Been developing a lot of “Functional” Conditioning Workouts recently.
“Functional” is often a word that is overused within the fitness industry… Its a buzz word Personal Trainers try to use as much as possible to put across that their training will not only benefit the client aesthetically, but will also improve how well they are able to perform every day tasks.
Realistically we could stick the word “functional” onto most exercises… Exercises are after all designed to improve us physically (Being physically capable will help us carry out daily activities)… However the true concept of functional training involves looking in more depth at how our bodies are required to move and work on a daily basis (which can vary from person to person – Lifestyle/Occupation etc). From there a trainer should programme in exercises that are going to best develop the movement patterns and muscle groups involved in any task a person may be required to undertake… What might be a functional exercise for one person, might not be the best exercise selection for another.
Some exercises can be stamped permanently as “functional”… The farmers walk for example is arguably the most functional exercise in existence… Picking up a weight and walking with it is a pretty common task in our day to day lives (The prime example… Walking with shopping bags!)… A workout involving this exercise could definitely be classed as functional training.
However the press up is also one of the most functional exercises out there. When we do a press us we are training our “Push” muscles (“Push” is classed as one of the 7 basic human movement patterns)… It also involves us pushing ourselves up from a prone position (Getting up after a fall etc)… But would a circuit that involves a few press ups be classed as functional training?
The key is to know when to draw the line… Just because an exercise has functional benefits, it should not necessarily be stamped as “functional training”. Its pretty easy to find a functional use for most exercises in some way or another… Training becomes functional when exercises are selected specifically to suit an individuals need to complete certain tasks.
Functional training can be generalised to suit the common needs of the “average person”, but its not enough to just select a few famously functional exercises… We have to select them with a specific goal in mind!