Functional Training: A Practical Definition

Despite what you may think, functional training is not about any exercise than can be performed on an unstable surface, such as a stability ball. Actually, most good functional exercises are really basic — and often surprisingly simple – using either bodyweight only, or some kind of external resistance. So — what makes a particular exercise functional, then? One popular definition is to say that functional training translates well to the activities of daily life. For example, the deadlift is a great exercise for making the lower back stronger, which in turn makes it easier for a person to lift a child or a suitcase. However, I believe that this is a limited way of viewing functional training, and that an even better way would be to make the connection from a specific exercise to a specific purpose.

OK, so what does this mean? Well, simply that different people have different needs and goals. For example, the specific training needs of a marathon runner would obviously differ significantly in comparison to those of a powerlifter. In both cases, the overall purpose is to enhance performance — but the specific purpose, e.g. running 42 kilometers as fast as possible, or lifting as much weight as possible — is very different.

Of course, even these very different specific purposes can share some commonalities. But my point is that functional training — although fairly easy to define on an overall level — will become substantially more complex when talking about the specific needs of individual athletes. When taking a closer look at possible commonalities, one might argue that certain exercises are universally applicable; in the sense that they are functional or beneficial for you regardless of your specific purpose. One might further argue that the squat and the deadlift are examples of such universal exercises.

However, if we broaden our perspective to include athletes such as wheelchair basketball players, we immediately realize that the squat wouldn’t be a very functional exercise in this case. We could of course exclude athletes with some kind of physical disability when trying to narrow down the area of universally functional training, but what would be the point of that? A wiser, more logical conclusion would be to simply realize that truly functional training always has to be defined and applied on the individual level. And although I am using the term athlete here, I’m not necessarily referring to professional athletes. Even if you’re training mainly to feel or look better, there always is a specific purpose to your training – a purpose that sometimes is clearly defined, and sometimes more vague.

So if there is no universally functional training, then is there such a thing as universally nonfunctional training? The short answer is of course — no. Instead of talking about functional and nonfunctional training as if these were two absolutes, we need to realize that it’s all about the specific purpose, and that this purpose should dictate the way we train. For example, chins may be regarded as a highly functional exercise by the wheelchair basketball player, while the marathon runner most likely would feel that doing this exercise would be a waste of time – or, in other words, nonfunctional.

So What About Beach Work?

What about training primarily for aesthetics? C’mon, that must really constitute nonfunctional training, right? Actually, I don’t think so. Again, if the specific purpose is what dictates the degree of functionality – which it is — you would naturally choose exercises that fulfills this purpose. I know, I know – advocating training for looks only is not the politically correct stance today. But if this is what motivates you and makes you go to the gym, I say go for it. And although some people just won’t admit it, we all want to look good naked. Don’t let anyone else set your goals or define your purpose for you.

Basically, the squat and the deadlift are really, really good exercises if you can perform them safely.  Personally, I squat about three times a week and deadlift about once a week. However, I sometimes do biceps curls as well — for aesthetic reasons. A couple of times a week I run intervals or perform some kind of GPP (General Physical Preparedness) drills. Combining heavy, full body movements with isolation exercises and GPP has proven to be the best combination for me in relation to my specific purpose. And although people advocating traditional functional training are saying that isolation exercises are unnecessary, that heavy full body movements are more functional (here we go again) as well as more effective in relation to aesthetics – I just don’t agree. For me, a combination gives me the best results. After over 25 years of training, I don’t just think it is the best combination for me, I know it is. Essentially, I do what is most functional for me without comparing myself to anyone else. Since I believe that everyone’s purpose is unique, any comparison with someone else simply wouldn’t be useful in evaluating my progress.

Conclusions

I believe that the most useful way of looking at functional training is to use a universal perspective. Using this perspective, my definition of functional training is as follows: Training that enhances performance in connection to an individual’s specific purpose. For this to make sense, we always need to make the connection to a specific purpose, which in turn always must be defined on the individual level. For me personally, this insight has freed me from the limited viewpoint of functional training as either to general or to sport specific. The general perspective seemed too general to be of any real use to me — and the overall message always seemed to boil down to do full body movements, without taking individual preferences or goals into account. The sport specific perspective is built on the opposite premise, and seemed too specific, too narrow for a nonprofessional athlete such as myself. The purpose of my training is not to enhance performance in any particular sport, but rather to enhance performance in the sport of life, if you will.

So, what’s the purpose of your training? If you don’t think you have one, think again. You may be more or less unaware of the purpose, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

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April 4, 2009 | Filed Under Etc, Training 

Comments

2 Responses to “Functional Training: A Practical Definition”

  1. Tania on April 12th, 2009 3:54 pm

    Hello,
    Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.

    Thank you
    Tania

  2. Per on April 21st, 2009 3:39 am

    Thanks,
    Glad you find it interesting.

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