Introduction to Functional Strength Training

In many respects, functional strength training should be thought of in terms of a movement continuum. As humans, we perform a wide range of movement activities, such as walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, climbing and lunging. All of these activities involve smooth, rhythmic motions in the three cardinal planes of movement-sagital, frontal and transverse.

Training to improve functional strength involves more than simply increasing the force-producing capability of a muscle or group of muscles. Rather, it requires training to enhance the coordinated working relationship between the nervous and muscular systems.

Functional strength training involves performing work against resistance in such a manner that the improvements in strength directly enhance the performance of movements so that an individual’s activities of daily living are easier to perform. Simply stated, the primary goal of functional training is to transfer the improvements in strength achieved in one movement to enhancing the performance of another movement by affecting the entire neuromuscular system.

In functional training, it is as critical to train the specific movement as it is to train the muscles involved in the movement. The brain, which controls muscular movement, thinks in terms of whole motions, not individual muscles.

Exercises that isolate joints and muscles are training muscles, not movements, which results in less functional improvement. For example, squats will have a greater “transfer effect” on improving an individual’s ability to rise from a sofa than knee extensions.

For strength exercises to effectively transfer to other movements, several components of the training movement need to be similar to the actual performance movement. This includes coordination, types of muscular contractions (concentric, eccentric, isometric), speed of movement and range of motion.

Each individual component of the training movement must be viewed as only a single element of the entire movement. The exercises with the highest transfer effect are those that are essentially similar to the actual movement or activity in all four components. It is important to note, however, that individuals cannot become expert at a particular movement or activity by training only with similar movements. For optimal results, repeated practice of the precise movement is required.

Exercises performed on most traditional machines tend to be on the low-end of the functional-training continuum because they isolate muscles in a stabilized, controlled environment. While it may be true that traditional, machine-based exercises are not the best way to transfer performance from the weight room to the real world, it does not mean that such exercises should not be a part of a training program.

For example, “non-functional,” single-joint exercise can play a critical role in helping to strengthen a “weak link” that a person may have to restore proper muscle balance. Furthermore, doing such an exercise can allow an individual to more safely and effectively participate in functional-training activities while also reducing the risk of injury.

In the final analysis, it must be remembered that functional training is not an all-or-nothing concept. A continuum of functionality exists. The only entirely functional exercise is the actual activity one is training for.

Accordingly, individuals shouldn’t rely on any single group of exercises. Individuals should use all the weapons in their training arsenal. Functional strength training should serve as a supplement to traditional strength training, not as a replacement.

Properly applied, functional strength training may provide exercise variety and additional training benefits that more directly transfer improvements to real-life activities.

Components of the Effective Functional Strength Training

Coordination: Coordination refers to the athlete’s ability to coordinate the timing of contraction of all the muscles involved in the movement. For most ADLs and sport, the entire body must be coordinated to successfully perform the movement. Strength training for isolated muscle groups may not be the most effective way of increasing functional ability because of the lack of coordination training involved in isolated exercises.

For the improvements in a strength exercise to transfer, all body parts involved in the goal movement must be trained to coordinate in the movement. If you want to train the shoulders for an activity such as reaching for items in a cabinet above the head, the training has to be done standing so the legs and trunk muscles are taught to coordinate their contractions with the shoulder muscles. This is a more effective way to train for this activity than a seated exercise, such as the overhead shoulder press.

Range of motion: In general, it has been accepted that gains in muscle strength are greatest in the range of motion (ROM) through which the exercise was performed. Intuitively, then, for strength gains to transfer to another movement, the training must include a range of motion equal to or greater than the goal ROM. During training, each joint involved in the movement should progress through the same ROM as the goal movement.

Type of contraction: Also important to transfer is training which uses the same type of muscle contraction. Isotonic and isokinetic training transfer best to activities that utilize the same type of contractions. Because it is theorized that the motor control mechanism for eccentric contractions may significantly differ from those of concentric contractions, transfer may not occur here. However, it is important to use concentric (shortening), eccentric (lengthening) and isometric (stabilizing) contractions during training specific to the demands of the goal activity.

Speed of movement: Strength will transfer best to movements that are performed at the same speed as that at which the strength was gained. Research indicates that training at high speeds improves performance on dynamic movements, such as a vertical jump, better than training at slow speeds. Differences between the timing of a training movement to a goal movement are detrimental to transfer and may result in negative transfer or a decline in performance of the goal movement.

Flexibility: It is a proven fact that the more flexible the muscle, the better it is able to perform in a wide variety of activities. Our lives and daily functions are not perfect, therefore, the same activity is usually performed a little differently every time. For instance walking up and down the stairs one day you have a backpack, the next day you are carrying a couple of bags, one day you are in a hurry, …etc. Although it is the same step-after-step function, it will be performed at different angles, with different energetic levels, resistance, and stress. A flexible muscle is able to better adjust to the new environment and fully engage in the activity.

