Functional Training

Your Key to Amazing Fitness Results
By Jonathan Epstein

You’ve seen glimpses of it on CNN. It’s been featured recently on “The View.” Many experts believe it is the most important advancement in fitness in the past 25 years. So, what’s all the fuss about “Functional Training” anyway?

Functional training is an integrated approach to fitness and conditioning ~ a method designed to help you through every phase of your daily life. It originated in collegiate and professional sports training and does not focus on building big, bulky muscles. Instead, functional training seeks to create a lean and sculptured body that is well coordinated, beautifully symmetrical and capable of responding to every demand made of it by a healthy individual.

The method has evolved over the years through advancements made by exercise physiologists as well as by personal trainers. It is based upon lifestyle enhancement ~ the firm belief that everyone’s training program should be designed around making him or her better at whatever he or she does in life. This approach begins with the specific needs of each individual ~ his or her beginning fitness level, lifestyle, time constraints, personal goals, exercise preferences, and so on.

“With functional training, the goal is to involve multiple joints along multiple planes of motion to create an interdependency of muscles and joints ~ essentially making the ‘whole’ of the body stronger than the ‘sum’ of its parts,” explains Ann Crosby, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Family Fitness Centers. “By creating this kind of ‘unstable’ environment, such as with dumbbell presses on a stability ball in the bridge position, we excite the nervous system while engaging multiple muscle groups and stabilizing muscles simultaneously. The result is a tight, strong body that looks as good as it performs.”

Many well-know professional athletes have experienced amazing breakthroughs with Functional Training:

Curt Shilling, Boston Red Sox
Brett Farve, Green Bay Packers
Mia Hamm, US Women’s Soccer Team Captain
Tiger Woods, USPGA Tour Leader
James Blake, Pro Tennis Player

The next question is “How do I get started with functional training?” First, find a health club that has made the investment into specific Functional training equipment and has both a supportive atmosphere and a knowledgeable personal training staff. Look for the following equipment at your local club:

Medicine Balls
Dyno Discs
Balance Boards
Resistance Tubing or Cords
Stability Balls
Slide Boards

“Functional training helps people break through fitness plateaus and is also very motivational for new members to the club,” states Crosby.

Second, be very specific about your goals:

Why do you want to be in better shape?
What are your problem areas?
Are there specific activities, i.e. being able to play with your children longer, not getting so fatigued doing yard work, that have brought you to the personal trainer?

Be honest as possible with your trainer while you work together to develop a customized functional training program. Learn the exercises and get into a regular exercise schedule. Keep your eye “on the prize, “ and results are sure to follow.