FIT Labs: What is Functional Strength?

At CrossFit Hagerstown we not concerned about looking good or being able to squat 400 pounds in the Smith machine, we're about gaining functional strength. But some might still have questions such as- What is functional strength?

Hit the jump to find out why this is so important in our lives.

What is Functional Strength?

EXPLAINING FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation. Physical therapists developed exercises that mimicked what patients did at home or work in order to return to their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery. Thus if a patient's job required repeatedly heavy lifting, rehabilitation would be targeted towards heavy lifting, if the patient were a parent of young children, it would be targeted towards moderate lifting and endurance, and if the patient were a marathon runner, training would be targeted towards re-building endurance.

Functional training involves mainly weight bearing activities targeted at core muscles of the abdomen and lower back. This do to the fact that without core stabilization and properly developed muscles in the low back, injuries can occur with some of the most basic tasks.

But problem is that most fitness facilities have a variety of weight training machines which target and isolate specific muscles. As a result the movements do not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements people make in their regular activities or sports. Functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the activities of daily life more easily and without injuries. Each functional training might be different depending on the athletes goals and level of fitness. It takes a experienced trainer with the ability to analysis and effectively adapt the strength and conditioning program that makes the biggest impact for the athlete.

Benefits

Functional training may lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an individual's performance in a sport. The benefits may arise from the use of training that emphasizes the body's natural ability to move in six degrees of freedom. In comparison, though machines appears to be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury. Since most machines move in the saggital, frontal or transverse planes which isolates real life movements, most machines are bulky machines that have very little value for real life strength gains and goals.

Research shows very substantial gains and benefits in the functional training group over fixed training equipment. Functional users have a 58% greater increase in strength over the fixed-form exercisers. The improvements in balance are 196% higher over fixed exercises and report show an overall decrease in joint pain by 30%

Functional training for sports

Many athletes equate strength training with bodybuilding; accordingly, individuals involved in endurance or flexibility-based sports do not strength train for fear of gaining too much bulk and losing flexibility, or mimic the training of bodybuilders without adapting workouts to their specific sports. As a result, training can lack the performance benefits that proper functional training could provide.*

WOE (Weak of Emphasis)- Stability

Why is Stability important? Mobility is very very important to perform a movement or technique but just as important, if not more important is stability in order to maintain the posture throughout the movement. This is important because without it rate of injury dramatically increases doing the movement. (More of this on Wednesday).

Strength-

Bulgarian Split Squats- 4X8,8,8,6. Alternating sets in rack position with dumbbells and barbell.

Notes: First work on ROM for the split squat without weights, then progress to dumbbells and pay close attention to tracking of the leg and position of the patella (kneecap) when descending into the squat. Question for readers: Why is it so important to have proper tracking of the patella during movement patterns?

2.10.14 WOD for CrossFit Hagerstown

20 Burpees

-Then-

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Goblet Squats

Dumbbell Swings

Time:

Right after WOD follow with consistent jump roping for 5 minutes 65-70% max effort

References-

1. ^ O'Sullivan, Susan B. (2007). Physical Therapy 5th Edition. glossary: F.A. Davis Company. p. 1335. ISBN 0-8036-1247-8.

2. Jump up^ Cannone, Jesse. "Functional training". Retrieved 2007-08-26.