Functional Training

If you are going to invest in a product and/or service, don’t you want to feel confident that your results will scream satisfaction???

Throughout my CONTINUING education, a term that is commonly reinforced through text and video is specificity.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine :

Specificity is the principle of training that states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce a training effect.

This is a key goal not only for trainers but servicemen and women of all kinds. To make this concept more relate-able I’ve included an example below!
…If I am a car salesman and you have a family of five I won’t have much luck selling you a Porsche will I?

Well, maybe I would but in terms of sensibility, return on investment etc. I think we could both agree that I wouldn’t. ;-)

How is a small sports car going to haul the gang around? Is it the safest vehicle I could recommend for you and your loved ones? NO.

As you can see, the two terms specificity and satisfaction go hand-in-hand.

Now back to Functional Training.

As a Wellness Trainer the majority of my clientele want to increase their quality of life. As they may want to gain strength in their legs, run a mile etc. after each consultation I try my best to guide them towards the concept of total body functional training. Whether they trust my opinion immediately or need to experience it first hand during their next training session, it never fails. They see the benefit in it. And so begins my prescription of functional workouts.

The concept behind functional exercise includes the use of many joints, tendons, muscle groups and metabolic systems; teaming up together delivering you the most bang for your buck! Sure we can focus on the chest, but with functional training no doubt your heart rate, shoulders, core and legs will engage as well :-) There really is no room for ISOLATION like there is with the use of machines. Functional training is meant to be FUNCTIONAL. We will make use of free weights…but we will do so while jumping, lunging or squating. Pick up what I’m laying down??

When in life are you going to lift something in a seated position, curling your bicep? (unless you are doing a 12oz curl…alcoholic beverage or not… he he) I’m not trying to give machines a bad rap…there is room for machine use with certain individuals. Football players for example. They power lift to gain STRONG muscles for their explosive movements on the field. They train specific to their sport. However, ask a football player who spends his time in the gym using machines and heavy weights to go balance on a bosu ball. Chances are his legs will shake uncontrollably. It’s the fact and science that lies behind training differences. More so specificity.