Functional Training

Ok, so I am back and looking to try this again and become more consistent. I received some useful comments on my last post and will put them to good use in this post. Before I begin, please, leave comments on the blog page as opposed to the facebook page. This would be much appreciated :).

On to today's topic, functional training. I am sure that many of you have heard this term mentioned. In fact, if you are a fitness profesional, this topic may be a bit played out or have become somewhat of a cliche for you. For the layman, functional training may be something you think is interesting but are unsure about its actual meaning. In this blog I would like to touch on the topic of functional training and explain its importance.

How do we define functional training? In an article by Thompson, Cobb, and Blackwell (2007) from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, functional training is defined as a training program consisting of four parts. The first is spinal stabilization during movement, balance and proprioception exercises to improve neuromuscular control, flexibility exercises done to regain full range of motion, and resistance exercises done for functional strength development.

What on earth does this mean? Very, very, simply stated, this means to perform exercises through the utilization of movement patterns which mimic that of the movements of a specific sport, occupational, or daily activity. Furthermore, these movements are to be completed while using specific techniques to protect the spine from injury (spinal stabilization, more importantly, proper posture), coordination between different muscle groups during the exercise are emphasized and challenged beyond normal activity (balance and proprioception exercise to improve neuromuscular control), different methods of stretching are incorporated to promote muscular balance (flexibility), and strength training which mimics those specific sport, occupational, or daily activites as opposed to isolating muscle groups (functional strength development).

Some examples of functional training might be as simple as performing a sit to stand exercise to mimic sitting and standing from a chair in an aging adult or as complex as performing trunk rotation into a single arm press or punch to improve upper body combat skills. Now that we know what functional training is and how it differs depending on the target population, does it actually work?

In the above referenced study by Thompson et al. (2007), an 8 week functional training program was put in place for a group of older golfers. Each golfer attended the program for 90 minutes 3 days each week. The outcomes reported were club head speed and results from a functional fitness test battery which includes tests for lower and upper body strength, lower and upper body flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and balance/agility. There was also a control group which were told to continue their normal daily routines.

As a result of the 8 week functional training program, which focused on the 4 previously mentioned areas, club head speed improved by by 3.9 mph! This could equate to an additional 10-15 meters of carry distance off the tee and possibly increased roll as well. You might ask, why does functional training pertain to me? That study showed improvements in a sport that I do not play, or maybe I do not play any sports. As mentioned, this study also performed a functional fitness test examining several areas of fitness in ways that relate to daily activities. There were significant improvements in nearly all of these tests as well!

Whether or not we like it, functional training is effective and is here to stay. As always, please comment! I would love to hear from you on this post or on topics you are interested in.

Thanks,
Joe

Reference
Thompson, C., J., Cobb, K., M., & Blackwell, J. (2007). Functional training improves club head speed and functional fitness in older golfers. Journal of Strength & Contidioning Research, 21(1), 131-137.

 

 

 

How do I get my body to use fat for energy during exercise?

I would like to begin by wishing everyone a good evening. This is my first attempt at starting a blog so if it is not great, feel free to let me know so I can improve for the next time.

The purpose of this blog is to tackle topics that I hope the readers are interested in learning about. The information found within these blogs will be entirely evidence based with the resources provided to support the evidence, while allowing for the occasional ancedote. I hope you find this information useful and interesting. Please, feel free to share your viewpoint whether contrasting or agreeing. Also, feel free to leave comments on topics you would be interested to learn about in the future.

To begin I thought it would be worthwhile to examine the use of fat as an energy source or fat oxidation during exercise. My reasoning for this lies in the rising obesity rates as well as increasing instances of type 2 diabetes in the US. Interestingly, it may not just be fat in and of itself leading to these issues but more likely where the fat is located on the human body. Primary areas for concern include increased levels of adipose tissue in the abdominal area, particularly visceral fat, are more likely associated with metabolic disease risk (Slentz, Houmard, & Kraus, 2009).

 So, how do you burn fat during exercise? The simplest answer I can give you, is to exercise. Simply put, a regular exercise program meeting at leaast the minimum recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine would assist in burning fat. I am sure that this is not the answer you were searching for. Therefore, we will examine the research to determine some of the best methods to as they say "melt the fat away".

There are several factors to consider when determing the cause of fat loss during exercise. One must observe intensity, type of exercise, length of time engaged in such exercise, and how often it is completed. Of course, we cannot forget the almighty diet. In a recent study Irving et al., 2008, examined the effect of exercise training intensity on abdominal visceral fat and body composition. Three groups were utilized in this study including a non-exercise group, a low intensity exercise group, and a high intensity exercise group. In the low group, exercise was performed 5 days per week at somewhat of a moderate intensty while in the high group, high intensity exercise took place on 3 days of the week and moderate intensity on 2 days per week. Of the three groups, the only group which yielded a significant loss in abdominal visceral fat was the high intensity group. Each group only exercised for the amount of time it took to expend 400 kcal. Therefore, time and energy expended were well controlled within this study.

So, what does this tell us? Higher intensity training burns fat more effectively than low to moderate intensity training. Not to mention, when you workout harder, you do not have to workout as long to achieve similar carlorie expenditure. I understand that this is only one study, and that the population of the study was small, and the sample was middle aged, obese women, with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, this information may not be applicable for all but it is a good place to start.

If this blog is received well, I will be sure to follow up with more information. The focus will shift to examing different types of exercise such as High Intensity Interval Training or low intensity longer endurance training and their effects on fat oxidation (fat burn).

Thanks,
Joe