FILEX 2017 PRESENTER
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE :
FUNCTIONAL TRAINING
With no consensus on the actual meaning and requirements of ‘ functional ’ training , what does the research have to say on the matter ?
WORDS : DR MARK MCKEAN PhD
' F unctional training ’ is a term that certainly polarises people in our
industry . It seems like every fitness professional and strength coach has an opinion , as well as their own definition of what functional training actually means and what the activity might look like .
It started a few years ago with the move away from machine-based equipment towards a varied approach to training . While some opted to use ground-based equipment in which everything involved the individual standing or creating ground-based forces , others proposed a move towards multiplanar movements that help with connective tissue properties . Others still simply returned to old school lifts with barbells , kettlebells , battling ropes and Olympic lifts . A range of wonderful new ‘ functional ’ certification courses and training toys emerged , including balancing discs and balls , sandbags , weighted tubes and suspension straps .
The problem of defining ‘ function ’
The general trend has been for functional training to involve full body or multiple joints , with the person standing ; barefoot is often promoted as being equally or more effective than wearing training shoes ; using a device that adds load or complexity to the movement which has an emphasis on stability and loading and unloading of muscular and connective tissues through more than one plane . Of course , I mashed together this definition based on recent trends , and the reason I did so is because the true meaning of the term ‘ functional ’ has been lost or diluted over time . The original idea of functional training was to train the body to better execute the activities performed in daily life .
In reality , the term function varies between activity and between the joints and patterns involved . Some movements require functional stability and others require functional mobility . The problem with reviewing the research into functional training is that the term function has been used broadly to encompass a range of different training outcomes . In most cases , functional training involves exercises for flexibility , balance , core stability , and resistance training . So , in many cases , the typical program prescribed by any personal trainer could be called functional .
Multiplanar movements
Similarly , the term ‘ multiplanar ’ has a few different meanings . In the true sense , the term refers to movements that cross through more than one of the anatomical planes . Yet multiplanar has also been used to describe multi-directional lunges and hops ( Distefano et al . 2009 , Begalle et al . 2012 ), directional movements of the ankle ( Bunton et al . 1993 , Akuthota and Nadler , 2004 ), scapular directional changes ( McMullen et al . 2000 ), and directional motion of the knee ( Hewett , 2008 ).
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