Activation/Engagement of Proper Muscles: So many injuries happen because athletes and regular people on daily basis do not properly implement particular activities. Functional strength training must focus on teaching your body how to correctly perform certain activities, and by using muscle memory memorize the proper functions and muscle engagement.

Motor Skills: I see this issue many times with people trying an arm bicycle with Bison-1, what seems to be a very simple exercise; many have a problem implementing it. What is the problem? Well, have you ever tried doing a certain activity, that just feels awkward and unnatural, but then your friend does it perfectly fine? This is a sign of the underdeveloped motor apparatus responsible for that type of activity. This is usually related to activities we rarely perform, thus, our body and neuromuscular system gets confused and does not know how to perform it. Beginning athletes deal a lot with issues like that, trying to teach their bodies new types of activities. Functional strength training prepares your body for a maximum range of possible activities, so when time comes, you do not hesitate, which very frequently helps you avoid injuries.

Functional Strength Training Main Focus

Balance: functional strength training focuses on efficient completion of a wide variety our daily activities. Having said so, strength training must account for times when things do not go right and as planned. For instance how will our body respond to a trip over a tree root at the end of the running trail? Training for better balance will not only keep you on your feet, but will help your body recognize the familiar feeling of lack of balance and quickly recover.

Core Strength: No matter how you look at any activity throughout our daily lives, our core is what is involved in any one of those, thus core exercising must be involved in any functional strength training routine.

Reaction: by purely practicing action strength we seem to ignore the opposite forces of reaction. In functional strength training it is very important to be able to quickly react to obstacles in order to avoid injury, therefore, speed and reaction trainings must be included as well.

Tendon Strength and Flexibility: for more information on the tendon strength, check out the Isometric Training Exposed article on our blog. Tendon strength is vital in order to be able to engage all of the muscle tissue, while its flexibility will allow wider range and amplitude of movements, as well as prevent injuries.

Who is Functional Strength Training for?

Well, I want to say everyone! Why? Simply because it helps us live better lives by avoiding injuries, keeping our bodies healthy, delivering a constant amount of so needed physical activity to our bodies, as well as simply performing us to function better on daily basis. For athletes, whether you are a gymnast, fighter, swimmer, runner…etc. functional strength training is a sure way to the top. Functional strength training will also help you perform better at your job: not only it is good for obviously physically demanding occupations like firefighters, police, soldiers…etc. even office workers are able to benefit from it. Tests have shown that people in a better physical health rarely have mental breakdowns, are generally in a better mood, thus, are able to better communicate and interact with other coworkers or clients. Physically healthy businessmen simply shine their energy in front of clients! Japanese businesses, after discovering the effect of strength training on job performance, have actually started integrating physical exercises into their daily jobs.

Finally, seniors are the people that can benefit from the functional strength training the most. By the age of 60-65 an average elderly person loses about 80% of their strength, resulting in enormous amounts of injuries, from pulling muscles trying to pick up heavy weights, that used to seem easy to lift, having frequent fatigue attacks, ending with frequent falls.

Conclusion on Functional Strength Training

There is a lot of hype currently about functional strength training, and there is a good reason for that. Functional strength training creates better athletes, decreases injuries, allows us to perform better at work and during our daily activities; it simply makes our lives better! I would say that is a pretty good reason to get anyone’s attention, wouldn’t you?

In this article we will look at the alternatives and additions to basic generically accepted forearm workouts with dumbbells and barbells in forearm strength training. Please read the previous posts of the Forearm Targeted Muscle Training series before reading this. As we proved in the Insufficiency of Dumbbells and Barbells article, generically accepted workouts have become very insufficient and ineffective compared to the new forearm strength training techniques, created by the revolution in the human bio-mechanics and kinesiology fields, in turn leading to the revolution in the exercise equipment industry. So what alternatives do currently have for the forearm and wrist strength training?

Sounds pretty simple, right? All we have to do is to Google “forearm equipment”, hit Search, and voila! – we now have thousands of alternatives in front of us. However, here is the problem, let’s go back to our previous article and review the reasons for the conclusion that barbells and dumbbells were inefficient? Here are the reasons:

• The workout motion is restricted to two dimensions: up and down, left and right
• Such exercises only engage the major muscles, not even whole muscle groups, leaving some neglected
• For each up motion, there is always a down motion, which does not work the muscles needed, and is simply a waste of energy. Think of this, 50% of the workout is wasted to pointless returning motions!
• The forearm training with machines, or barbells and dumbbells, does not require engagement of secondary and deeper muscles in order to balance the forearm and wrist, as there is no need with dumbbells (due to the  same weight on both ends and simplistic bidirectional movement) , and there is almost always a restriction of the amplitude of a workout motion by a machine
• It is very hard, or often impossible to implement exercises in uncomfortable and unusual positions, as behind the back, or in multiple dimensions. Exercising in unusual multidimensional positions engages the deeper and secondary muscles that not only enhance the forearm and wrist control, but allow for much further general forearm muscle group development

