Functional Training
Scott Gaines, Senior VP of NESTA
Over the past ten or so years, the term “functional training” has become a popular catchphrase in the fitness industry. Other terms such as “integrated training” and “optimum training” are almost used interchangeably. These terms are heard uttered by personal trainers, athletic trainers, yoga instructors, Pilates instructors and even group exercise instructors. However widely used, “functional” is often misunderstood, and even more misused.
Our goal today is to determine what is functional training? Why is it important? And to provide some examples.
The term function seems a little confusing. For the benefit of this course, we are going to term “functional” movements as those movements the body is engineered to do in everyday life.
Notice that this definition has two elements we need to understand: how the body is engineered and what is the body designed to do in everyday life. Most individuals in our society don’t live their lives using their bodies the way it is engineered to be used. Our bodies are designed to move, to go hunt and gather food, and to avoid predators. We’re meant to walk, run, climb, lift, etc. Unfortunately, the same prosperity that makes us such a wealthy society is what’s slowly corroding our bodies. I don’t know about, but I haven’t had to go hunt and gather my dinner lately (unless count fighting for a space in the supermarket parking lot).
Furthermore, this may shock you, but our bodies were not made to sit in chairs. They certainly weren’t designed to sit behind a computer screen all day. When we finally get up out of our chairs and attempt to use our bodies in a “functional” manner, injury often results. Why? Obviously, somewhere along the line, the machine broke down.
So basically, we’re engineered for a lifestyle we no longer maintain.
Human movement, while often looking simple, is the result of a complex series of events utilizing several of the bodies’ systems. The three main body systems that produce movement are the nervous system, the muscular system, and the skeletal system. The brain sends signals for a muscle to contract which in turn moves a bone about a joint axis. These three systems are often referred to as the “Kinetic Chain.” Kinetics is the study of forces, so the “Kinetic Chain” is the chain reaction of these three systems that cause the creation of force from within the body. So if there is an injury, it is often because somewhere in the chain, something failed in its natural responsibilities.
Now that we have determined that functional training is training that stimulates our bodies to move the way it is naturally engineered (not necessarily how we treat our bodies in everyday life), how do we determine if an exercise is functional? Most trainers who study functional training would say that sitting on a traditional leg extension machine and extending your knees would not be considered functional. I would tend to agree. However, I can’t seem to picture any of our ancestors kneeling on a stability ball and doing curls, and this is considered functional by some. Why?
To answer the question of how functional training differs from other forms of training, we must first ask another question. If functional training is meant to mimic what our bodies are meant to do, we must ask ourselves – how are our bodies affected when we do these movements?
• Functional Training is multi-planar.
i.e. the movement is not isolated or guided
by an outside force. In life, it isn’t often
we would sit down with our back supported and
kick a weight off our shin in a guided path (unless
one is in the gym).
• Functional Training typically requires
more neuromuscular control than non-functional.
Quite simply, the more you stimulate your nervous
system, the better your brain is able to communicate
with your musculoskeletal system and the better
the physiological adaptation will be.
• Functional Training incorporates many
full-body movements.
Our muscles are not designed to work in an isolated
fashion – even though this is the most popular
way to train them.
• Functional Training is dynamic movement
under control.
When we move in everyday life, we must be able
to decelerate, stabilize and accelerate the movements
in the body. This is done by eccentric, isometric,
and concentric contractions respectively.
• Functional Training stays within the biomechanical
limitations of the body (as all exercise should).
In other words, you must have a good understand
of both joint and muscle structure and function
to prevent injuries from occurring.
Remember!! Progression, Progression, Progression!!! Be certain to create workouts for yourself that your kinetic chain can handle. If you can’t control the movement, make the exercise easier (by changing one or more variables) until you can do it properly. Once you can do it properly, increase intensity appropriately.
