Professional Documents
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FITNESS?
by Leslie Stenger, M.S.
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sk five health and fitness professionals to define functional training, and it is
Apply It! very likely you’ll get five distinct and different definitions. Chances are
there’ll be some similarities, yet at the same time some interesting differ-
Functional training is a broad and ences. How can that be? Think about the factors that influence your re-
confusing concept because of the sponse when you are asked the question, “What is functional training?” It is
multitude of definitions and appli- one of the most misunderstood terms in the industry, and the reason is simple. The term
cations. The aim of this article is functional training originated in sports medicine and, more specifically, in rehabilitation
to: clinics. Early definitions focused on rehabilitation to enhance or develop the skills associ-
1) review the multitude of defini- ated with activities of daily living (ADLs) and, frequently, when working with older adults
tions for functional fitness from (1,2). Functional training then moved into the coaching arena through athletic training
respected health and fitness and followed into training facilities where athletes and average individuals were
professionals. exposed to a plethora of methods associated with functional training. According to
2) translate the complexities of DaSilva-Grigoletto et al., functionality from the perspective of the physical therapist is
functional fitness into context for based on a prescription of neuromuscular conditioning aimed at the development
practical application by health and and maintenance of ADLs (3). In this context, the desired outcome is rehabilitative
fitness professionals. in nature to restore function. Strength and conditioning coaches working with athletes
3) apply general programming use the term to reflect the type of programming that will enhance sport performance.
guidelines to the development of Personal trainers working with clients use the concept to reflect a variety of outcomes
a functional neuromotor program. such as enhanced movement patterns, motor skills, occupational skill, or improvement
Key words: Functional Training, in one or more fitness components (strength, cardiorespiratory, flexibility, muscular
Functional Movement, Functional endurance). The development of a functional training program starts by defining the
Exercise, Integrated Movement, desired outcome of the program rather than developing a program based upon a
Purpose-Driven Training packaged fitness assessment. This unique way of looking at a concept requires the
health and fitness professional to look at programming from a backward design, which
will be discussed later. Your perception (i.e., your experience, knowledge, and
education) and your specialization (i.e., personal trainer, exercise specialist, coach, etc.)
usually dictate your answer to the question “what is functional training?” No doubt,
your perception is the lens through which you view the concept of functional training.
Two fitness professionals could watch an individual perform a functional training
exercise and “see” the performance outcome differently, a perspective based on their
own experiences. These two factors, experience and specialization, influence how
functional training is individually defined.
There are two factors that influence your response when you are
asked to define functional training: your perception, which results
from experience, knowledge, and education, and your own
specialization in the field.
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
FUNCTIONAL FITNESS: DEFINITIONS AND TRENDS
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
TABLE 1: Functional Training From Key Health and Fitness Professionals
Professional Definition of Functional Training/Movement/Exercise(s) Specialization Web site
Mike Boyle (1) An exercise continuum involving balance and Strength and www.bodybyboyle.com
proprioception, performed with the feet on the conditioning
ground and without assistance of machines, such
that strength is displayed in unstable conditions
and body weight is managed in all movement planes.
Paul Check (24,25) Functional exercise is a means to an end by training Holistic health www.chekinstitute.com
movement patterns that are essential to your work educator
or sports environment. The program must consider
the desired outcome on all primary physiological
systems of the body while considering the emotional,
mental, and spiritual component of the human being.
Gray Cook (23) Patterns and sequences remain the preferred mode Physical therapy www.functionalmovment.com
of operation in biological organisms. Place the www.graycook.com
emphasis on movement patterns to let the body
parts develop naturally.
Vern Gambetta (26) Functional training involves more than working on Strength and www.gambetta.com
unstable surfaces and using stability balls and stretch conditioning
cords. It encompasses a range of method and
applications that aid in the transfer to training to
competition and is open to innovation. It involves
movement of multiple body parts in multiple planes.
Gary Gray (14) Function can be defined and applied by observing Physical therapy www.grayinstitute.com
the Physical, Biological, and Behavioral Sciences.
