Tag Archives: Functional Training

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Functional Training : A Brief Overview

Though extremely essential and vital for longevity, functional training may be one of the most overlooked and misunderstood areas of fitness. It is a term that was coined by rehabilitation therapists who had a sole objective of getting chronically injured patients to perform basic day-to-day activities again much simpler. For this reason, it has garnered a lot of mainstream recognition through the years but remains a mystery to some. How do you know if you’re training functionally? What exercises are considered functional?

It is important to know that functional training is designed to meet one specific demand only : performing a wide range of daily activities more efficiently without any potential risk for injury. It’s basically simulating basic movements at home, work and sporting activities. For example, a squat is a functional exercise in the sense that it trains and teaches the lower body muscles to be able to pick up an object from the ground. By performing this exercise routinely, the body is well equipped to handle any life situation that involves bending and hinging of the hips. The overhead press is another excellent functional exercise which trains the upper body and torso in reaching for items in our overhead kitchen cupboards and bedroom closets.

Keep in mind that common exercises like biceps curl, leg extensions, lateral raises and even the bench press, while aesthetically great for the body, have no functional benefits. Nothing we do in life simulates the actions of the aforementioned exercises. Can you think of any day-to-day activity that requires you to lay on your back and push an object upwards? How about one that requires you to bend your elbows with your arms fully extended? My point exactly.

Here are 4 reasons you should be doing functional training:

1. Across The Board: Just about anybody can participate in functional training. Whole body movements make up the template making it easy for an individual to utilize several muscle groups when doing a particular exercise. Resistance for functional training comes in many forms, from dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands to body weight, kettle bells and medicine balls making it universally accessible. The ability to perform basic everyday tasks much simpler and efficiently is more than enough incentive to train the body functionally and benefit exercisers of all levels and backgrounds. Older adults and sedentary individuals historically reap the most benefits due to years of inactivity and lack of movement.

2. Emphasis On Movement: One of the perks of functional training is the ability to effectively perform tasks in different planes of motion (i.e, different angles). As a result, movement is promoted and thereby encouraged. Think of multidirectional challenge involved in mopping the floor, vacuuming and doing gardening work. This movement in different directions subsequently incorporates other muscle groups. As I mentioned earlier, it is for this reason a case can be made against exercise machines that only isolate muscles and restrict movement as having functional benefits. The step-up exercise will yield more perks from a functional standpoint than the seated leg press machine, even though both exercises train the muscles of the lower body.

3. Core Stability:  Another important perk of functional training is the ability to integrate the core musculature. Functional training exercises are designed in a way so there is great deal of core stabilization. The squat and overhead press train the lower body and shoulder girdle respectively but there is core is stabilized and engaged to a great degree, although you won’t necessarily feel a ‘burn’ in your abs during these movements. The result is stronger abs and increased ability to control our bodies through different planes of motion and in the most adverse life situations.

4. Proprioceptive Enhancement: Performance of multi-joint and multidirectional exercises requires a good amount of concentration and alertness. Think about how zoned in you are when you do lunges or squat-to-press. Slips and falls in our society, especially among senior citizens, has been linked to poor balance and underdeveloped motor skills. Functional training addresses these areas by sharpening motor skills, decreasing the difficulty of balance and improving coordination. This is why functional training emphasizes the training of ‘movements’ and not just simply ‘muscles’.

Some of the best functional training exercises include squat, overhead press, step-up, lunges, medicine ball throws, kettle bell swings, rotational movements and pulling exercises.

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Why You Should Deadlift

Aside from the traditional barbell back squat, no other exercise works the entire body like the conventional deadlift. In fact, some would argue that the deadlift offers more benefits than the back squat. Both exercises are functional in nature and engage nearly the same muscle groups. However the deadlift, which is a a hip dominant exercise, additionally recruits fibers of the upper body musculature and as a result burns more calories. The lower and upper back, anterior core and forearms are greatly engaged. The prolonged gripping of the barbell also helps to improve grip strength. I’ve always maintained that if I only had to do one exercise for the rest of my life, it’ll be this one.

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Contrary to popular belief and societal misconceptions, everyone CAN and SHOULD deadlift. It is not a ‘guy’s exercise’. Although different versions like the Sumo Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift and Suitcase Deadlift exists, the traditional version yields the most dividends and should be prioritized in everyone’s training programs. The deadlift addresses virtually every health and fitness goal from fat loss and lean muscle gain to strength, power, core stability and even postural enhancement.

Here are 5 reasons why you should deadlift:

1. Functional Component: If you had to pick up a box or bin from the floor, you would without a doubt hinge your trunk slightly forward, push your hips back, reach down with you arms and then drive back up with the box using your heels. That’s a deadlift in a nutshell! We pick things up from the floor everyday and the deadlift is perhaps the only exercise that mimics that action. By deadlifting regularly, the body continually adapts to picking up dead weighted objects from the floor. This can become extremely helpful in the event a much heavier box had to be picked up.

2. Full Body Work: The deadlift is one of the few exercises that requires lifting a dead weight from the floor. It is a true integration of the upper and lower body musculature due to the simple fact that the entire kinetic chain has to work in synergy in order for any object be picked up from the floor. When executed properly, the quadriceps and dorsiflexors activate themselves at the starting phase and contract to about the middle of the rep. From that point, the forearms, hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back take over. Although you won’t feel a ‘burn’ in your abs, believe me when I say your core will activate via resisting anti-flexion during the eccentric (lowering) phase

3. Postural Impact: Complete execution of the deadlift requires a lockout at the top of the movement. This means the shoulder blades must retract and hips must fully thrust. Both movements are essential for correcting short hip flexors and tight shoulder internal rotators. The extension of the hips at the top of the deadlift forces the opposing iliopsoas muscle group to get a stretch and lengthen. Simply put, contraction of the hip extensors will correct short hip flexors. At the top of the movement, retraction of the shoulder blades forces an internally rotated shoulder to externally rotate. When performed routinely, this will have a tremendous impact on a person’s posture. Even the dorsiflexors, which activate during the start phase, helps improve ankle mobility by stretching the calf muscles.

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4. Best Upper Back Builder: When it comes to overall development of the upper back, no exercise works better than the deadlift. Traditional back exercises like the pull-up and bent-over row are fantastic choices for adding mass to the back but they pale in comparison to the thickness and density the deadlift provides. Part of the reason for that is because of the constant tension in the posterior trunk muscles during it’s execution. So many exercises can be used to work the back in an exercise program but the deadlift is the king.

5. Power & Strength: Of the 3 primary powerlifting movements, the deadlift has the potential for developing maximal power and strength because it uses the entire body. The bench press and squat can do the same but are affected by shoulder and knee limitations via max load. The shoulder girdle complex can only handle so much weight from bench pressing. Almost every guy I know that regularly bench presses heavy has some kind of shoulder pain. The shoulder is one of two joints impacted during a bench press (the other being the elbow), therefore too much tension on it makes it susceptible to injury. And although the deadlift and squat use similar joints (knee, hip, ankle and lumbosacral joints), the compressive forces on the knee and back in a traditional back squat makes the potential for maximal strength and power minimal compared to a traditional deadlift.