Look up the word functional in a dictionary and you will find: ‘capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed.’
I take this to mean that function equals purpose. Given that each person’s purpose for training is different, functional training will be different for everyone. To the bodybuilder, training is functional if it helps grow muscle. To the person looking to slim down, it is functional if it helps lose body fat. To the athlete, it is functional if it helps performance. Rather than any one style or method, functional training is any kind of training that moves you closer to your goal.
The idea of functional training originated in the sports medicine world and has since found its way into mainstream gyms. A lot of great things have come from this, along with some confusion and misuse of the term. People often picture one type of training linked to battle ropes, kettlebells, stretch bands or a Swiss ball.
These tools are not inherently more functional than a barbell or machine. They can all be used for functional training in the right context. For example, starting on a leg press if you lack the strength, control or mobility to squat or lunge can be a great strategy.
Whilst training should be considered functional if it moves you closer to your goal, useful measures include:
- Functional training should teach people how to handle their own body weight.
- Functional training should improve balance and proprioception.
- Functional training should challenge the body through primary movement patterns: squatting, lunging, pressing, pushing, hinging and rotating.
Three ideas for your next gym session:
- Do some exercises one side at a time, such as split squats or one-arm dumbbell presses.
- Do most exercises standing to increase core activation.
- Across your training week, include the major movement patterns: press, pull, squat, hinge, lunge and rotation.
Do these things and you will have a body that both looks and performs well.