Functional training

Functional training is a classification of

exercise which involves training the body
for the activities performed in daily life.

Origins
Functional training has its origins in
rehabilitation. Physical and occupational
therapists and chiropractors often use this
approach to retrain patients with
movement disorders. Interventions are
designed to incorporate task and context
specific practice in areas meaningful to
each patient, with an overall goal of
functional independence.[1] For example,
exercises that mimic what patients did at
home or work may be included in
treatment in order to help them return to
their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery.
Thus if a patient's job required repeatedly
heavy lifting, rehabilitation would be
targeted towards heavy lifting, if the
patient were a parent of young children, it
would be targeted towards moderate
lifting and endurance, and if the patient
were a marathon runner, training would be
targeted towards re-building endurance.
However, treatments are designed after
careful consideration of the patient’s
condition, what he or she would like to
achieve, and ensuring goals of treatment
are realistic and achievable.

Functional training attempts to adapt or

develop exercises which allow individuals
to perform the activities of daily life more
easily and without injuries.[2]

In the context of body building, functional

training involves mainly weight bearing
activities targeted at core muscles of the
abdomen and lower back. Fabio Martella
wrote that most fitness facilities have a
variety of weight training machines which
target and isolate specific muscles. As a
result, the movements do not necessarily
bear any relationship to the movements
people make in their regular activities or
sports.

In rehabilitation, training does not

necessarily have to involve weight bearing
activities, but can target any task or a
combination of tasks that a patient is
having difficulty with. Balance training, for
example, is often incorporated into a
patient’s treatment plan if it has been
impaired after injury or disease.
Evidence
Rehabilitation after stroke has evolved
over the past 15 years from conventional
treatment techniques to task specific
training techniques which involve training
of basic functions, skills and endurance
(muscular and cardiovascular).[3]
Functional training has been well
supported in evidenced based research for
rehabilitation of this population.[3][4][5] It
has been shown that task specific training
yields long-lasting cortical reorganization
which is specific to the areas of the brain
being used with each task.[5] Studies have
also shown that patients make larger
gains in functional tasks used in their
rehabilitation and since they are more
likely to continue practicing these tasks in
everyday living, better results during
follow-up are obtained.[3][4]

Equipment
Some options include:

Clubbells
Macebells
Cable machines
Barbells
Dumbbells
Medicine balls
Kettlebells
Bodyweight training
Physioballs (also called Swiss balls or
exercise balls)
Resistance tubes
Rocker and wobble boards
Whole Body Vibration equipment (also
called WBV or Acceleration Training)
Balance disks
Sandbags
Suspension system
Slideboard
Redcord
In rehabilitation however, equipment is
mainly chosen by its relevance to the
patient. In many cases equipment needs
are minimal and include things that are
familiar and useful to the patient.

Cable machines

Cable machines, also known as pulley

machines, are large upright machines,
either with a single pulley, or else a pulley
attached to both sides. They allow an
athlete to recruit all major muscle groups
while moving in multiple planes. Cable
machines also provide a smooth,
continuous action which reduces the need
for momentum to start repetitions, provide
a constant tension on the muscle, peak-
contraction is possible at the top of each
rep, a safe means of performing negative
repetitions, and a variety of attachments
that allow great flexibility in the exercises
performed and body parts targeted.

Components of a functional
exercise program
To be effective, a functional exercise
program should include a number of
different elements which can be adapted
to an individual's needs or goals:[3]
Based on functional tasks directed
toward everyday life activities.
Individualized – a training program
should be tailored to each individual.
Any program must be specific to the
goals of an individual, focusing on
meaningful tasks. It must also be
specific to the individual state of health,
including presence or history of injury.
An assessment should be performed to
help guide exercise selection and
training load.
Integrated – It should include a variety
of exercises that work on flexibility, core,
balance, strength and power, focusing
on multiple movement planes.
Progressive – Progressive training
steadily increases the difficulty of the
task.
Periodized – mainly by training with
distributed practice and varying the
tasks.
Repeated frequently.
Use of real life object manipulation.
Performed in context-specific
environments.
Feedback should be incorporated
following performance (self-feedback of
 success is used as well as
trainer/therapist feedback).

See also
Erwan Le Corre, trainer for a form of
functional movement for the general
population and athletes

References
1. O'Sullivan, Susan B. (2007). Physical
Therapy 5th Edition. glossary: F.A. Davis
Company. p. 1335. ISBN 0-8036-1247-8.
2. Cannone, Jesse. "Functional training" .
Retrieved 2007-08-26.
3. Timmermans, A. A; Spooren, A. I. F.;
Kingma, H.; Seleen, H. A. M. (2010).
"Influence of Task-Oriented Training Content
on Skilled Arm–Hand Performance in
Stroke: A Systematic Review". Neural
rehabilitation and neural repair. 24: 219–
224. doi:10.1177/1545968310368963 .
4. Blennerhassett, J. & Dite, W. (2004).
"Additional task-related practice improves
mobility and upper limb function early after
stroke: A randomised controlled trial".
Australian journal of physiotherapy. 50:
858–870.
5. "Upper extremity interventions" ,
Evidence-based review of stroke