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Exercises

Functional vs traditional strength training, and which one your Apple Watch records

Published November 3, 2026

Traditional strength training is lifting a load for sets of reps with rest between them, one lift at a time: squats, bench presses, rows and curls with barbells, dumbbells and machines. Functional strength training moves your whole body against a load the way work and sport do: pushing a sled, flipping a tire, carrying, swinging and throwing, often with short rests. You can do both in one week, or one session: heavy lifts first, functional work after. On Apple Watch both are workout types, and RIRLift picks the type from what you logged: any lift makes it Traditional Strength Training, a session of only sleds, battle ropes, tire flips or sandbag cleans is Functional Strength Training.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Barbell Bench Press Chest
  3. Kettlebell Swing Glutes, Hamstrings
  4. Farmer's Walk Forearms, Traps, Shoulders
  5. Sled Push Quads, Glutes
  6. Battle Rope Wave Shoulders, Abs
  7. Sandbag Clean Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps

Traditional strength training: one lift, sets and rest

Each of these trains one movement with a load you can measure and add to. You do 3 or 4 sets, rest 1 to 3 minutes, and the weight on the bar is the progress. RIRLift saves any session with one of them in it as Traditional Strength Training.

Legs, squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The traditional lift with the most room to add weight. Three sets of 5 to 8 with 2 reps left is a full day's leg work.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back below the neck, hands just outside your shoulders, and unrack it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out a little.
  3. Breathe in, tighten your stomach as if bracing for a punch, and sit down between your heels.
  4. Stand back up keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Breathe and brace
  • Chest and hips rise together
  • Whole-foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lighten the bar and keep your chest rising with them.
  • Letting the stomach go soft between reps: re-brace at the top of each one.

Swap for: Front Squat, Box Squat

Build a session with Barbell Back Squat
Log it in RIRLift

Chest, horizontal press

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

The upper-body counterpart to the squat: one bar, one plane, load you add 5 lb at a time.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar, feet planted, and squeeze your shoulder blades back and down into the pad.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, unrack it, and hold it over your shoulders with locked elbows.
  3. Lower the bar to your lower chest, around nipple height, with your elbows angled roughly 45 to 70 degrees from your sides.
  4. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press the bar up and slightly back until it is over your shoulders again.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades stay pinned
  • Bar to the nipple line
  • Drive your feet into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: let them sit a bit closer to your ribs so your shoulders stay comfortable.
  • Lifting your hips off the bench to finish a rep: keep your glutes down and count that rep as your last.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Bench Press, Machine Chest Press

Build a session with Barbell Bench Press
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Back, horizontal pull

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Balances the bench press and trains your back to hold a flat hinge under load.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar at your thighs, hinge forward until your torso is near 45 degrees, back flat.
  2. Row the bar to your lower ribs with the elbows tucked near your sides.
  3. Lower to straight arms and keep the torso angle.

Cues

  • Brace before every rep
  • Bar to the belly button

Common mistakes

  • Standing taller each rep as it gets heavier: if the hinge goes, the set is over.

Swap for: Pendlay Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, T-Bar Row

Build a session with Barbell Row
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Legs, hips and back, hinge

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

The heaviest lift in a session that ends on the sled. Few reps, long rests, and the clearest number to beat.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower under control. Each warm-up set adds weight toward your working sets.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: hold the ramp until the setup is solid.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Legs, squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

The squat with one dumbbell or kettlebell, for days without a rack. Same pattern, smaller jumps.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Side delts, isolation

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Traditional training at its most targeted: one muscle, light weight, 10 to 15 reps.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise

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Functional moves you still load like a lift

Swings, get-ups and carries are what most people mean by functional training: whole body, more than one direction, grip and trunk working hard. They still use a kettlebell or dumbbell you can weigh, so RIRLift logs them like lifts, with load, reps and reps in reserve, and the session stays Traditional Strength Training.

