Why Functional Training Is a Must
Functional training is a classification of exercise, which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life. It originated in the rehabilitation field, where Physical and Occupational Therapists used this approach to retrain patients with injuries and movement disorders. Over the past decade this type of training has been adopted by coaches and trainers to help clients move better and feel better. The health and fitness industry has seen this trend because our everyday ergonomics have gone to hell. Rather than walk or bike to places, we drive. We sit for hours at a time for work- usually in a hunched over position with our heads jutting forward and shoulders rolling in; and when we do workout, it is usually seated at a machine or pedaling away on an elliptical.
Most people think that when they are starting a weightlifting program or training for a half-marathon they’re getting an “across-the board” improvement in fitness. A lot of times they are not though. If these training programs are not approached from a systematic way people will, more often than not, end up out of balance. What our population needs is a progressive, systematic, and sensory- rich exercise system to help rebuild a foundation of movement skills. Things that will support whatever goals we want to pursue, whether that is athletic or aesthetic. We need to preform exercises that challenge our proprioceptors, things that will make our reaction times, balance, and over all coordination better. The days of single joint/single muscle training are a thing of the past! Most workouts and exercises for a functional training program will be standing or balancing utilizing multiple joints and multiple muscle groups within a single exercise.
So now you ask, what is the best way to start a functional training program? Just how we started when we were babies: crawl, walk, run!
A functional program simply begins with movement competency assessments, where the client will perform a basic, developmental movements like: squatting, reaching, lunging, balancing, and crawling. This will give the coach a baseline of the client’s: balance, body symmetry, alinement, mobility, and coordination. This also allows a coach to spot where an injury is likely to occur and this allows for prevention to be part of the program design as well.
In my experience, there are 3 common areas of weaknesses that are in need of stability training:
The deep core unit (transverse abdominus, diaphragm, multifidus, and pelvic floor).
Hip abductors (gluteus minimus, tensor fascia lata, gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius) and external/internal rotators of the hips.
The scapula stabilizers (trapezius, levator scapula, rhomboid minor and major) and rotators cuff muscles ( supraspinatous, infraspinatous, teres minor, and subscapularis)
Without properly training and strengthening these key muscles, injuries and other movement/postural distortions can happen. Functional training will incorporate multi- muscle and joint exercises, but good a coach or trainer will make sure these areas are properly strengthened and focused on first before they get to the more difficult movements. It is key to move correctly and efficiently before progressing to the next level.
After the client has mastered the basics, they will be able to start to perform more complex movements and utilize many muscles groups and joints. Not only are these exercises much more difficult to execute but they carryover to daily activities. They help us learn to move more efficiently. Any single exercise that is repeatedly done at the same load, the same angle, and the same movement will have limitations and can lead to injuries. For example: the hamstring curl machine; which is a single joint, single muscle group exercise where a person is usually lying in a prone position (belly down) and lifting a weight to engage the hamstring group. A lot of times, people will not be set up correctly for this machine and may not be in neutral spine position, thus placing compression on the lumbar spine. The other “problem” with this exercise is that we are engaging this muscle in an unnatural way. When we move in our day to day activities such as walking, running, or jumping our hamstring does not function in this way so the carryover is zero on the scale of functionality.
The most effective exercises require you to move your body through space (not a machine) in way that requires your bodies’ proprioceptors to adapt and provide instant feedback when done incorrectly. This usually looks like at least one foot in on the ground and many of your joints will have to stabilize to execute the movement. This types of training will end up have you looking better, not because you are pushing away at bench press or pedaling away at an elliptical to your ideal body weight, but because you have learned to move with more efficiency and athleticism. In an essence you are accomplishing two goals with one exercise (and a new exercise philosophy) and guess what? You won’t dread your workouts because this type of training is fun and rewarding! You will get that instant feedback with each session- you can balance better, you can squat lower, and jump higher!
Examples of functional exercises:
Squat to a row
Lunge and chest press
Squat into an overhead press
Deadlift
Body weight rows
Trade out these exercises for these:
Farmers carry instead of crunches
Jump rope instead of elliptical
Push up instead of a bench press
Sumo Deadlift instead of a leg curl