Functional training is defined as “activity that trains movement” or the resistance to movement. Movement is defined as the ability to manipulate/control one’s center of gravity within or over a given base of support, in a given sensory environment.  Movement is what we do every day, whether it is our activities of daily living (ADL’s), our exercise class, or our sport. We move. How well we move or how well we control our movement depends on how well we train functionally.

Typical machine exercises you would do in a gym, for example, leg extension or military press, involve only two components of the kinetic chain – muscular and skeletal. They also typically include one plane of movement and only activate one muscle group . This is not how we move in daily life. We don’t move in one plane using only one muscle group. If I am performing a leg extension, do my quads get stronger?– Yes. Have I trained my body how to be stable? – NO. I am sitting on a bench. I don’t have to be stable; the bench is doing all the work for me! Am I mimicking motor patterns and motor skills in sport and everyday life? –No. However, if I stand on one leg, engage my core, keep my hips level, and perform a one legged squat while I lift a dumbbell from my opposite hip to an overhead press - I have now integrated the entire kinetic chain – lower body, core, and upper body. Does this movement mimic daily movement more closely? – yes. I am training my quad, gluts, hamstrings, lateral hip stabilizers, core muscles, and shoulders. We have to train the body systems to work together. Integrate, don’t isolate!

Three main factors determine how we move: skeletal system, muscular system, and neuromuscular system. These three systems combined are called the Kinetic Chain. The Kinetic Chain is the chain reaction within our bodies when an external force is applied. The Kinetic Chain is our lower extremities, our core (Power House), and our upper extremities. How they “communicate” or “integrate” is determined through training. From the time our foot hits the ground to the time it pushes off, we have a chain reaction that travels from our foot, to our knees, through our hips, to our core, up our spine, to our shoulders, and out through our upper extremities. How well we control that kinetic energy, that energy of movement, determines how well we perform in our sport. Remember, we are only as strong as our weakest link. So, we can train muscles, or we can train movement.

In our sport we want to be efficient. The least amount of excessive movement, the better. If I mimic motor patterns and train my body to be stable in the training room, I have a better chance of increasing neuromuscular coordination on the bike, or in the pool, or while I run. I want to train motor patterns, not just muscles.