For years, Eugene Teo pursued the same goal as many lifters: building as much muscle as possible. The Australian strength coach and former competitive bodybuilder spent more than a decade focused almost exclusively on bodybuilding-style training. The result was an impressive physique, but as he explained in a YouTube video, it came at a cost.
Looking back, Teo says he was strong and muscular but lacked many of the qualities that make someone truly fit.
“You want to look better, feel better and move better.”
In his video, Teo argues that traditional bodybuilding often overlooks several key fitness qualities, leading many lifters to become strong yet fragile.
Mobility Is More Than Stretching
One of the first areas Teo focused on rebuilding was mobility.
Rather than viewing mobility as simple stretching, he describes it as strength through larger ranges of motion. Exercises like deficit stiff-leg deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, hip airplanes, Turkish get-ups, and long-stance lunges helped him develop movement patterns that traditional bodybuilding neglected.
Teo recommends three methods:
Dynamic Flows
Used at the start of workouts to explore movement and prepare joints and muscles for training.
Active Holds
Deep positions where muscles remain contracted while stretched, building strength and stability.
Passive Holds
Positions designed to help the body relax and gain access to greater ranges of motion.
Building an Engine, Not Just Muscle
Another lesson Teo learned was the importance of conditioning.
For years, he viewed cardio primarily as a fat-loss tool. Today, he sees it differently.
“Cardio is not for fat loss or burning calories. Cardio is for building the engine that powers your body.”
He recommends combining steady-state aerobic work with interval training.His favorite conditioning formats include:
- 15 seconds work, 45 seconds rest for 10-15 rounds
- 1 minute work, 1 minute rest for 10 rounds
- Norwegian 4×4 intervals
According to Teo, improved cardiovascular fitness supports recovery, work capacity, and even muscle growth.
Why Stability Can Become a Limitation
Modern bodybuilding emphasizes stable exercises and machines. While effective for hypertrophy, Teo believes excessive stability can leave lifters unprepared for real-world movement.
To bridge that gap, he incorporates calisthenics, gymnastics-inspired exercises, loaded carries, sandbag lifts, and movements that challenge balance and coordination.
Examples include:
- Pelican curls
- Front lever progressions
- Zercher squats
- Sandbag lifting variations
These exercises develop body control, balance, and resilience alongside muscle growth.
Training for Explosive Power
The final piece of Teo’s system is power training.
Bodybuilding teaches controlled movement, but life often demands speed and reactivity. To address this, Teo includes jumps, throws, explosive pressing variations, sprinting, and Olympic lifting movements.
He recommends performing power work at the start of a workout using low rep ranges of three to six reps while the nervous system is fresh.
The Bigger Picture
After spending years rebuilding his body, Teo believes fitness should extend beyond muscle size alone. Strength, mobility, conditioning, coordination, stability, and power all play a role in long-term performance and health.
For Teo, bodybuilding remains an important foundation, but combining it with these often-overlooked qualities creates a more complete and resilient athlete.
About the Author
Jeremiah Oliva
Jeremiah Oliva is a writer passionate about fitness, sports, and active living. He has experience in songwriting and managing content and social media for online radio and magazine platforms.
He covers HYROX, CrossFit®, and competitive fitness, with a focus on performance, mindset, and athlete development.
Outside of writing, Jeremiah trains in boxing, cycles, explores the outdoors with his kids, and plays the guitar.
