Functional Training

Ahh, functional training, the vague and misused term used to describe odd and sometimes bizarre exercise variations. Traditional exercise modalities like barbell training often get unfairly labeled as “non-functional” for whatever reason, and instead, bands, balls, weird positions, and single-leg/arm exercise concoctions are somehow deemed more “functional”. Let me first state that I am not against any of these modalities for the right person when it is specifically needed, however, this phraseology is generally a marketing ploy to paint a new exercise or way of training as superior to what everyone else is doing. They often do little to improve someone’s function compared to other forms of exercise, including barbell training. 

Often when a “functional” exercise is performed by someone who has never done it before they tend to struggle and fail to execute it properly, which is then used as evidence that they are lacking function and this exercise is the cure! When in fact this phenomenon is likely due to the fact that the movement is a novel stimulus and the body doesn’t have the motor control and/or kinesthetic awareness to perform it properly. But if given enough time to practice, the individual will probably be able to learn the movement just fine.

This instead highlights the Principle of Specificity or SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands). Meaning you get better at performing things you repeatedly do, so if you’ve never attempted a certain movement before, of course you will struggle, and the person who did it for years will look more “functional”. Conversely, when a person struggles with a particular movement it could mean they are lacking in one or more physical capacities (i.e., strength, flexibility, stamina) and with a well-rounded training program (focused on improving their overall fitness) they will probably improve their performance in that particular movement, rather than a specific exercise having unique benefits over other exercises.

As an example, when someone learns to ride a bike, they are wobbly and can’t do it, but given sufficient practice, they can ride a bike no problem. That doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t “functional” before learning to ride a bike, they just didn’t have that skill set ingrained in their nervous system. Thus, most of these functional exercises are difficult to perform due to the fact that they are unique movement skills the person needs to learn, rather than being a superior exercise to improve someone’s overall function.

Functional Training actually means any exercise which involves training the body for the activities performed in daily life. Get it? Functional just means being able to perform normal daily tasks unhindered, everything else is just a skill. So what activities do people generally need to do in everyday life...bend over, sit down onto things, stand back up off of things, go up and downstairs, carry objects, put things up onto high shelves, etc. Sounds a lot like squatting, deadlifting and various pressing movements...hmm...maybe basic barbell exercises are more functional than we thought? As an example, what is going to be more similar and transferable to an older lady trying to put a heavy box up on top of a high shelf? Sitting on an exercise ball and doing side laterals with 3 lb dumbbells, or learning how to press a heavy barbell overhead with a strong and stable trunk. The latter will actually improve her “function” for everyday life and will have more carryover (read: General Strength) to other activities. 

For the vast majority of individuals, the most important functional capacity you need to improve is muscular strength. Every other physical quality (i.e., balance, power, speed, etc) is predicated on how strong your muscles are. So really, doing the basic barbell lifts to improve full-body muscular strength (and lean muscle tissue) is the most functional thing you can do [1]. Again, this isn’t to say other forms of exercise won’t develop strength, but to frame barbell training as non-functional is incorrect. Now, if you really want to be able to jump onto an exercise ball and balance to impress your friends, or do some other fancy type of exercise, go for it, but realize it isn’t any more functional than any other movement, and that it is actually you developing a specific skill set rather than a unique training tool you must do to become more functional (no matter how jacked the guy in the Instagram ad is!).

The point is, just because something is called a functional exercise, doesn’t mean it actually is, and barbell exercises and their variations are much more functional than people think.

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Notes:

[1] Now if you are a young or competitive athlete, you definitely need exposure to a wide variety of different movement skills (i.e., multi-sport, running, jumping, throwing, etc.) to improve your athletic abilities. A broad base of different movement skills is key to being the best athlete you can be.