Marcus Filly originally came to prominence in the fitness community as a regular competitor at the CrossFit Games, where workouts are scored largely on how fast they can be completed. However, these days, Filly is all about more slowed-down, controlled “functional bodybuilding” workouts which prioritize the safety and longevity of his joints while simultaneously building strength and muscle.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Filly breaks down how he combines cardio activity with resistance training in his conditioning routine to support his efforts in the gym. “I call it functional pump conditioning,” he says. “I love that feeling of combining breathing work with weight training. I learned this from CrossFit, and I still use it today.”
He goes on to explain the thought process behind how he programs these workouts, namely, determining what kinds of movements he needs to be including for accessory work based on the muscle groups he was targeting in his main workout.
“On an upper body pushing day, I’m going to be including some upper accessory work and some core accessory work,” he says, “combined with breathing.”
30 cals on the assault bike, followed by a couplet (or superset) of toes to bar and dumbbell bench press, then back to the bike for another 20 cals. This is followed by a couplet of dip support knee tucks and pushups, and a final 10 cals on the bike.
“For functional pump conditioning, take your accessory work and sandwich it right between cardio to get that functional pump gain,” he says.
This article was first published on Men’s Health US.
