Functional Training or Dysfunctional Training

Over the past decade the words Functional Training and Core Training have been the engines driving the fitness industry. Unfortunately, they have have been destroyed in the process. First,"Functional" is subjective. Functional for one person may not be so functional for the next. I will explain in more detail later on. Secondly, the core has been made synonymous with the Abs and 6 packs which completely devalue the purpose of core training. Sit-ups and Crunches can actually make your core worse off than it was if those aren't the core exercises your body needs!

Here is the scenario that makes me cringe and become nauseous. A so called trainer takes a client with balance issues and poor posture on to the gym floor for some functional training. First stop the BOSU ball next to a "functional" trainer for the circus show to begin. The poor person can't even relate to their body on ground and somehow putting this person on a ball to do some cable exercises is going to help. Well it would help if we lived our lives on air mattresses I guess.

Function relates to what is YOUR function. If you are working construction then your needs to function are different than the accountant. Now many of the moves may be similar for both, but the progressions and corrections for each will vary. Each of us have different issues. Dave the construction worker may have hamstrings that are so tight that his lower back is starting to feel pain and Sarah the accountant has such poor shoulder mobility that her neck is beginning to bother her. So functional training for Dave will begin with a focus on hamstring flexibility and Sarah will focus on Shoulder mobility. If you go into the Cookie commercial training world of Stability Balls, Bands, and the circus act without specifically focusing on your specific areas that need attention than all you are doing is adding to your specific dysfunction. If possible seek out a FMS (Functional Movement Specialist) Trainer. Even if you can't afford a trainer full time I strongly recommend getting screened so that you can focus on your specific needs. Too many times I see individuals hit the floor running at a gym, just to find themselves injured. Rest and Recovery are not the only answers. Fixing the issues are.

As for the Core......Let's play a game.

Which of the following muscles are part of the Core?

A) Multifidus (small spinal muscles too deep to see)
B) Gluteus Maximus ( The BOOTY)
C) The Hamstrings (Back of the Thighs)
D) The transverse Abdominus ( Deep ab muscles underneath the 6 pack)

The answer.... Yes

Many of the core videos we see on late nigh television do not address these muscles. They are full of sit-ups,crunches, bicycle kicks, and other abdominal moves. The part of this that is upsetting is that crunches, situps and other ab moves are not bad moves, but when done on a body that does not have muscles around the spine trained effectively or other imbalances worked out, these abdominal moves are a recipe for dysfunction, and back pain. The rectus abdominus (6-pack) attaches to the pelvis. If done excessively or on a weak body it will have the tendency to pull on the pelvis which can displace the hips. The Lower back muscles are also attached to the back side of the hips. So if a shift is caused in the hips it can directly effect the lower back.
Many clients come to me with hips that are uneven, hamstrings that are pulled as tight as guitar strings, and shoulders that are rounded forward. The first order is an effective flexibility plan. After flexibility issues are worked out, then stabilizing, strengthening, and conditioning can begin.

The Best Training Method

I get asked this question all the time. "Danny, what should I do to work out?" Well my first question is, what is your goal? If the answer is "tone up and lose the belly", I can honestly say that I could give you numerous answers. My favorite one, which I rarely use is but say it again over and over again in my head is "If you say toning you must mean get stronger and when you say a smaller belly then you must have to realize that your mouth is not a vacuum." Ok so now for the serious answer. First off, what are you willing to commit to reach your goal from a time and energy standpoint? If your answer is 2 to 3 hours per week, my answer is, there are a 168 hours per week, what do you plan to do with all the other time on your hands? I don't believe you need to work out 20 hours a week as that can be just as bad as not working out as all, but the main point Im getting at is where is your mindset over the rest of the time and have you committed 100% of yourself towards that goal. If you think that working out hard 3,4,or 5 times a week is the answer than you may be sorely disappointed with your results. Nutrition, sleep, and stress levels are also heavily involved in health and fitness. If you see where I am headed with this, it is about lifestyle. Its about changing your mind about how you live your life and what you think you can accomplish. It means to plan out your day for success and ask for help when you need it. A great quote I heard on successful nutrition came from a trainer friend of mine. He was talking to his client about eating and she was full of excuses and he looked at her and said " when I get my day going I don't start off not knowing what Im going to eat for the day." Simple to the point and real. As for the details of the nutritional plan there are numerous options and you should talk to a professional about which one is best for you. By the way the professional isn't the trainer you see at LA Fitness, sorry but anyone that makes $6 per session can't be professional. You will know a professional when you meet one. As for stress, don't expect weight loss if you are a bundle of nerves throughout your day. Stress releases nasty hormones that actually causes you to put on fat and waste muscle.

