First off, I think we have to redefine functional exercise. It has become such a buzz phrase, and is so over-used, that it’s become practically worthless. It’s generally thought of now as a fancy collection of physioball and stretch band exercises. But my view is much different.
To me, functionality is simply the capacity to apply your exercise results to the demands of your life and sporting activities. How does your exercise program make you more able to fully embrace your life or excel in your sporting activities? Functional exercise is about being able to get down on the floor to play with your children without any aches, pains or heavy breathing. Functionality is the ability to take that jump shot without worrying about tweaking your back. So when it comes down to it, I don’t even consider myself as a fan of “functional exercise.” I believe that training should use whatever means work best to get the most out of everyday life, leisure activities and sport.
Training should be based on movement not muscle. A great coach Scott Sonnon, teaches us about Flow. You find your flow when you get out of your own way and can express yourself through your movement. In order to do that, you have to rid yourself of all the restrictive forces holding you back. Among these are tightness, angst, compressed joints and emotional hurdles. Then you must to build the driving forces required for high levels of performance. These consist of strength, proper movement patterns, mobility, etc. When you discover Flow, your movement, the other things come. Performance, health, weight loss and strength are born of movement.
Throughout the ages, our forefathers were full of health and vitality because they were constantly in motion. They weren't obliged “exercise” to stay healthy. We live in a completely different time, we need to simulate real-world movement to compensate for a sedentary lifestyle. The closer we can come to stimulating our bodies through “real-life” movement, the more healthy we will be and the more natural our bodies will look. That's were the concept of the Functional Physique came from.
There will always be room for mainstream exercise equipment and approaches. I think it’s a necessary component of overall exercise programming, especially in the beginning. After all, lifting heavy stuff in two-dimensions was a part of our evolution as well.
But I also think we need to take a lesson from the physical habits that preceded this time of cardio and weight machines. Throughout history, mobility, strenght, endurance, beautiful physiques and vitality were an integral part of primal forms of movement and activity.
Today's health enthusiasts can take learn from the past by seeking out things like bodyweight exercise, Clubbells®, sandbags, kettlebells, gymnastics rings, TRX, etc into their routines. These methods permit us to integrate strength and conditioning into a more usable forms. And to me, that's the definition of functional training. That is something that'll help me in my daily activities, in my leisure activities and in my sporting life.
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