Therefore, function is scientific, yet it is also
individualized, similar to our fingerprints. What is
functional from one individual to the next may, more
often than not, differ.
Juan Carlos Santana (27) Functional training focuses on the movement Performance www.ihpfitness.com
function of the human body as classified by the specialist
four pillars of movement: locomotion, level changes,
pushing, pulling, and rotation. Train body movements
that are performed every day. A spectrum of
activities that condition the body consistent with
its integrated movement.
Nick Tumminello (13) Functional training is all about transfer into your Personal trainer www.nicktumminello.com
specific movement task and specific training goal
(i.e., the purpose of why you’re training). If the
exercise transfers positively into the target sport,
activity or physique goal you’re training for, it’s
functional.
“Functionality depends not only on the exercise itself but on There are two other terms that have very distinct definitions and
many other factors, such as the pattern of execution, the charac- should not be used interchangeably with functional training: correc-
teristics of the athlete, reps, and sets, the manner of execution, tive exercise and sport-specific training. Eric D’Agati, a Functional Move-
the phase of training, interaction with other training, the current ment Systems trainer, describes the difference by explaining
physical and mental state of the athlete, the overall training corrective exercises as being designed to correct an imbalance or
program, and several other variables” (6). dysfunction found in a movement. Whereas, functional exercises
Over the course of time, there have been many derivatives of reinforce the movement once the corrective exercise has been
the term functional training. Many definitions are used synony- applied (7). Mike Boyle describes sports-specific training as activities
mously because there are common terms and ideas within the that often mimic the exact skill associated with the sport. It may
definitions as reviewed in Table 2. incorporate exercises that are general in nature but will be used
Volume 22 | Number 6 www.acsm-healthfitness.org 37
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
FUNCTIONAL FITNESS: DEFINITIONS AND TRENDS
TABLE 1A: Common Reference to Functional Training
"Function is, essentially, purpose" -Mike Boyle-
"Train, not drain" -Paul Check-
"First Move Well–Then Move Often" -Gray Cook-
"Train Movements Not Muscles" -Vern Gambetta-
"Movement Follows the Path of Least Resistance" -Gary Gray-
"Functional Training is about movement not the machines or
equipment" -Juan Carlos Santana-
"Functional training is all about transfer into your training
goal(s)!" -Nick Tumminello-
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
resistance training, and neuromotor exercise training. There are specificity of training (SAID principle). Nick Tumminello,
very specific recommendations for program development of car- NSCA’s 2016 personal trainer of the year, explains that training
diorespiratory exercise and resistance training but very few studies for specificity focuses on improving specific adaptations that
that have evaluated the benefits of neuromotor exercise training, transfer into target movements. Training using squat variations
especially in younger adults. Therefore, the recommendations to improve vertical (squat) jump height is an example of a spe-
are stated as “unknown” for volume, pattern, and progression cific exercise (13). Gray describes the concept as “applied func-
of neuromotor or functional training. tional science” (14). In clear terms, the principle of specificity
explains the need to develop a program based on the defined
outcome (15–17). Gary Gray is a respected physical therapist
TRADITIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL TRAINING COMPARISON
and is often referred to as the “Father of Function.” Gray’s con-
Traditional progressive resistance training focuses on increasing cept of “applied functional science” focuses on the quality of
load/weight in a gradual manner with the purpose of strengthen- movement in developing a training program, a major paradigm
ing major muscle groups often for performance and/or aesthetics. shift in how training and exercise are perceived (18).
