**FUNCTIONAL TRAINING??? I have been off the radar for a little while due to personal circumstances, I obviously wont discuss it on a social networking site but my friends, clients and those who know me know the reasons. I have had plenty of time lately to think, read and reflect With regards to fitness and training and realise how easy it can be, to become lost or disillusioned while training particularly with all the misinformation and contradictions spread about.
A few years ago the buzz word in the fitness industry was “core” training, this has recently been replaced with the word “functional” and a new breed of trainer touting themselves as functional specialists has crept up!! The trouble is the majority of trainers do not understand the concept of functional training, I know this because I have taught/lectured to many in the class room. First of all an exercise is natural if it obeys the laws of joint mechanics, neurophysiology and the limits of soft tissue. All exercises have risks and benefits, you can’t label any exercise good or bad, the risk is determined by how far you stray from optimal joint function. Any exercise is valuable if it contributes to the overall improvement of the desired motor pattern. With regards to sport specific “functional” training, unless you’re a weight lifter, powerlifter or strong man athlete there are no sports specific exercises in the gym, the only sports specific training, is the sport, known as practice! However if you take 2 athletes with equal skill, body structure, size and experience and make one 25% stronger in the prime movers of their sport.
The stronger athlete is now the superior athlete. My suggestion to anyone who trains people for a living is to utilize the best tools available to achieve the client’s goals. Don’t eliminate an exercise because someone tells you it’s not “functional” evaluate every exercise and piece of equipment for its efficacy at achieving the desired result. As trainers we all need to be more practical in our approach and recognise the complexity involved in manipulating the human body!!**
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