Functional Training is the systematic progressive integration of training modalities (medicine ball, stretch cord, dumbbells, body weight etc.) to produce significant adaptation in specific performance parameters based on the “Step to Success Model.” The step to success model is based on the following paradigm:
Demands of the Sport – The exercises and methods should reflect the demands of sport.
Demands of the Event or Position – Each event or position in a sport has different demands.
Qualities of the individual athlete – Each athlete is different, different gender, different lever systems as well as different levels of adaptability and recoverability from training.
Pattern of Injuries (Risk Factors) – This must be addressed in the context of the whole kinetic chain.
Functional training is more than just a bunch of exercises thrown together that are different; it is variety with a purpose. The key to a good sound functional training program is progression. You must carefully assess where you are at the present time and carve out a step-by-step progression to achieve specific realistic training objectives. Know where have you been and where are you going. Then fill the gap with logical functional progression that will move forward only when the previous step has been mastered.
In today’s high tech world we sometimes forget the basics. The farther away from the body the less functional we become. The human body is a beautiful finely tuned organism that far surpasses the most finely tuned high performance machine created by man. It is the ultimate high tech machine. Despite all its complexity the body is also incredibly simple. Movement is a beautiful flow. The body has an inherent wisdom. In order to take advantage of the body’s wisdom we must focus on how the body actually functions. We must understand the movements in the sport we are training for in order to understand how to apply functional training .
The body is a link system; this link system is referred to as the kinetic chain. Functional training is all about linkage – it is all about how all the parts of the chain work together in harmony to produce smooth efficient patterns of movement. Most conventional academic preparation in exercise and movement Science focuses on studying individual muscles based on classical anatomy. This is where the confusion begins as to what is functional movement. First of all we must remember that we do not function in the anatomical position. The anatomical position is static; it provides us with the perspective of mental convenience to arrange of all the individual muscles for ease of study and observation. In order to truly understand functional training we must get away from the focus on muscles and focus instead on movements. It is important to emphasize that the brain does not recognize individual muscles. It recognizes patterns of movement, which consist of the individual muscles working in harmony to produce movements of the sport.
In over ground movement like running and jumping gravity is a major player. In order to completely understand function we must understand the role that gravity plays. The fact that we live, work and play in a gravitationally enriched environment cannot be denied. Gravity has minimal effect on the body in the anatomical position, but maximum effect on the body in movement. We simply cannot ignore gravity, it is essential for movement, it loads the system. Therefore we must learn to overcome its effects, cheat and even defeat it occasionally. Over reliance on machines for training will give us a false sense of security because they negate some of the effects of gravity. Gravity and its effect must be a prime consideration when designing and implementing a functional training program to prepare the body for the forces that it must overcome.
Carefully look at he movement that you are trying to enhance. What are the forces involved? What is the dominant plane of motion? Movement occurs in all three planes of motion simultaneously: Sagittal, frontal, and transverse. Therefore it is important to train movement in all three planes. It is imperative to understand the movements and then design the training program accordingly.
Avoid the trap of measurable strength. How much you can lift or how many foot-pounds of force you can express on a dynamometer are meaningless numbers. Functional training is not about measurable strength. Quality of movement, rhythm, synchronization and connections are more important. The goal is always to apply the strength that is developed in the actual sport performance. How is the force expressed? Can you produce and reduce the force? Force production is all about acceleration, but often the key to movement efficiency and staying injury free is the ability to decelerate and stabilize in order to position the body perform the desired movement. A good functional training program will work on the interplay between force production, force reduction and stabilization. The end result is functional strength
Understanding and applying a functional approach to training is a challenging process. It is often contrary to conventional wisdom as represented in mainstream sport science research. In order to move forward this should not limit us. We need to use conventional wisdom as a staring point and move forward to think and act outside the box. Follow your instincts and allow your creativity to be expressed through movement. Follow the functional the functional path to improved performance.