On the other hand, functional training focuses on enhancing the “Applied Functional Science is the convergence of Physical
quality of movement through training specific skills associated with Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Behavioral Sciences that con-
movement. Figure 1 demonstrates common differences between sists of the Principles-Strategies-Techniques process for functional
traditional and functional training. assessment, training and conditioning, rehabilitation, and injury
ACSM refers to functional training as neuromotor training prevention that is practical for any and all individuals regardless
and defines it as training that incorporates motor skills such as of age or ability” (14).
balance, coordination, gait, agility, and proprioceptive training
(8). Chiung-ju et al. describe functional training in a similar
manner. They view the concept as an attempt to train muscles Movement Literacy as an Art
in coordinated, multiplanar movement patterns and incorpo- Movement literacy implies that the health and fitness profes-
rate multiple joints, dynamic task, and consistent alterations sional not only has the theoretical knowledge of the body as a bi-
in the base of support for improved function (9). The link ological system but also understands how biology influences
between traditional and functional training is displayed within physical action and, finally, how to instruct the client, patient,
the evidence-based principles. Three common principles are and/or athlete to achieve the desired outcome. Simply put,
associated with resistance training: progressive overload, training functionally requires the body and mind to work to-
variation, and specificity (10–13). Progressive overload con- gether to link efficient movement patterns resulting in the de-
notes a gradual increase in load placed upon the body dur- fined outcome/goal. This places the burden on the health and
ing training over time. Variation, also referred to as fitness professional to assure that link occurs and requires a spe-
periodization, reflects a systematic manipulation of acute cific level of rapport between the health and fitness professional
program variables over time to promote various physical and client, patient, and/or athlete (12,14,19). Gray Cook, phys-
adaptations to the training. Specificity refers to designing ical therapist and co-creator of the Functional Movement
the program and selecting the exercises that will result in a Screen (FMS), describes this concept as movement literacy, the abil-
specific adaptation to a specific stimulus and is referred to as ity to read and write movement patterns (20). This requires the
the SAID principle or Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. professional to understand human movement within the body
The principle most closely associated with functional training is and how to develop programs to address specific movement pat-
terns with a major focus on the importance of instruction for
Figure 1. Traditional training compared with efficient movement to occur. Instruction addresses the ability
functional training. of the health and fitness professional to convey the information
in a way that each patient, client, and athlete can understand
how it will benefit them on a personal level. This ability to per-
sonalize instruction is referred to as the “art” of the profession.
Nobel-prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman, explains that
the key to success as an instructor “is to be able to explain the most
complex ideas in the simplest terms” (21). For example, agility is an im-
portant secondary fitness component for all individuals and an
experienced health and fitness professional (instructor) will be
able to define how agility is important to each patient, client,
and athlete. An older client may need to enhance agility to be
able to play with their grandchildren, whereas a basketball
player needs this skill to effectively defend their opponent or
control the ball on offense.
Volume 22 | Number 6 www.acsm-healthfitness.org 39
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
FUNCTIONAL FITNESS: DEFINITIONS AND TRENDS
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Figure 2. Functional training considerations (A,B,C,D).
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
FUNCTIONAL FITNESS: DEFINITIONS AND TRENDS
17. Haff GG, Triplett TN. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 4th ed.
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• Cook G. Movement: Functional Movement Systems. Santa Cruz (CA): On Target
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Web sites: companies to large hospital-based programs and understands the complexities
• http://www.bodybyboyle.com/
and rewards of working in both profit and nonprofit organizations.
• https://chekinstitute.com/
• https://www.functionalmovement.com/
• https://www.ihpfitness.com/
• https://www.grayinstitute.com/
• http://www.coreperformance.com/about/
• https://www.ptonthenet.com/ BRIDGING THE GAP
• http://nicktumminello.com/
Functional training requires the body and mind to work
together to link efficient and purposeful movement
patterns resulting in a defined outcome/goal. Creating
Leslie Stenger, M.S., is an assistant professor of that link is the responsibility of the health and fitness
Exercise Science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. professional and requires a specific level of rapport and
Leslie is an ACSM EP-C W, spinning instructor, and trust between the health and fitness professional and the
Pilates mat instructor. She has more than 25 years client, patient, and athlete. Health and fitness
of experience in the health and fitness club industry. professionals need to understand human movement,
She has worked in every segment of the industry including how to develop programs, and how to instruct individuals
corporate, community, clinical, public, and private clubs. to promote efficient and purposeful movement for the
She has gained experience from individually owned client, patient, and athlete.
Copyright © 2018 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.