The fun in functional training and why it is important by Thordis Berger MD

Δημοσιεύθηκε στο Medical and tagged Medical, Thordis Berger, Functional training, Functional

There's more in life than repetitive movements. Functional training is not only fun but also focused on movement patterns that have a purpose.

Human movement functions as a system with different functional areas, which act in dependence on one another and have a decisive influence on one another. Everyone has different physical conditions, which are based both on their injury history and their genetics.

 

Functional, by definition, means relating to specific tasks, and functional training is focused on movement patterns that have a purpose. That purpose can be related to getting better at everyday activities—like walking, carrying groceries, load the dishwasher without pain or limitation or getting in and out of a chair.


For most people, the practical application of functional training is to make daily activities more comfortable to perform. But functional training can also be applied for the preparation to compete in a sport, like football or tennis.


Functional training and functional workout

A functional workout is simply one that strengthens you in a particular way that directly translates to an activity outside the weight room. 

Our body isn't just a series of parts — it's perfectly designed and intended that all these parts are working together. A workout consisting of isolated movements will create a stimulus within those parts. In contrast, a more functional movement encourages the use of your whole body at once with a more holistic innervation.

 

A majority of functional training movements are multi joint, and a functional training program should incorporate movements in multiple planes. That means moving forward and backwards, side to side, and incorporating rotational movements. A functional workout typically consists of compound exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts, movements that involve coordinating your upper and lower body with areas that alternate from being stable to moving, and back again. For this reason, exercises like lunges are considered functional because they require full-body coordination, stability, and strength.


 

In the ideal situation, the principles of movement are implemented from the results derived from a Functional Movement Screen.

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is an efficient and reliable method for determining strengths and weaknesses in fundamental movement patterns. It identifies dysfunctions, asymmetries, inhibition or even pain. Also, it provides results on the motor strengths of the person and includes information about which patterns can be trained without problems. An obvious advantage of this body screening method is the low expenditure of time and material in return for detailed information about the functional state of the body.

 

The FMS consists of a set of movement tests that require both mobility and stability. The movements bring the test subjects into positions in which qualified trainers can recognise weaknesses, imbalances, asymmetries and restrictions. 

It would help if you treated movements and exercise as opportunities to learn about yourself and to progress and improve at a pace that naturally ebbs and flows rather than one that's forced. This means progressing when you feel your movement quality is high, and the ease of the movement improves.

 

In other words, enjoy the journey! 

 

To be able to carry out the test quickly and efficiently, it is advisable to carry out the exercises in their specified order.

 • Exercise 1: Deep Squat

 • Exercise 2: Hurdle Step

 • Exercise 3: Inline lung (lunge)

 • Exercise 4: Shoulder Mobility

 • Exercise 5: Active Straight Leg Raise

 • Exercise 6: Trunk Stability Push-Up (push-up)

 • Exercise 7: Rotary Stability

Δημοσιεύθηκε στο Medical and tagged Medical, Thordis Berger, Functional training, Functional.