Hips and back, hinge

Kettlebell Swing

Glutes, Hamstrings

The most common functional lift. A hard hip snap moves the bell; you log the bell's weight and your reps.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, the bell set about a foot in front of you.
  2. Hinge down, grip the handle with both hands, and hike the bell back between your thighs.
  3. Snap your hips forward to stand tall, letting the bell float up to about shoulder height on straight arms.
  4. Let it fall back between your legs as you hinge again, and go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Hips snap, arms just hold on
  • Stand tall at the top
  • Bell passes high between the thighs

Common mistakes

  • Squatting the swing by bending the knees deeply: push your hips back and keep the shins nearly vertical.
  • Lifting the bell with your shoulders: if your arms are working, the hips are not driving it.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Superman

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Whole body, shoulder and trunk

Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up

Shoulders, Abs

Floor to standing with a bell locked overhead. Slow, technical, and logged as reps per side.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with a kettlebell pressed up in one hand, the same-side knee bent.
  2. Roll onto the opposite elbow, then the hand, keeping the bell locked out above you.
  3. Lift your hips, sweep the straight leg back to a kneel, and stand up.
  4. Reverse each step back down to the floor.

Cues

  • Eyes on the bell
  • Arm locked
  • One step at a time

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the steps and losing the vertical arm.
  • Using a heavy bell before the sequence is smooth.

Swap for: Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry, Kettlebell Windmill

Build a session with Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up
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Grip, traps and trunk, carry

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Heavy dumbbells and a walk. Log each length as one rep at the weight you carried.

How to do it

  1. Pick up two heavy dumbbells with your back flat.
  2. Stand tall with your ribs down and walk with short, quick steps.
  3. Set the weights down with a flat back when the time or distance is up.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Crush the handles
  • Quick steps

Common mistakes

  • Letting the shoulders round forward.
  • Walking so slowly the dumbbells start to swing.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

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Sleds, ropes, bags and tires

These are the moves RIRLift files as Functional Strength Training: loaded whole-body work that is neither a barbell lift nor cardio. Sled pushes and rope waves are logged as timed bouts with an effort rating, tire flips and sandbag cleans as reps. Do them on their own and the session is saved as Functional Strength Training.

Legs, loaded push

Sled Push

Quads, Glutes

Hard leg work with no lowering phase, so it adds conditioning without much soreness the next day.

How to do it

  1. Load the sled and grip the high or low handles with your arms extended.
  2. Lean in until your body forms a straight line from head to back foot.
  3. Drive the sled forward with short, powerful steps, pushing through the balls of your feet.
  4. Keep pushing for the target time, then rest fully.

Cues

  • Low body angle
  • Short, hard steps
  • Keep the arms locked

Common mistakes

  • Standing too upright so the sled stalls: lower the hips and lean in.
  • Long, loping strides: keep steps short and fast.

Swap for: Sled Pull, Air Bike, Barbell Back Squat

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Shoulders and trunk, rope conditioning

Battle Rope Wave

Shoulders, Abs

Steady arm work that keeps your heart rate up. Logged as time and effort, not reps.

How to do it

  1. Hold one rope end in each hand, feet about shoulder width, knees bent.
  2. Whip one arm up while the other goes down to send alternating waves down the ropes.
  3. Keep the waves even from start to finish of the set.

Cues

  • Athletic stance
  • Small, even waves

Common mistakes

  • Standing up straight: stay in a quarter squat.

Swap for: Battle Rope Slam, Jumping Jack

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Hips, back and grip, odd-object lift

Sandbag Clean

Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps

An awkward load from the floor to the shoulder. The bag moves, so your trunk and grip work harder than on a barbell clean.

How to do it

  1. Stand over the sandbag with feet a bit wider than your hips and grab it along the sides.
  2. Squat down with a flat back until your hands are under the bag.
  3. Drive through your legs and hips to lift the bag, pulling it in close to your body.
  4. Pop it up onto one shoulder, stand tall, then lower it back to the floor and switch shoulders.

Cues

  • Hips do the lifting
  • Bag close to your body
  • Stand tall with it on the shoulder

Common mistakes

  • Rounding over the bag to rip it up with your back: sit your hips lower and lift your chest.
  • Curling the bag up with your arms: finish the hip drive first so the bag floats up to the shoulder.

Swap for: Kettlebell Swing, Trap Bar Deadlift, Power Clean

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Hips and legs, odd-object hinge

Tire Flip

Glutes, Quads

A big tire driven forward and over. Few reps, long rests, full-body effort.

How to do it

  1. Squat down facing the tire, chest against it, and grip the bottom edge with your hands underneath.
  2. Drive forward and up into the tire with your legs and hips.
  3. As it rises, drive a knee into it and switch your hands to push.
  4. Push the tire all the way over and reset for the next flip.

