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.
