The term ‘functional training’ entered the fitness lexicon in the 1990s. However, the concept of functional training has been around since human existence. Functional training revolves around seven basic human movements: push, pull, squat, lunge, hinge, rotation and gait. The ability to do these efficiently allows you to carry out many activities with ease – from chores to sport and everything in between.
Human movement is the result of a complex synergy brought about by the coordination of the nervous and musculoskeletal system. These movements are mimicked during functional training which enhances the motor neuron connections, increasing muscle and bone strength along with muscle memory.
Human movement is the result of a complex synergy brought about by the coordination of the nervous and musculoskeletal system. These movements are mimicked during functional training which enhances the motor neuron connections, increasing muscle and bone strength along with muscle memory.
What is functional training?
While most workouts involve targeting, isolating and working on a specific muscle group, functional training uses exercises which mimic our daily movement. So, the focus is on multiple muscle group activation rather than isolation.
“Functional training uses the entire body as one multi-joint unit and involves the [participants] doing exercises that mimic our day-to-day activities like walking, lifting a water jar, pushing a sofa etc.,” says Suraj Ramesh, director, Fitness Horizon Functional Training Gym, Mumbai.
“A basic example would be the suitcase walk. So, if you are shopping groceries, then you carry the bags in both hands and walk a certain distance. When this is done as an exercise, then you either take a 5 or 10 kg kettlebell or dumbbell in your hands and walk a few metres for a specific duration.”
Nasir Kazi, a fitness and lifestyle expert from Mumbai, India, is quick to point out that it is not cross training.
“People confuse functional training with cross training, crossfit and calisthenics,” says Kazi, who runs KaziFitCourse, a fitness academy. “But they are not the same. It increases your efficiency of doing the easiest of the easy things in your house daily.”
Improving quality of life
Gurnit Singh Dua, CEO and founder of FSSA Council, Delhi, presents another aspect of functional training.
“Another definition of functional training could be exercises that help improve the quality of life of an individual or the performance of an athlete,” says Dua. “Deadlift, push-ups, plank series and all kinds of rowing in a gym setting are considered functional. Squats and lunges are also considered functional.”
It involves some exercises that are equipment free like squats, whereas a few exercises involve the use of props or equipment that makes the exercises more efficient.
“The props that are commonly used in functional training are kettlebells, TRX bands, different kinds of balls (like medicine balls, swiss ball, bosu ball etc.), tyres, hammers, cones etc.,” elaborates Kazi.
Functional strength training
Functional training and strength training have an indelible connection.
“There is a lot of confusion where people, general enthusiasts, trainers and even coaches think that strength training is different from functional training,” explains Dua. “Functionality can only be achieved when there is strength. The foundation is strength training. An example could be carrying some groceries and both sides being not symmetrical [asymmetrical]. So, if you want to be functional in life, you got to have strength. So, the concept is intertwined. The best way to explain is that strength training is the foundation for functional training or functionality.”
Kazi adds that building strength and functionality are complementary.
“By practising functional training, your strength and endurance increases over a period of time,” says Kazi. “Functional training increases your efficiency and strength training increases your strength. When I do a normal jump, its functional training, when the same thing is done using dumbbells it becomes strength training.”
Benefits of functional training
When the movements of exercises can sync with movements done in daily life, then doing daily tasks/activities becomes easier.
“It is very beneficial because along with the normal components of fitness, which is the cardiorespiratory health, flexibility, muscular strength, endurance and ideal body composition, it can also help improve the other skill related components of fitness such as speed, agility, power, static balance, dynamic balance, reaction time, coordination, proprioception and overall neuro-motor coordination,” says Dua.
Functional training works on the whole body while traditional weight training works on isolated muscles/muscle groups.
“Thus, as a result of training, the neuro-motor coordination is also improved,” adds Dua. “Here you’re also working on the small muscles, which traditionally do not get worked upon in normal gym setting or weight training. So, the smaller tendons, ligaments, connective tissues and joints become much stronger and as a result, someone who’s functionally fit can avoid injuries to himself or herself.”
It is also important for the elderly who tend to face difficulties with daily activities, making them dependent on others. A common problem is the decline of grip strength which is brought about by the weakening of the muscles involved. This creates difficulty in holding or lifting objects. Functional training can make a huge difference here.
A study published in 2014 by Liu, Cj., Shiroy, DM, Jones, LY et al., illustrates how progressive resistance strength training increases muscle strength but that need not translate to older adults explicitly learning how to transfer their strength to perform daily activities. Functional training, the study states, may be more beneficial for improving activities of daily life performance in older adults since it attempts to train muscles in coordinated, multiplanar movement patterns. It also incorporates multiple joints and dynamic tasks for the purpose of improving function.
Takeaways
- Functional training includes exercises which mimic daily movements, so that the daily activities can be done with more ease.
- The benefits of it include improved cardiorespiratory health, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance.
- It helps in improving other skill related components of fitness such as speed, agility, power, static balance, dynamic balance, reaction time, coordination, proprioception and overall neuro-motor coordination.
