What is Functional Training & Why Do It?
Functional Training- What is it and why do it?
So you may have heard about functional training?
It was originally employed by physical therapists and rehabilitation staff in order to restore strength and response to the body after accidents. However functional training has found a new lease of life in assisting with a variety of different day-to-day activities through increasing the range of motion, strength and ability for the individual through a variety of different tasks. Things such as lifting, bending and back strength benefit enormously from functional training.
Functional training, therefore, is a great way of warding against injury now and especially into the future as we age, as well as providing a host of benefits to your fitness level because those bodybuilding programs you got away with in your teens and 20's are unlikely to serve you as well as you progress into your 30's 40's and beyond!
This kind of movement training offers a bigger bang for your buck than the traditional bodybuilder style routines
Incorporating more of a total body functional approach will build that real usable strength which in-turn builds an aesthetically pleasing athletic and agile physique faster than working each body part in isolation
You know, primal movement - push, pull, squat, lunge, rotation, quick feet - The way the body is designed to move
And when you think about it, how often do you work in isolation in any sport, activity, or the majority of daily tasks?
For example - The bias of bicep curls - Just working the front on arms - What you can see- that has NO cross over to everyday tasks or activities unlike pulling or rowing exercises...
Functional training can also lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, in turn decreasing your risk of injury as a result. Focusing on the body’s natural ability to move in multi-directional and multi-planar ranges of motion, functional training uses your own body motion to train with, improve on and extend.
Making it more SPECIFIC to the movements you execute for chosen sport or daily activities
Functional training will also show a substantial gain in strength and balance in those who use it on a regular basis and has also proven as a type of exercise which improves joint motion, making it ideal for people in various states of recovery from injury, age or fitness level.
What do I mean by multiplanar ranges of motion?
Well, put simply the human body moves in 3 plains of motion, Sagittal (up & down/back & forth) Frontal (side to side/lateral movement) and Transverse (Rotation) so this is how we train it.
Below former local Client Lee demonstrating a multi plane/directional lunge whilst warming up for his PT session
This also goes for performance (certain sporting events or competitions) and simulation however Many 'Trainers' I see like to brag that their programs are incredibly functional because they squat, they deadlift, they press, and they do pull-ups,
But that still keeps us from really understanding many important aspects of functional MOVEMENT.
Surely common sense if nothing else would tell you that simulation and movement (what you would do in everyday life such as bending to pick up a heavy object) will give you better gains, be it health or performance than isolated style.
Now don't get me wrong I have nothing against isolated exercises (as if you're a professional bodybuilder then it is imperative) and they are incorporated within clients programs if need be, as at the end of the day it is all about what is best for YOU the CLIENT and their goals NOT trainer bias.
Only once you have clear clarity can you decide what's best for you
The (health/fitness) industry now recognises more integrated movement patterns that show how we actually create movement...
This isn’t a difference in semantics, but takes into the account the powerful role of the nervous system. The inter-muscular coordination (how muscles work together to create a movement) that improves with more functionally based movements is what professionals believe creates better development in all around fitness.
Outwardly, isolated (or bodybuilding style) would seem like a very solid look at strength training movements.
That is the problem. We look at movements often as what is done in the weight room and not the demands needed outside of the weight room. While the above is good, it can be much better.
The body really is a complex system made up of many chains. These chains, when they are working well, help us move better, produce more force, and create more speed. However, when there is a weak link in the chain we often don’t address the chains, but rather the muscles and a very general movement pattern.
Without getting too much into the specifics of human chains, and blowing your mind with talk of obliques systems and so on here, so lets just simplify it..
Being strong is not just about muscle building. Just because you have strong individual muscles, doesn’t necessarily mean your whole body is strong. Often disproportionately strong muscles end up working against you. You might be strong at lifting a dumbbell, but what happens when you need to climb over an object or wrestle an opponent? To truly become strong we need to embody its deeper meaning.
To embody strength is to be connected to your body and mind, so they work efficiently as ‘one muscle.’
Above is a medley of just a few functional training movements that include body-weight, trx, kettles & club bells
This is why I love kettles, it's not biased as of course I was in good shape before I ever used kettlebell and if they were removed from the planet tomorrow I would still be in great shape however for human movement, core, and performance they are a great training tool. -
Especially for my boxing and or Muay Thai training, and now that I'm also learning Krav Maga, I love the kettle as a functional tool but of course there is a variety of tools and I always start all of my clients through a series of 'foundation' exercises as well as posture/mobility work to ease any structural/mobility issues before progressing at the right speed as of course each client is unique and have individuals imbalances & goals so they are trained accordingly!
I never quite understand how the trainers (throw a few chains on a bench press and call in 'functional') or the bias of bicep curls - Just working the front on arms - What you can see- that has NO cross over to everyday tasks or activities unlike pulling or rowing exercises...
These same trainers then persist (either from training bias or it can also be due to lack of knowledge) in working muscles in purely in isolation
Similar to 'traditional' gym goers who in general just train in the wrong system, ( I doubt if this includes you guys reading as you're here following me so you obviously get it, so keep it going and you will only continue to reap the benefits) for example a friend of a friend trains Krav Maga where you need to be strong, quick loose, agile and mobile as in all sports and definitely all Martial Arts (simulation of movements) but then they then train as a bodybuilder ONLY smashing out heavy isolated movements that will just tighten you up and cause imbalances I have seen similar for guys training basketball players, boxers and so on.
Remember agility, is more USABLE than Brute strength
So think about and get CLEAR on your training goals and requirements and train for purpose accordingly and definitely consider adding some movement/active recovery work into your training program/week as you WILL feel a drastic difference in the way you look, move, AND feel!
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