Functional training…what does that mean? In my career, I see that if someone doesn’t “function” well with their body’s actions and reactions, ..they are going to have a difficult time functioning in general; especially as they (we) age. I know personally, if I can do full body movements which mimic real life (lifting my ipad from behind my car seat when in a hurry, carrying groceries up stairs, hopping over sidewalk cracks, catching myself from tripping over my dog’s tennis balls, etc) I will save myself from “out of the blue” aches and pains. This is “function”. However, I thought it might be nice to recruit a few of the experts I work with and get their opinion of why functional training is not only necessary, but something everyone should seriously consider as a part of their daily training.
Here we go…
“Functional training is something that, in my opinion as a Chiropractor of 15 years, everyone should be incorporating into their fitness routine. In essence, it is a very effective type of exercise that involves training the body to be capable of doing real-life activities in real-life positions. You train several muscle groups at once, which can improve balance, core stabilization, strength, and flexibility. Functional training is a key part of the pyramid for optimal health which includes not only training, but entire body and mind care.”
Dr. Steve Nandkeshwar D.C.,C.P.T
Chiropractor/Personal Trainer
www.losgatosbackdoctor.com
“Functional Training allows us to perform life’s tasks more efficiently. This includes: balance, stability, core training, and dynamic training. The result is performing daily activities more easily without injury. Functional training makes every other activity in life that much easier.”
Saul Cervantes, CPT
Body Firm Personal Training
“As a sports therapist, people tell me daily about their “training.” Whether it be cycling, running, crossfit or any other athletic of choice, our options are limitless in our training. But what are we training for? Barring the small percentage of people training for a milestone or in a competitive capacity, the rest of us are always just “training.” I will briefly pick on cycling- I love cycling. It is an amazing display of athleticism, great for the cardiovascular system, generally easy on the joints, but for what part of our daily lifestyle does the movement itself create benefit? Discrimination aside, the answer I have received the most for my question “what are you training for?” is “Life, I guess.” Enter Functional Training. “Life” as a movement pattern is a complex, multi-planar, ever-changing demand from our body’s joint health, muscular strength and endurance, fascial integration and cardiovascular capacity. If we aren’t spending time each week to train with these purposes in mind, then we’re not only not training for life, but we’re missing out on a HUGE resource of physical capability within our bodies. To quote Gray Cook, the master of functional movement, “first move well, then move often.”
Cody Fowler D.C. CPT
Symmetry Sports Therapy and Performance Care
Body Firm Wellness Center
Los Gatos, CA
I hope this takes some of the mystery out of the word “function” and might help you train a little differently…or shall I say mindfully!
