Author: Vernon Gambetta
Functional Training – Method or Madness? Part Three
All movement is functional; it is just to what degree is it functional. Function is integrated multi-directional movement. Functional movement is meaningful movement that is part of a chain reaction, not an isolated event. Movement occurs on a continuum of function. Some movements are more functional than other based on the end object of the training. Less Functional>>>>>>Most Functional Sterile – Artificial Non Sterile – Real Life Foreign Function Real Function 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 To determine placement on the continuum of function there are basic evaluative criteria: Plane(s) of Movement – If the movement involves multiple planes of motion as opposed to movement in one plane then it is more functional. Joint Involvement – If the movement involves multiple joints as opposed to isolation on one joint then it is more functional. Speed of Movement – If the speed and tempo of movement is as fast as can be controlled then it is higher on the continuum of function. Proprioceptive Demand – If the movement is of high proprioceptive demand thane it is higher on the continuum of function. Mindful – If the movement is mindful, demands attention and concentration then it is higher on the continuum of function, as opposed to being to put the mind on autopilot and not having to concentrate to execute. 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. Sport performance regardless of the sport is a multidimensional activity. It takes place in a dynamic environment, that forces movement to occur in all planes of motion using multiple joint movements to produce the desired movement mechanics. We move period! Performance involves the whole kinetic chain – Toe Nails to Fingernails – to reduce and produce force. This process ensures optimal neuromuscular control and efficiency of movement. Movement is a complex event that involves synergists, stabilizers, neutralizers, and antagonists all working together to reproduce efficient triplanar movements. Therefore the basic foundational principle of functional training is to train movements not muscles. Sport scientist Roger Enoka put it best: “The function of a muscle depends on the context in which it is activated.” Different movements use muscles differently. The muscles are slaves of the brain. The brain does not recognize individual isolated muscles; rather it recognizes patterns of movement in response to sensory input. The Central Nervous System is the command station that controls and directs all movement. The CNS calls for patterns of movement that can be modified in countless ways to react appropriately to gravity, ground reaction forces, and momentum. Each activity is subjected to further refinements and adjustments by feedback from the body’s proprioceptors. This process ensures optimal neuromuscular control and efficiency of function. Functional training is not about measurable strength. How much you can lift or how many foot-pounds of force you can express on a dynamometer are meaningless numbers. Instead quality of movement, rhythm, synchronization and connections are what is important. The goal is always the ability 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 to 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 Over the years I have derived basic principles to guide the training. These are the foundational principles of functional sport training. Use these as you guide and you will have consistent results. Functional Athletic Development Principle One – Train movements not muscles Functional Athletic Development Principle Two – Dynamic postural alignment and dynamic balance are the foundation for all training Functional Athletic Development Principle Three – Train fundamental movement skills before sport specific skills Functional Athletic Development Principle Four – Train core strength before extremity strength Functional Athletic Development Principle Five – Train bodyweight before external resistance Functional Athletic Development Principle Six – Train joint integrity before joint mobility Functional Athletic Development Principle Seven – Train strength before strength endurance, power before power endurance Functional Athletic Development Principle Eight – Train speed before speed endurance Functional Athletic Development Principle Nine – Train to build work capacity appropriate for your sport or event Functional Athletic Development Principle Ten – Train Sport Appropriate – You Are What You Train To Be The body is incredibly smart, it is highly adaptable and self-organizing which gives it an amazing ability to adapt to radical extremes in terms of environment and all the various stressors that can be placed upon it. Look around and see movement with different eyes. Recognizing that the body is smart will open a whole mew vista in training and rehab. There are no limits beyond your imagination and creativity as a coach, teacher or rehab specialist. Look for possibilities not limitations and dysfunctions; give the body credit for its wisdom and then coach, teach and rehab accordingly. Enjoy the process and marvel at the discoveries. 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.
Functional Training – Method or Madness? Part Two
I have never been reluctant to challenge conventional wisdom and it was conventional wisdom that was causing us to stagnate in training. It just was not getting the job done. I felt there had to more than max V02 and other artificial measurements of performance, more than just mindlessly running straight ahead, more than excessive emphasis on heavy lifting, more than fancy machines that isolated body parts and more than static stretching. I leaned heavily on the work of Logan & McKinney and their classic text Kinesiology, Knott & Voss and their work on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and John Jesse and his approach to performance training and injury prevention. It was a move away from a linear reductionist and segmented view of the body to a holistic, synergistic quantum approach. In so many ways what evolved as functional training taps into old tried and true concepts and methods that were once the norm and then fell out of favor for various reasons. The saying that everything old is new again could not be truer. Unfortunately the concept of functional training as it has evolved and been co-opted by the “fitness industry” has been bastardized and compromised into a weird amalgamation of crazy exercises without any logical progression or justification. It is more than exercises; it is a systematic sequential and progressive approach to training for the rigors of competition. There is no magic or mystery, just application of basic principles that are proven and have stood the test of time. It 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 a 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. 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 sport in order to understand functional training for sports. A thorough understanding of function will allow us to design and implement a comprehensive training programs for each sport and athlete. The body is a link system; this link system is referred to as the kinetic chain. Functional training is about linkage – it is how all the parts of the chain work together in harmony to produce smooth efficient patterns of movement. Conventional academic preparation still focuses on studying individual muscles based on classical anatomy. This is where the confusion begins as to what is functional movement. 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 required by the sport. In order to completely understand function we must understand the role that gravity plays in movement. 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, and 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.