And if you need help with the workouts starting out slow and effective is fine and a tailored workout plan should really be made for everyone since no two people usually start at the same level.Working out should be challenging but not crippling. Any knuckle head at the gym can take you through a workout that makes you sore, but try hitting yourself with a hammer a few times. Sore doesn't always mean results. If you don't know where to start get the guidance of a Certified professional and do your research. Online research, referrals from friends, and good instincts will help you find a true professional for guidance. IF you feel like your being sold something that is too good to be true or you get that feeling that your being pushed in to something because they want to sell you so bad they are throwing in all sorts of free sessions you are probably in the wrong place.

This just came to me

In all of my years of training myself and others I have gone through many experiences. As I was reflecting tonight I summed it up in a few words.

There are many that exercise that fail to expand beyond goals wrapped up in narcissism and vanity alone. Yet there are those that choose the path that fully grasps the true beauty of the human body, training it with respect and purpose, which opens up a new experience of true strength and power that endures a lifetime.

My Journey in Fitness

I have been an athlete ever since I was walking. Dribbling a basketball at 2 years old was my first feat of athleticism(Well my dad says I tried to walk the day I was born, but I think that was more the words of a proud father). By age 6, I was in T-ball, soccer, and gymnastics. Throughout the years I continued my sports. By the time highschool came I stuck with Football and then fell in love with weight training. Basketball was fun hobby on the off season to stay conditioned and though football was my only "organized" sport I continued to stay active. Besides a small sabbatical at the age of 25 when I started a brief sales career, weight training has been a key aspect of my life.

I honestly think I did everything wrong from age 14 to 30. I can honestly pass some of the blame on my high school football coaches that glorified heavy lifting by 15 year olds, with no guidance on form and had everyone follow the same program year round. I have to say that the biggest benefit was the introduction to weights and a level of commitment that it ingrained in me to be consistent. I remember the frustration though as a young kid that I just wasn't getting any stronger. I failed to bench press more than 200 pound and squat more than 225 in high school. I was continually sore and trained to failure on each set. I wish I could tell you I learned my lesson after high school but it didn't. I continued to over train and spend little time resting between days of working out. If my chest wasn't sore it was a bench press day (I had to have a good max since I still cared what people though of my max bench). And of course the mentality of the more the better seemed to be my thought process.

Now, recently turning 35 I have had tons of time to reflect. I believe I have gone through numerous modalities of working out. Pseudo Body builder, Power lifting with no specific program, Crossfit, and my true passion Kettlebells. What I have realized is that so much of my workouts and training time have been wrapped up in my ego. In my earlier days I had to out bench everyone even if it meant destroying a shoulder that needed rest, which then led to nearly a year off of bench pressing due to injury. Then came the stages of Vanity. I would swear if I missed a workout I would get fat. Or if I allowed my body to rest for a week it would be a huge set back. Then came my stages of looking to be in elite conditioning focusing on high intensity anaerobic conditioning. My lesson came when my body completely broke down from over training because I had to beat everyone on how many rounds of a workout I did. That lesson came numerous times with days in bed with severe muscle spasms and fatigue. It really didn't matter what I did my mentality was, "if it's worth doing, it's worth over doing". All of the abuse lead to pretty nasty degenerative disc disease in my lower back that limited what I did athletically. I was living the definition of insanity. I kept doing the same thing(over training) and expected elite athletic status except injury after injury was the outcome.

As I keep down this path I am now able to view my workouts less like a workout and more like giving my body what it needs. And sometimes what my body needs is a day or a week of joint mobility drills and stretching even though the workouts I had planned was a day or a week heavy deadlifts and setting new PR's. This doesn't mean I don't set aggressive goals and program my workouts accordingly. I just answer to a different authority now and not my ego. Tuning in to my body is the greatest gift I have received, a gift that came from repeated breakdowns in my health and body. I encourage all that read this to tune in to your body, it is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Treat your workouts like giving your body what it needs rather than what you want it to achieve because you are a failure if you don't. I still workout like a madman and still push to the limits during training sessions at times, but it's based on what limits I have for that day. Yes I train hard, but each day doesn't have to be pushing my body past where it wants to go.