why are you doing a burpee?" I love you!!

Love love love this! How about step up?

20:35 Too much arch in the low back, right? I also had a question about unilateral training: what are the relative benefits of doing all your sets on 1 side, then all your sets on the other, as opposed to alternating sides with each set. And if you alternate sides, should you rest after each set, or only once you've completed both sides. Apologies if you've covered this in another video - feel free to direct me there. Love your videos so much!

Rewatching this video - the fact you hate burpees is why I’m a subscriber and joined you fit club 😂

Thank you for this. Realky informative! I would like to know how to get to di push up. Its so difficult for me. What can I do to get the strenght to do it?😅 anyway, thanks again❤

hey Justina, I'm wondering what, if any benefits are gained by using light weights and pulsing them as opposed to lifting heavy and moving through a fuller range. what if my weight training routine did not incorporate any light weight pulsing, and I only lifted heavy? or vice versa? my primary motivation for lifting is gaining strength for running races, and to also stay toned and trim in my older age. thank you so much for your wise, thoughtful content; I really appreciate your videos!

I absolutely despise tricep dips, overhead tricep extensions, tricep kickbacks… um I guess I hate most triceps exercises. They make me so uncomfortable. edit: I also hate plank hip dips. I used to do them a lot, but after knee surgery years ago, hip dips became soooo painful. Weird stabbing pain in my knees of all things. Great video btw! I loved this! Can you do tier lists of literally everything? 😂

I'm screaming at that picture of a plank

Loved this, can you please follow up this video with alternative’s so we can apply them. Thank you

you should do this for hypertrophy as well!