I think it would be good to elaborate a little on the subject of functional training, which I briefly mentioned in my previous article...
I think it would be good to elaborate a little on the subject of functional training, which I briefly mentioned in my previous article. It would be good to clear up some misunderstandings that remain in our minds.
While some gyms or trainers who put huge functional training signs on their doors to increase the number of their members think that the job is done when they train independently of the machines, let's talk about the details of the subject.
Functional Approach
“Functional training, in its simplest terms, prepares the athlete for the branch of sports he/she plays. “Functional training does not mean preparing the athlete for another sport by using one sport” Michael Boyle
The above sentences were created by legendary trainer Michael Boyle, who left his mark on functional training. Even thinking deeply about these two sentences and generating ideas will help us understand functional training. The emergence of functional training also stems from the above-mentioned understanding.
Whether a competitive athlete or a team athlete, field training and strength training will differ. While the training on the field is strictly sports-oriented, strength training is focused on speed, stability, etc. It is done to improve certain features such as.
I will not give detailed information about strength training methods. My aim here is to talk about how to make strength training more functional.
When we think of strength training for athletes or team players (please do not confuse this with bodybuilding), it is the training of their muscles as required by the sport they play.
When we think of the pushing movement, the first option that comes to our mind is the bench press movement. Yes, you are right. This option, which has been used by athletes for a long time to increase their pushing force, also finds a place in functional training plans. However, when it comes to making the training more functional, experienced trainers use the push up exercise as an option on the days when the second push force will be trained. I'm talking about a type of push up movement performed with extra weight on an unstable surface. The training plan can be made more functional by adding a pushing exercise that can be performed more functionally, without completely abandoning the traditionally used pushing exercise.
A similar situation occurs in pulling exercises. For vertical pulling, chin up and its variations are used instead of lat pull down. Here, the weight requirement is again met by a weight vest. For horizontal pulling, exercises such as ring row are preferred. Weight vests can be used for the necessary intensity increase in any type of exercise. Some of the examples I have given here should not mean that traditional strength exercises have been completely abandoned. It is frequently used in exercises such as single arm dumbbell rows.
Exercises where stabilization is provided by the machine are not preferred. Theoretically, although machine-based exercises may cause fewer injuries during training, failure to use proprioreceptive perception (interoceptive feedback regarding position and movement) and lack of stabilization will cause more injuries during competition.
The aim of functional training is to make the athlete more adaptable for the activity in which he will participate, while adding functional type exercises to the program and thus training the athlete. In this way, the risk of injury is reduced and performance is increased during the activity.
During functional training, many different equipment can be used. A wide variety of equipment such as medicine balls, suspension straps, resistance bands, bosu balls, dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are used for the purpose.
What is Functional Training Not?
The person you see frequently on Google who stands on a pilates ball and tries to do squats with a lot of weight on his back is not doing a functional workout. This perception is unfortunately wrong. A similar image is also available above. A person is seen trying to do jump squats on a pilates ball, which is not a functional training content. I think these are a bit of fantasy. These are practices that are not based on a foundation created by people who have misunderstood the subject.
Just because we are doing functional training, it doesn't make sense to make people do Olympic lifting all the time when they don't need it. Once the person's goal has been properly analyzed, if the explosive power needs to be increased and his current condition is suitable for this, Olympic lifts can be taught. It would be better to have a person over a certain age use a medicine ball to teach explosive power. “Functionality is personal. An approach that improves the functional structure of one person may not work for another person. It should not be forgotten that this is the principle of individuality in its simplest form.” 2
There is a difference between doing fitness work with functional exercises and doing a functional workout. One uses functional exercises to slim or shape you, the other allows you to train with specific planning for performance goals.
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