Functional Training in Lisbon — The Be Water Method
Functional training is trending — but at Be Water, it was born out of real necessity. Bruno Salgueiro, a professional stuntman for film and television with over 16 years of career, needed a method that would keep him in peak physical condition to perform action scenes demanding strength, power, endurance, agility and mobility — all at once.
The result is the Be Water method: a hybrid functional training system that combines the best elements of strength training, athletic conditioning, calisthenics, mobility and hypertrophy in a coherent, progressive weekly programme. It's not CrossFit. It's not generic fitness. It's a system designed to make you a complete athlete.
What is Be Water Functional Training
Functional training, in its most honest definition, is training that develops physical capacities transferable to real life and sport — not just to look good (although that happens too).
Strength
Fundamental compound exercises (squat, deadlift, press, pull) with linear progression. Without a strength base, everything else is limited.
Power and speed
Plyometrics, medicine ball throws, sprints. The power component that conventional gyms ignore and that separates athletes from gym-goers.
Endurance and conditioning
Circuits and high-intensity aerobic work integrated into the session. Your heart needs to keep up with your muscles.
Calisthenics and mobility
Bodyweight movements that develop coordination, body awareness and joint mobility. We don't do kipping pull-ups — we do real pull-ups.
Hypertrophy and accessory work
Because without individually optimised parts, the whole doesn't work as well. Targeted muscle work for the groups that benefit most from direct attention.
The Be Water Method vs CrossFit — The Differences
Many of our coaches went through CrossFit and took a lot from it — especially the class model and communication. But the Be Water methodology takes different paths on several important points.
We repeat weeks. CrossFit rarely repeats sessions. We repeat deliberately to ensure measurable linear progression. You can't know if you're getting stronger if you never do the same workout twice.
No Olympic lifting under time pressure. Olympic lifts (snatch, clean & jerk) are extremely high-skill movements that shouldn't be mixed with intense fatigue. We prefer power through plyometrics, throws and sprints — safer and equally effective for developing power.
Circuit skill level is low by design. Circuits with complex exercises + fatigue = injury. Be Water circuits use exercises you can execute technically even when tired.
More focus on hypertrophy. Being only functional without adequate muscle mass has limits. We develop strength and muscle in a balanced way.
No kipping. 10 kipping pull-ups with elastic rebound is not the same as 3 strict pull-ups. We work real pull-ups that measure real strength.
Structure of a Be Water Training Week
To give you a concrete idea of what training at Be Water looks like, here's an example of how two days of the week can be:
Day 1 — Strength and Power Focus
Dynamic warm-up → Power work (jumps, medicine ball throws) → Main strength exercise (e.g.: barbell squat) + Core → Hypertrophy and accessory work → Final conditioning circuit
Day 2 — Conditioning and Mobility Focus
Warm-up → Running technique and footwork → Running sets with Core work → Mobility block (10-15 min)
Be Water Live — Functional training at home
For the days you can't make it to the gym, we have Be Water Live: complete functional workouts recorded and streamed live, adapted to be done at home with less equipment (bodyweight, dumbbells, resistance bands).
All sessions are available on YouTube and the Be Water app. You don't miss a workout — even when you can't be there physically.
Your head coach: Bruno Salgueiro
Bruno Salgueiro, known as Bruce Willow, is a professional stuntman for television and film with 16 years of national and international career. His background spans Kung-Fu, Kickboxing, gymnastics and strength training — it's this combination that gave him the physical vocabulary needed to create the Be Water method.
Certified Personal Trainer since 2012, he is also the creator of Dicas do Salgueiro — a YouTube channel with over 400,000 subscribers and 49 million views where he shares training tips and motivation.
Be Water is the physical extension of what Bruno has always done online: making high-performance training accessible to everyone.
The team also includes high-performance coaches with experience at Sport Lisboa e Benfica, EXOS-certified Strength & Conditioning specialists and a sports physiotherapist on staff.
Who is Be Water Functional Training for
Be Water functional training was designed to be adaptable — not to exclude anyone.
For beginners, the focus in the first weeks is learning fundamental movements with correct technique, without performance pressure. Coaches have small groups by design — it's not a studio for 30 people — which allows personalised attention.
For athletes from other sports, Be Water is the ideal complement. It develops the cross-cutting physical capacities (strength, power, mobility, endurance) that elevate performance in any modality.
For those with gym experience, Be Water will challenge you in ways isolated training can't. The variety of stimuli, the conditioning component and the technical work are a positive shock for those used to hypertrophy splits.
For those with injuries or physical limitations, we have a physiotherapist on staff. We don't let an injury stop you from training — we always find an adaptation.
Functional Training Schedule in Lisbon
| Modality | Days | Time |
|---|---|---|
| BE WATER | Monday, Wednesday | 06:30, 07:30, 12:30, 18:15, 19:30 |
| BE WATER | Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 07:00, 12:30, 19:00 |
| BE WATER | Saturday | 10:30 |
With over 20 sessions per week, there's always a functional training class that fits your day — whether first thing in the morning, during lunch break, or after work.
See full schedule →Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions about Functional Training in Lisbon
What exactly is functional training — is it different from CrossFit?
Yes, substantially. Be Water functional training has a repeated weekly programme to ensure progression, doesn't use Olympic weightlifting under fatigue, and has much more focus on hypertrophy and calisthenics than conventional CrossFit. The approach is safer, more progressive and equally demanding.
Can anyone do these classes?
Yes. The group is small by design, which allows the coach to adapt loads and exercises to your level. There are always simpler variations of each exercise. We already have practitioners from absolute beginners to elite athletes.
Are the classes always the same?
No — but they follow a coherent structure. The weekly programme is repeated to ensure progression, but with exercise variations within each category. You'll never do exactly the same class two weeks in a row.
Can I do functional training and martial arts at the same time?
Yes — and it's highly recommended. Be Water functional training is an excellent complement to martial arts (Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing), developing the physical base that will elevate your performance in combat modalities.
Is there an app to track workouts?
Yes. The Be Water app is available for iOS and Android and allows you to access Live classes, check schedules and make bookings.
Try Functional Training at Be Water
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