#430 Clifton Harski - What’s Right (and Wrong) With Functional Training?

Clifton Harski is the COO of The PPSC, a veteran of group exercise and traveling seminar education, and a much-needed jester pushing back against an increasingly ultra-serious fitness media landscape.

In this episode, Clifton joins Andrew Coates for a fun, thoughtful, and refreshingly honest deconstruction of functional training—how it earned its reputation, where it went off the rails, and what’s still genuinely useful if we strip away the dogma.

Rather than defending a single methodology, Clifton takes aim at all fitness tribes (including his own), poking holes in sacred cows while making a strong case for curiosity, humility, and cross-pollination between disciplines.

In this episode, Clifton shares insight on:

• How “functional training” became a punchline
• A clearer, more practical definition of what functional training actually is
• The good ideas that still exist within functional training
• Whether kettlebells can be used effectively for hypertrophy
• Why fitness tribalism holds everyone back
• Where kettlebell culture gets stuffy (according to a kettlebell guy)
• Powerlifting’s strengths—and blind spots
• CrossFit’s rise, fall, evolution, and cultural impact
• The appeal of hybrid training approaches
• Where group fitness programming succeeds and fails
• Pilates and yoga—what they do well and where they’re misunderstood
• Bodybuilding’s relationship with “function”
• Why no single modality deserves total loyalty
• And why everyone—including Clifton—is fair game

Instagram: @cliftonharski

CHAPTERS

01:08 The Evolution and Missteps of Functional Training
02:00 The Role of Physical Therapy in Fitness
04:02 Critiquing Functional Patterns
05:39 Reframing Functional Training as Athleticism
06:10 Sponsor Break – TrainHeroic
07:29 Personal Training and Functional Training Revisited
12:06 Fitness Industry Tribalism
12:42 Kettlebell Training: The Good and the Bad
18:13 Powerlifting: Strengths and Weaknesses
22:30 CrossFit: Rise, Fall, and Impact
27:53 CrossFit’s Reputation and Evolution
28:55 Criticisms of CrossFit Programming
29:48 The Appeal of Hybrid Training
31:25 CrossFit’s Community and Influence
32:32 Challenges in Group Fitness Programming
33:37 The Role of Nutrition Tracking
34:41 Pilates and Yoga: Benefits and Criticisms
42:08 Bodybuilding and Functional Training
43:29 The Value of Diverse Training Modalities
45:04 Kettlebells and Hypertrophy
50:28 Group Fitness: Pros and Cons
53:52 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If this episode made you think—or laugh—you can help the show by:
• Subscribing and checking out more episodes
• Sharing it on social media (tag me — I’ll respond)
• Sending it to a coach or client who’s stuck in one training “camp”

FOLLOW ANDREW COATES

Instagram: @andrewcoatesfitness
https://www.andrewcoatesfitness.com

PARTNERS AND RESOURCES

RP Strength App (use code COATESRP)
https://www.rpstrength.com/coates

Just Bite Me Meals (use code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off)
https://justbitememeals.com/

MacrosFirst – FREE Premium Trial
Download MacrosFirst → During setup, answer “How did you hear about us?”
Type: ANDREW

KNKG Bags (15% off)
https://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676

Versa Gripps (discount link)
https://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoates

TRAINHEROIC – FREE 90-Day Trial (2 steps)
Go to: https://www.trainheroic.com/liftfree
Reply to the email you receive (or email trials@trainheroic.com) and let them know Andrew sent you