The Functional Training foundations

PART i
TRAINING THE
FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS
www.functionaltraining.net

2003
•Medical Faculty - University of Turin
•Sport Medicine degree – University of
Glasgow
•Founder of Functional Training Academy
•CEO Functional Training Network
MAX ICARDI
1999

HEY YOU,
THERE...

Functional training methods are based on the principle of specificity.
All training must be for a purpose and be on valid principles. It is no good if you do not
know why you do things and are left wondering whether what you do will work. ALWAYS
DO THINGS FOR A REASON. Specificity actually exists on three fronts:
WHAT IS ‘FUNCTIONAL’ ?
Mechanical
Coordinative
Energetic

5
Zander machines - 1876 Life Fitness - anno 2000 Functional Training
EVOLUTION (?) OF FITNESS EQUIPMENT

ThefunctionAl pyraymid
What most athletes do!
What most athletes FORGET!
Sport specific
movements
Aerobic/anaerobic endurance – Max. Strength –
Strength endurance - Power – Speed...
7 basis movements – 3D movements – stability –
mobility - flexibility – coordination – balance ...

Squat Lunge Push Pull Bend Twisting Gait
THE 7 BASIS FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS

Joint stability
•the ability to maintain or control joint movement or
position. This is achieved by the synergistic actions of
the components of the joint (e.g., muscles, ligaments,
joint capsule) and the neuromuscular system, but
must never compromise joint mobility.
Joint mobility
•the range of uninhibited movement around a joint or
body segment. This is also achieved by the synergistic
actions of the joint components and neuromuscular
system, and also must never compromise joint
stability.
STABILITY AND MOBILITY

POSTURAL CORRECTIVE EXERCISE
BRAIN
MUSCLESLIGAMENTS
Factors influencing posture:
• Gravity (of course)
• Awkward working conditions
• Abnormal anatomy.
• Athletic challenges.

CLOSED KINETIC EXERCISES
These exercises are typically weight
bearing exercises, where an exerciser uses their
own body weight and/ or external weight. They
are also multi-joint movements, and are labelled
as being sport-specific movements.
Examples: Pushups, pullups, chin-ups ,chest dips,
tricep dips, squats, lunges, deadlifts…
EXERCISE CLASSIFICATION BY KINETIC CHAIN
OPEN KINETIC EXERCISES
These exercises are performed typically
where the arm or leg is free to move. These
exercises are typically non-weight bearing;
If there is any weight applied it is applied to
the distal portion of the limb. These types of
movements tend to isolate a single
muscle group and a single joint.
Examples: Arm curl, deltoid raises, bench
press, shoulder press

APPLICATIONS?

THE IMPORTANCE OFMOBILIZATION
Ankle
Hip
Thoracic spine
Shoulder 1 (Glenohumeral Joint)
Wrist

THE IMPORTANCE OFstabilization
Foot
Knee
Lumbar spine
Shoulder 2 ( AC, SC, and ST joint)
Elbow

EXAMPLES OF COMBINATIONS: ANIMAL FLOWS

Thankyou, thankyou very much!

POSTGRADUAAT ‘FUNCTIONAL TRAINER’ 2015-2016

PART ii
TRAINING THE
FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE

• The type of physiological demand placed on the
body will dictate the specific adaptation that will
occur
SPECIFICITY
• To continue seeing gains and improvements from
an exercise program, the program itself must
become increasingly more challenging.
PROGRESSION
• An above-normal stress applied to a system to
elicit an enhanced training responseOVERLOAD
• Once initial adaptations have occurred, without
regular stimulation the body will tend to go back
to the initial state.
REVERSIBILITY
• It is important that an athlete varies his /her
training to prevent boredom. Switch between
running and cycling for endurance, for example.
TEDIUM
(boredom)
THE 5 PRINCIPLESOF TRAINING: S.P.O.R.T.

# 1: SPECIFICITY
The more force that we are able to apply, in the least amount of time, the more power output
increases. This results in greater overall performance on the field, track, or court. In contrast, we can
see from the chart that peak force production, better defined as maximum/absolute strength requires
up to 0.8 sec in dynamic movements and 3+ seconds in isometric movements. This is much longer than
most sport demands allow. For example, force is only applied for 0.08 - 0.2 sec (80 – 200 ms) during the
ground support phase of running.

www.functionaltraining.be
80-180 msec
# 1: SPECIFICITY

#1:SPECIFICITY - APPLICATIONS
Although looking very ‘cool’, weighted vests must be
carefully used when training.
Weighted vests may enhance neuromuscular function
because of PAP in type 11 fibers but it must be noted that
excessive weight and volume may not produce these
same results.
Recommended max. extra load is 10% of body weight.
More than that and the biomechanics of movement will
be altered.