Functional Training – Method or Madness? Part One
As someone who is considered the father of functional sports training I think it is time to revisit the concept in order to better understand it – Where did it come from, how it evolved, where it is today and where it is going. Functional training is a label for a concept. As with any label it is subject to various interpretations. I originally conceived it as multi lateral training integrating various training modalities (medicine ball, stretch cord, weight training, dumbbells, body weight etc.) to produce significant adaptation in specific performance parameters. It trains all systems of the body while recognizing and respecting the wisdom of the body. The end result is a highly adaptable athlete who is able to perform without limitations in the competitive environment. Contrast this to biased one- sided training that results in adapted athletes who are inconsistent in performance and prone to injury. For me the concepts came together and solidified in the late 1980’s. I was alarmed at the biased one-sided training regimens that I saw being imposed on athletes. We were trapped in a reductionist, mechanistic approach that segmented the body into parts and separate systems. We were creating robotic athletes that were good in a sterile training environment but had difficulty transferring training to the sport. It was also clear to that if you are doing too much of one thing then you are probably not doing much of something else, it was a zero sum relationship. The result was an athlete fully adapted to that one component of training. To thrive in the performance arena demands the polar opposite, a versatile highly adaptable athlete whose training is not biased, but reflects the demands of the sport and the needs of the individual athlete. The problem was the failure to recognize that for the body to execute movement, whether it is a sustained endurance activity, explosive bursts or fine motor skill that all parts and systems need to work together in harmony. Movement is s symphony not a solo. You can’t do a “cardio” workout, just like you can’t do a “neural” workout. You better hope every workout has a cardio vascular and a neural component, because all systems of the body work at all times with the demand on a particular system determined by the intensity of the activity. To continue the symphonic metaphor a section of the orchestra is featured or highlighted while the other parts of the orchestra are still playing, albeit in the background. Let's also give credit to the conductor; the brain, the muscles and all systems of the body are slaves of the brain. It is the brain that drives, connects and controls movements to enable us to accomplish the desired task. To use Tim Noakes term the brain is the "central governor." So we can’t lose sight of the whole, the big picture in the desire to understand the parts. What evolved as functional training gives the body credit for it’s inherent wisdom and it’s ability to learn to link, sync, connect and coordinate in order to play the beautiful movement symphony we call sports performance. At the time I had been coaching close to twenty years and been exposed to many ideas and methods of training, some of which worked and some of which failed. I was at a stage in my career where I thought there had to be a better way, I realized a better way was an eclectic approach that combined my interpretation of sport science research, study in methods and concepts of rehabilitation coupled with my practical experience both as a coach and as an athlete. Someone labeled it “functional training” and the name stuck; to me it is just common sense training.
Age & Experiences
Hopefully with age comes wisdom. I don’t think I am any smarter today at age 66 that was at 26 or 36; I think I have learned from many experiences, some good, some bad, some successes and some failures. I certainly have many more questions than answers. I think the key is continually learning. It really is an attitude, a mindset, you can learn from anyone and any situation. I try to learn from everyone I meet and from every situation. I guess in many ways it is more about acquiring wisdom than knowledge. Sometimes there is an almost eerie feeling of déjà vu, like I have been there before at other times it is like an unexplored territory. It is funny that in both situations it seems I inevitably call on my experiences, I search back through the memory bank to remember what I did before or in the case of uncharted waters what is similar in my past experiences that can help me make a wise decision. Then make the decision; don’t look back, no regrets, no second guessing move forward. Evaluate later and keep learning, keep acquiring experiences. Get outside your learning circle; seek people with diverse ideas and experiences that will challenge you. The key is to keep growing, to never become complacent. Is it easy – no way, it is easier to sit back and rest on your laurels and think you have it figured out. If you do you are done. I see people who have done this, it is not fun to be around them or watch their interaction with other people. If you do what you have always done you will get what you have got – not good English but good advice. Just like Guy Noir, private eye on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion we must keep trying to find the answers to life's persistent questions – onto the next question.
