Among the most popular concepts in the world of exercising and fitness in general, functional training undoubtedly stands out. Today, there is a constant trend in all sports discipline to use functional exercises and training methods. However, ‘functional’ is often the subject of personal interpretations by those who follow the trends of the moment without really understanding its true meaning.
Just look at the endless courses, videos and exercises offered in gyms that in reality have nothing to do with functional training. Numerous imaginary myths have sprung up around this type of training.
It is not enough to use any unstable surface and unconventional equipment to define a particular workout as ‘functional’. Nor is one obliged to use only and exclusively one’s own body. On the contrary, every type of equipment (dumbbells, barbells and, as you will discover later, special isotonic machines), can become a valuable training tool, provided you understand the scientific method behind functional training.
Before exploring this concept, let’s take a step back to better understand the meaning of the word ‘function’ as applied to the field of training.
1. Function and functional, a little clarity
The basic concept is about one thing being in function of another.
Let’s give an example. When you choose an isotonic machine or a dumbbell to perform a certain exercise, the number of repetitions you will be able to perform will depend on, and therefore will be dependent on, the weight you choose.
To be even more precise, in the world of exercises with overloads, the number of times you are able to lift a given load is directly related to the percentage of 1-RM, i.e. the maximum weight that can be lifted by a person for a single repetition, without requiring assistance.
The number of repetitions varies according to one’s strength levels and is therefore determined by the load chosen: if with a weight that reaches 90 % of the maximum load, the repetitions are four, with a load of 75 % of the same maximum load
The higher the percentage of the maximum load, the lower the number of repetitions and vice versa. Therefore, we can say that the number of repetitions is in function of the percentage of 1-RM.
When speaking of training, ‘functional’ certainly comes from function, but it is not the same thing.
Going back to the example above, we can see that the number of repetitions has a different functionality. While 4 repetitions are functional for strength, 10 are functional for hypertrophy.
The same word, ‘functional’, and, as you can see, two very different situations. This is why, when talking about functional training, it is important to be very specific. In fact, the question that must be answered clearly from the start is only one: functional for what?
Training can be functional for strength or hypertrophy, if we want to remain in the area of weight training. At the same time, changing scope, it can be functional for strengthening, or for prevention, in a specific sport.
As an example, lets consider a very popular sport: football. With the frenetic tempo the game of football has assumed in recent years, the athletic preparation for this discipline must be prepared in such a way as to avoid physical problems and injuries during the season.
How, then, to prepare functional training for football? The training, in this specific case, must maximise player performance and prevent physical setbacks and injuries. Therefore, it must enhance conditional strength, always taking into account the specific technical preparation for the game, with training programmes for mobility, stability and coordination.
When it comes to functional training, as you can see, clarity is essential.
2. The fundamental characteristics of functional training
Applied to the world of fitness and exercise, ‘functional’ can be defined as a training method involving the function for which a muscle, or rather a kinetic chain, exists and has evolved.
Functional training must aim to improve movement and, according to Vern Gambetta, one of the fathers of functional training, the exercise must be
– multi-joint (a movement involving several joints. Isolated movements are not a priority for the human being. Rather, the locomotor system, for both practicality and economy, only uses complex or multi-joint movements).
– multiplanar (allows the body to move in several directions, on the three planes of movement: frontal, sagittal, transversal and are carried out with translations, rotations and torsions of the torso).
– proprioceptive enrichment (Fundamental for the proper functioning of the locomotor system. Creating situations of instability allows to educate the proprioceptive reflexes to improve posture control. The proprioceptive component is very important in post-traumatic recovery, injury prevention and for optimising sports performance).
Furthermore, all movements that are specific or highly correlated in mechanical, coordinative and energetic terms with usual daily activities are considered ‘functional’.
It becomes clear that functional training must be able to significantly improve all the conditional (strength, speed, endurance, mobility) and conditional capacities (balance, tempo, reaction, etc.) skills that are part of the human being’s evolutionary baggage.
3. The benefits of functional training
They are numerous and very important. In fact, this particular type of physical activity
– It is best suitable for human physiology.
– It is mainly performed in the upright station. Let’s not forget that we are two-footed and our natural position should be standing.
– It improves the connection between the locomotor apparatus and the surrounding medium.
– Activates long kinetic chains. Single-jointed, isolated movements are not a priority for the locomotor system, which, instead, almost exclusively uses complex movements for convenience and practicality.
– It trains the kinetic chains following the movement-function rule of the muscle. Unfortunately, the tendency in modern training today is excessive isolation: training the muscle primarily according to its action, leaving out the function and thus losing sight of the totality of the movement.
– Reduces the excessive load on the column.
– Constant activation of the core.
– It is more efficient in biomechanical and muscular terms than any other training method.
4. The main functional exercises
Summing up, functional exercise must have multiple characteristics:
– Multi-articularity.
– Multiplanarity.
– Propriocity.
– Dynamism.
– Different types of muscle contraction.
– Different contraction speeds.
– Amplitude of movement.
In light of these multiple factors, the most important functional exercises are those that reproduce motor patterns inborn in our heredity, i.e. all the movements fundamental to the survival of the human species in its original conditions.
Fighting is part of the human baggage; our ancestors fought both to obtain food and to defend themselves against enemies, predators or otherwise. For example, when faced with an enemy, the human being had to flee to the nearest tree for shelter, make a leap to grasp the nearest branch, grab it with all his strength and pull himself up to climb higher and thus take cover.
All these actions replicate the essential movements of the human species: squat (leg thrusts), shoulder press (arm thrusts upwards), flat or incline bench (orthogonal thrusts to push an enemy away), dips (downward thrusts), pull-ups (at the bar and various types of rowing), twisting, balancing, walking.
5. Functional training, what equipment to use?
Certainly, what is functional for an athlete will not be functional for a housewife without competitive ambitions. However, during a functional training session, both should perform multi-joint gestures and move the kinetic chains in all planes of movement, rather than individual muscles.
Functional training starts with body weight exercises, where the body itself is used as an overload to perform natural body movements (walking, running, jumping, pulling, twisting) according to the basic needs of one’s everyday life.
Light equipment, such as medicine balls, kettlebells, sandbags, ropes, skipping ropes, proprioceptive platforms, rings, suspension training, traction cages, etc., can help activate the kinetic chains in a functional manner, even with the increased stimulation of correct posture.
Particular isotonic equipment, such as Teca’s Stand Up machines, are ideal for functional training on guided machines. Although most common fitness equipment isolates the muscle, this is not the case with Stand Up.
Thanks to the special features of the equipment, which was developed exclusively for training in a standing position, Stand Up fully respects all the principles behind functional training. Therefore, training while standing with guided movements is the ideal and user-friendly approach to introducing people to traditional functional training.
Stand-up machines reproduce the basic movements performed in everyday life and emphasise the work of the kinetic chains, but the benefits do not end there. In addition to greater muscle activation than when training seated, the workload on the spine is reduced by 60 per cent and the core constantly remains active.
Moreover, proprioception is intensely stimulated; by changing the position of the feet, it is possible to recreate training situations ruled by instability where balance and posture are put to the test.
Discover Stand Up: https://tecafitness.com/it/teca-standup/