There is no question of the inherent value of
these exercises as a tool to raise explosive power,
but the method must be kept in context and
reconciled with the overall goal of the strength-
training program:
-athletes with long levers have big disadvantages
in technique
- fatigue can easily compromise technique and
increase the risk of injury
-dumbbells are a good alternative to the bar
(modification of the pulling movements to be
done in diagonal and rotational patterns). The
bar essentially locks you into the Sagittal plane
“Adapt the method to the athlete, not the athlete to the method.
Remember you are not training Olympic lifters; you are training athletes who use
the Olympic lifts and derivatives to raise explosive power.”

Functional
MOVEMENT
Functional
SKILL
Functional
PERFORMANCE

Training duration
• Training volume usually refers to the duration of
training (4 hours running, 300 km cycling, 1 hour
weight lifting…)
Training intensity
• Training intensity refers to how hard the training is:
heart rate, oxygen consumption, weight lifted,
power output, blood lactate concentration or RPE.
Training Frequency
• How often does the training occur (per day, per
week, per month...)
OVERLOAD

©Functional Training Academy | WWW.FUNCTIONALTRAINING.NET

example: Training Load = duration (min.) x frequency x intensity
TL = 60min x 3/week x RPM 8 = 1.440 units
TRAINING LOAD = Training Volume x Training Intensity
Training load becomes then an arbitrary number, expressed in units. In order to
make comparison between different sport activities.
Training Volume=
Training Duration x Training Frequency
is best expressed in MINUTES than for
example Kms or Kgs, per session, per
week, per month, per year...
Training Intensity could be expressed in:
%HRmax, lactate concentration, % 1RM,
Kcal/min, METs, RPE...
TRAININGLOAD CALCULATION

Research and anecdotal evidence have shown that each athlete has a different tolerance to training
load 1. For example, if two athletes complete the same training program, one may be able to tolerate
the training load, resulting in an improved performance, while the other may not tolerate the training
load, leading to an impaired performance.
1. Foster, C., Daines, E, Hector, L, Snyder, AC and Welsh, R,
(1996). Athletic performance in relation to training
load, Wis. Med. J. 95:370–4.
“Experienced triathletes are
able to tolerate training
loads up to 7200 units per
week whereas other trained
triathletes show signs of
over-training when their
training load is increased
to approximately 6000
units per week”
PRACTICALAPPLICATIONS

OFF-SEASON
•KINETIC ASSESSMENT
•MOBILITY EXERCISES
•RUNNING TECHNIQUE DRILLS

PRE - SEASON
•CORE STABILITY
•GENERAL FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH
•NEUROMUSCULAR ENDURANCE

COMPETITION
•SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH
•POWER
•ENDURANCE

Based on the Training Load principles, the Volume represents the hours of training
(per week, per month..) while the intensity can be for example measured with RPE.
VOLUME - INTENSITYRELATION

Maintaining a balance between training at a sufficient intensity or volume to generate
increased performance without leading to overtraining syndrome often requires that
coach and athlete work together to individualize a training program. Undertraining
and acute overload do not produce the desired performance improvement.
THE TRAININGRESPONSE

Assessing the right intensity of a training is a MUST for every coach. This, in
combination with the understanding of the concept ‘Training Load’ allows the
coach to stimolate progression of the performance without incurring in
overtraining.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind:
The INTENSITY of a training has to vary according to different
training periods (cfr. ‘Periodization in Functional Training’)
INTENSITY and VOLUME are inversely correlated in an efficient
training program
It is one of the functional trainer’s most important responsibility
to make sure the client is training at the right intensity

#4:REVERSIBILITY
Coordination appears to store in long-term motor memory and remains nearly perfect for
decades, particularly for continuous skills (e.g., cycling, swimming). Over time, strength,
endurance, and flexibility are lost, but athletes remember how to execute sport skills and
strategies. The challenge often concerns regaining precise timing after detraining. In
other words, the motor skill programs remain intact but the body's physical tools for
executing the programs become rusty and must be resharpened.

#5:TEDIUM

The Functional Training foundations

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