What is functional training?

The term “functional training” has become popular in the sport and fitness industry. What does it mean to be “functional”? Well it is a training style which uses a variety of functional movements to target general physical fitness which the movements transfer into improving our everyday lives.

However, according to the research a skill is highly specific with very little crossover between the performances of skills even when they appear similar. For example., the idea that squats transfer into a better sitting position or box jumps make you a better basketball player. Instead, individuals should strengthen their muscles which are used in their everyday lives to enhance their day-to-day functions.

Gym goers should strengthen the muscles that are used to perform the specific movement in their sport in the most effective manner possible.

Think about this: A person good at tennis is told by a functional trainer that in order for them to get stronger, they should perform lunge rotations in their workout as tennis often involves lunging for the ball while hitting it through a rotation. But, in fact, the best and most effective way to strengthen a tennis player is to target the muscles involved in their sport which will involve using a torso rotation, leg extension or bicep curl.

Lunging and hitting a ball in tennis is a completely different motor-skill than lunge rotations as they require their own neuromuscular patterns.

Using a heavy baseball bat during practice will reduce the velocity of the swing when the athlete uses their normal bat in a game, as it's impossible to swing a heavy bat as fast as a normal bat, resulting in the athlete learning to slow the movement down and change his neuromuscular patterns accordingly.

Another key factor for “functional” training  is 'core stability, as a strong 'core' provides the base of support for movement and force generation. Coaches have used unstable surfaces (i.e. unilateral exercise, bosu ball squats) to train these muscles, however, they aren't necessary. Performing ‘core’ exercises on unstable surfaces/equipment will produce a strong ‘core’ ONLY in that exercise, NOT in the sport. This is because balance is non-transferable as there are different motor-skills involved.

The goal of any strength training workout should be to enhance muscle function, NOT cause INJURY. Yes, by performing a skill of a sport over and over again i.e., hitting the ball in baseball, playing the game of tennis or practicing shooting in basketball you will over time get better at that SPECIFIC skill.

Here is the bottom line: Skill cannot transfer. If you want to become better at your sport, simply 1) play your sport and learn the skill required and 2) strengthen the muscles involved to enhance your performance.