Give Credit Where Credit is Do – Do The Right Thing
Do the right thing. If you use someone else’s ideas give them credit, giving credit to others does not weaken or diminish your status, in fact it strengthens it. In today’s world with the proliferation of information it is even more necessary. There is no excuse for not knowing, if you think you have an original idea do a Google search and see if someone else has used it. That is not unreasonable. I learned in the first clinic that I attended as a senior at Fresno Sate in 1968 how important it was to give credit. Bill Bowerman was the speaker he gave credit to Arthur Lydiard, Gosta Holmer and others who influenced him in the development of his system of training runners. That left a huge impression on me. This guy was the best and he had no trouble giving credit to others. I am very concerned with the stealing of ideas and lack of credit that is being given today. It seems to be a generational thing especially among those that have grown up with the Internet. When you use someone’s ideas or training methods give them credit. It is not hard, just a mention in a speech, a name on a slide, or a credit on a DVD. It is common courtesy. In some cases there are legal ramifications, I will not go there, to me it is just a matter of doing what is right. Go the extra mile and give credit where credit is do. Honor and respect those who have come before you. Above all be honest, most of all be honest with yourself.
WOD – Fundamentally Flawed
WOD is an acronym for workout of the day. Is a cornerstone of a popular fitness craze that needs to be totally re-examined in light of the injuries caused by it and the number of people put in the hospital with Rhabdomyolysis (That is for another blog at another time) Let’s look at WOD in the light of what training should be. The workout, the individual training session is the building block of a comprehensive training program. No one workout is an end unto itself; each workout is a means to an end. Yesterday’s workout should seamlessly flow into today’s works and today’s workout should set up and connect with tomorrow’s workout. That is sound training – simple and effective. In addition each workout is not designed to be as hard it can be. There is a rhythm, a flow of alternating hard and easy workouts all designed to achieve adaptation to the desired training stimulus. Each workout should be designed to fit the demands of the sport being trained for the needs of the individual athlete. Pushing to the edge and beyond and puking in every session is not training, it is stupidity, in fact it is abusive. That is what I see the WOD concept do. No workout is connected to another workout, every workout is to the max everyday. There is no time to allow for adaptation. This results in the survivors getting very fit and those that do not survive get injured. Training should not be a survival contest; it is about adaptation and cumulative training effect over time to achieve the desired training goal. Training should fit the individual one size does not fit all. When you log on to get your WOD ask yourself why you are doing the same thing as everyone else is doing? That should be your first clue that something is wrong. Also it is important to remember that it does not always have to be hard and grinding to get results. Training accumulates over time. Give yourself a chance to get progressively better by making sure that each workout is part of an overall plan with specific long, medium and short-term goals. Plan your training and work your plan to achieve your goals.
The S&C Wasteland
Now is the time to take a step back and look at the approach to Strength & Conditioning as it has evolved. Basically what we see happening is that we have the means to an end (Strength Training) become an end unto itself. Instead of having sport demands and qualities of the individual athlete drive the training the emphasis is on chasing numbers in the weight room. One or five rep maximum has little to do directly with sport performance. In fact many times the emphasis on one quality, strength, is developed at the expenses of other qualities. The end result is less athleticism and also more injuries of the type we are seeing today. We need to wake up and redefine what strength & conditioning is all about. S&C coaches need to be performance based, to see the big picture to prepare the athlete for the demands of their sports. In the last two weeks I have spoken with three different swim coaches and two soccer coaches at the collegiate level that do not want their athletes to go near the existing S&C programs because they are not meeting their athletes needs. To me this is alarming; it is a call to action that we must heed. You can say that this is the exception, but I see it more as the norm. All of us need to look in the mirror and re-examine why we do what we do or we will go the way of the dinosaur.
The Basics – Mastery Nothing Less!
If you don’t get the basics right then everything that follows will be compromised. In my experience the difference between good and great is that that the great ones always pay attention to the basics and have flawless mastery of the basics. They never stray far from the fundamentals; in fact no matter where they are in their career they touch the basics everyday. Sure it is mundane, some have called it boring, but to be the best requires mastery of the basics. Advanced skill and technique is built upon sound fundamentals. The most basic of the basics are fundamental movement skills – pull, push, squat, bend, extend, rotate reach, step, leap, starting, stopping, jump etc. It may not be as exciting as trying to master some more complex movements or technique but it will serve you well in the short and long run. The great John Wooden felt that most mistakes under pressure in games was caused by weaknesses in fundamental basketball skills. Each day in each of his practices a significant amount of time was devoted to proper execution of fundamentals. A base of fundamentals is the foundation for more complex skills and creativity in movement. Keep it simple, link and connect basic movements to achieve advanced skill and training. If you don’t know the alphabet you can’t spell a word, if you can’t spell you can’t write sentences, if you can’t write sentences then you can’t compose paragraphs or write an essay much less write the great American novel. Master the movement ABC’s and go higher faster and stronger.