Cues

  • Chest on the tire
  • Drive forward, not up
  • Hands flip to push

Common mistakes

  • Deadlifting the tire straight up with a rounded back: lean into it and drive forward.
  • Curling with your arms under the tire: keep your arms long until it is past your knees.

Swap for: Sled Push, Sandbag Clean, Barbell Deadlift

Build a session with Tire Flip
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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Barbell gym: traditional

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells

You train in a gym with a rack and a bench, and you want stronger lifts. Phone in the locker, Watch on.

Three heavy lifts and one isolation move, 13 working sets. Long rests on the barbell lifts let every set be a good one, which is what moves the weight up.

Barbell day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Barbell Bench Press 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Barbell Row 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do it twice a week with a day between. Log each set on the Watch as you rack the bar: load, reps and reps you had left. The rest timer starts on your wrist.
How to progress
Between sessions RIRLift reads your weakest set. Squat 225 lb for 8 / 8 / 8 at 2 left tops the 5 to 8 range on every set, so next time is 230 lb for 5. Bench 165 lb for 8 / 7 / 6 is not there yet: the weight holds until all three sets reach 8. Saved to Apple Health as Traditional Strength Training.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Deadlift, then a sled and rope finisher: both

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets12 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentTrap Bar, Sled, Battle Ropes

You lift in a gym that also has a sled and battle ropes, and you want both styles in one visit without the finisher eating into the heavy sets.

One heavy lift while you are fresh, then pushes and waves for about 15 minutes. Traditional first and functional after, so the finisher never costs you a deadlift rep.

Deadlift and sled
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift 3 × 4–6 2 3 min
Sled Push 5 × 20–30 s 2 90 s
Battle Rope Wave 4 × 30–40 s 2 45 s
How to run it
Do it once a week, in place of one lifting day. Log the deadlift sets with reps left, then rate each sled push and rope set on the Watch with an effort level.
How to progress
Trap bar deadlift 315 lb for 6 / 6 / 6 at 2 left tops the 4 to 6 range, so next time it is 320 lb for 4. Keep the sled load until the deadlift stops climbing. The deadlift makes the whole workout Traditional Strength Training in Apple Health; the pushes and waves stay in it as their own segments.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Garage with kettlebells and dumbbells: both styles

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Kettlebells

You train at home with a couple of kettlebells and a pair of dumbbells, and you want functional work and a measurable squat in the same session.

A squat you can progress by weight, then swings, get-ups and carries for the whole body. Everything is loaded, so all of it gets a number you can beat.

Garage day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Kettlebell Swing 4 × 12–15 2 1 min
Kettlebell Turkish Get-UpReps per side. 3 × 2–3 2 1 min
Farmer's Walk1 rep = one 20-yard length. 3 × 2–4 2 90 s
How to run it
Do it twice a week. Squats first while you are fresh. Log carries as one rep per length of the garage or driveway, at the weight you held.
How to progress
Goblet squat 50 lb for 12 / 12 / 12 tops the 8 to 12 range, so next time it is 55 lb for 8. Swings stay on the same bell until every set reaches 15, then move to the next bell and drop to 12. Because every move is a lift, the session is saved as Traditional Strength Training, even though the style is functional.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the difference between functional and traditional strength training?

Traditional strength training lifts a load for sets of reps, one movement at a time, with rest between sets. Functional training moves the whole body against a load the way work and sport do: pushing, carrying, swinging, flipping. Traditional training is easier to measure and progress; functional training adds conditioning and grip.

Is functional training better than strength training?

Neither replaces the other. If you want bigger lifts and more muscle, traditional lifting is the core of your week. Functional work on one day, or as a finisher, adds conditioning and work capacity on top.

Do squats count as functional strength training?

In training terms a squat is a functional movement. On Apple Watch, RIRLift saves any session with a squat in it as Traditional Strength Training, because a squat is a lift.

Which should I pick on Apple Watch for weights?

Traditional Strength Training for barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell and machine lifts. If you log in RIRLift on the Watch you do not pick: the type comes from the exercises you logged.

Are kettlebell swings functional or traditional on Apple Watch?

RIRLift logs a swing as a lift, with the bell's weight and your reps, so a kettlebell session is saved as Traditional Strength Training. Sleds, battle ropes, tire flips and sandbag cleans are the moves it saves as Functional.