an emphasis on training the body from the inside out. Meaning your feet
are in contact with the ground to allow for efficient transfer of
forces from the feet to the legs, through the core and if necessary out
to the arms. Training from the inside out means focusing on a stable,
mobile core that can effectively provide the basis to efficient
movement instead of body-building type exercise that generally places
emphasis on the mirror muscles—biceps, deltoids, pecs, etc.—which are
not very functional,” says Ottawa-based Lorne Goldenberg, internationally renowned strength and conditioning coach to several
major sports teams including the Ottawa Senators, the Ottawa
Roughriders and the Chicago Blackhawks.He also co-wrote the best-selling book, Strength Ball, and currently operates the Athletic Conditioning Centre in Ottawa.Of course, functionality is inherent to human development. A
baby’s desire to walk is realized by crawling, a rudimentary form of
functional training. On a more sophisticated level, astronauts enter
space only after experiencing and familiarizing themselves with
weightlessness. Every aspect of their physical preparation can be
deemed functional.
In the final analysis, it all pertains to goals, and what’s required to accomplish them.
A form of training that is becoming increasingly prevalent
among professional athletes and in clubs where free weights, Swiss
balls, medicine balls, pulley weight machines, bands, kettlebells, foam
rolls and wobble boards take their place alongside machines, functional
exercise focuses less on muscle development in isolation but recruits
participation from multi-muscle groups and joints.
“While there is some confusion about what can be considered
functional, the basic definition to me is exercises and movements that
mimic normal human movement patterns. For example, I would consider a
Squat more of a functional exercise as compared to a Leg Press. But
as you can see, you can make the argument that all exercise and
movement is functional. I try to tell people not to get caught up in
the bickering about what is and isn’t and to instead learn how to
choose the exercises that are going to deliver the results they are
training for,” Murray Middlemost, a certified fitness trainer, and
Fitness Club owner.
Unlike other training methods, functional training has no regime to
follow. Since its mantra is purpose, a simple desire to get from point
A to point B can compel your interest in functionality.
Consider for example, how choosing to cycle from your home to the gym
might evolve into an excuse for some functional training.
Assume the distance is around 18 miles (30 kilometers), and
includes a number of hills, a route that requires both strength and
endurance to master in a reasonable time frame. In order to achieve
your goal, you can devise a protocol that uses squats, crunches,
lunges, push-ups and pull-ups, exercises that train multiple joints and
provide the basis of strength and stability needed to maintain an
average speed of at least 25 kilometers per hour (approximately 15 mph)
on the bike.
Man Alive:
The worldwide embrace of functional training has imbued it with
philosophical underpinnings. One of the UK’s foremost personal
trainers, London-based Dax Moy takes a conceptual view of functional training:
- Structure determines function, and stability precedes mobility.
- Movements occur within their own base of support.
- Movements occur in 3D.
- Resistance opposes gravity.
- Movements occur as part of a kinetic chain reaction.
- Movements occur at a variety of speeds.
- Movements occur at the subconscious level.
- Muscles do not create movements; movements recruit muscles.
- Movements require all components of the muscle contraction spectrum.
According to Cannone, functional exercise—using free weights or a
resistance band, for example—helps distribute the work load between
major and minor muscle groups, which are required to perform under
stress, giving a better overall fitness result for most people.
“One of my favorite functional exercises is the one-legged
bent-over row,” says Cannone who applauds its ability to work the
glutes, hamstring and calf as well as the lower-middle- and-upper back,
shoulders and biceps, while improving balance, coordination and
flexibility.
“Many people when exercising tend to neglect the back and legs… So with this particular exercise you strengthen both:”
One-Legged Bent-Over Row:
- Begin with light weight. Hold weights in either hand at your sides.
- Stand on your right leg, knee slightly flexed.
- Slowly bend forward until your back is as close to flat as possible.
- Raise your left leg as high as you can.
- Hold in place by contracting the glute and hamstring muscles.
- While maintaining a flat back, pull dumbbells up in a rowing motion, driving the elbows as far back as you are able.
- Hold this position very briefly if possible and then slowly lower
into straight-arm position, continuing to maintain a flat back.
- Repeat, alternating legs, until you can’t.
- If you encounter difficulty, try it without weights and use a chair to balance your elevated foot.
Functional training is closely associated with unstable surface
training which, sometimes uses devices such as wobble boards to improve
balance and coordination.
Lorne Goldenberg notes that, “functional training can easily
be adapted to any gym or club…Let’s take the pecs as an example. Most
people would build this area with either a bench press or dumbbell fly.
Although these movements are great for building this area, they do not
meet the definition of functional training. So how would we train this
area functionally? Let’s use an example from my second book on
stability ball training, Strength Ball 2…The single-arm stability press
would meet the needs for functional exercise.”
Single-Arm Stability Press:
- Set yourself up “table-top” on the ball so your head and shoulders are on the ball.
- Hips parallel to the ground, core set.
- Dumbbell in ready press position.
- This beginning position requires that your glutes, abdominals,
hamstrings, calfs and mid-back are all working to allow you to begin
the exercise.
- Once you begin pressing the DB to almost a fully extended position you will notice:
- Activity
in your pecs and anterior deltoids and your abdominal muscles as they
resist the torque moving through your core as a result of moving only
one dumbbell.
“This extra effort of the core would not be there if two dumbbells were
moving. The prime mover is certainly the pecs, but the rest of your
body can be considered the auxiliary muscles that are all turned on to
complete this movement,” says Goldenberg.
On The Ball:
Research suggests that exercising within a framework of
instability elicits greater body responsiveness. Working to maintain
and correct your balance recruits and trains your core muscle group.
Here are some highly effective function-based exercises on the Swiss
ball to get you started:
- Dumbbell flies
- Crunches
- Push-ups
- Swiss Ball Push-up (targeting multiple muscle groups including abs, lower back, shoulders, chest and triceps) :
- Assume a push-up position with your toes on the ball and your hands on the floor.
- Legs together, your hands should be positioned so they extend a little beyond shoulder width.
- Your body should be rigid and form a straight line from your shoulders to your feet.
- Contract your abs.
- Bend your elbows and lower yourself in the direction of the floor.
- Lift yourself back up when your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
“Functional training is critical for effective results…”
Goldenberg points out. “You do not have to be an NHL hockey player to
want to have an efficient core. As the population ages, the most
significant point that will affect their quality of life is their
ability to move, i.e. climbing stairs, getting out of a car, pushing a
revolving door or getting off the toilet. These are all functional
movements…Get functional and get off your butt!” |