Now let’s look at the results in Google. What do we see? – modernized, changed around, overcomplicated, underdeveloped equipment, that still has the same effect as dumbbells and barbells, and some even less. The problem with most of the forearm equipment currently advertised is that it still has all or most of the disadvantages of dumbbells and barbells! Once again review the list above, then go ahead and analyze some of the results you will find on Google against it. Yes, some of the newer equipment is sometimes more portable, lighter, allows for a more flexible training environment, but at the end of the day they are the same as dumbbells and barbells for forearm strength training, they are just as inefficient and ineffective. The reason that you are looking to train your forearms is not because you have nothing to do on your breaks at work, it is also not because it looks good, or fits in your suitcase, – it is the amount of strength, mass, definition, or endurance gained over a given period of time. Therefore, we will go ahead and eliminate about almost every search result for that query in Google, because most of them fit the description in the list above.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for forearm equipment that can accommodate the Targeted Forearm Muscle Training technique for strength workouts; we are looking for equipment that will allow working on deeper smaller secondary muscles. What would fit such profile? – Any equipment that –

• allow more movement freedom, preferably in all three dimensions,
• an adequate amount of resistance,
• an easy and gradualwide range of load adjustment
• ability to perform exercises unusual for humans, for instance with hands behind the back (remember the equipment cannot be too heavy, so our other arm or shoulder muscles don’t give up before we fully load the forearms)
  

  Figure 1. Indian Clubs

• portable (least important)

Now we can narrow our results down to only four pieces/categories of equipment:

• Bison-1
• Gyro DynaBall
• Indian Clubs
• Older obsolete equipment: pirate, captain’s wheel…etc.

Let’s review our leaders in forearm strength training separately:

1.    Pirate, Captain’s Wheel, and other pieces of older equipment are now very hard to get. Although they provide ability for free forearm and wrist movements, wide range of load adjustment, as well as ability to perform unusual for humans movements, we will drop them simply because you will not be likely to find one of those around anymore.

2.    Indian Clubs represent an excellent alternative because they provide freedom of wrist movements and ability to perform exercises in front, above head, behind the back…etc. However, here are the disadvantages:

Figure 2. Gyro DynaBall

a.    Lack of resistance adjustment

b.    Not enough resistance for further muscle strength development

Verdict: great for beginners, somewhat hard to find, but easy to simulate them yourself, just go to the Home Depot and pick up a couple of poles of similar sizes.

3.     Gyro DynaBall is a step closer to our goal: it is allows for three dimensional wrist movements, ability to perform unusual exercises, very portable; however, it still has many disadvantages. Similar to the Indian clubs, there is no resistance adjustment (you can try spinning faster, however, that works endurance rather than strength), the load is very minimal compared to other alternatives, very short development range for muscle strength.

Verdict: DynaBall is a great piece of equipment for beginners, or athletes focusing on beginning forearm endurance development. Advanced strength training is not possible due to low resistance levels with the lack of its adjustment.

Figure 3. Bison-1 Forearm Strength Equipment Leader.

4.     You can read the detailed description of Bison-1 on our Forearm Equipment Description Page; therefore we will not spend much time talking about it, and will only stress the major points. It seems to be the only exercise equipment currently on market that ideally represents the Targeted Forearm Strength Training model: all directional movement by simulating natural human movements, ability to practically go from no resistance to almost a dead lock, gradual and continuous resistance adjustment capabilities, allowance to perform unusual exercises, and great portability.

Verdict: Bison-1 is ideal for forearm strength training, as it incorporates all the elements of the Targeted Forearm Training model.

We did a thorough research into the equipment offered on the market. Some equipment we found did not have demonstrations on use, thus, was ignored; please feel free to correct us, if we have    missed any. In the next article we will discuss the grip and overall wrist strength training.

Targeted Forearm Muscle Training – workouts with a focus on particular forearm muscles, not muscle groups, aimed at strength training of particular movements, or functional strength, as well as more advanced muscle mass and definition. Targeted forearm muscle training has proven to be several times more effective than generally accepted training with dumbbells and barbells.

Insufficiency of Generally Accepted Dumbbell and Barbell Workouts

It is very hard to train deeper forearm muscles with dumbbells.

Almost everyone who works out forearms uses generally accepted exercises with dumbbells and barbells. This forearm muscle workout approach seemed to have been effective over time, and became so accustomed to, that most athletes stopped looking for other ways of forearm training. There are a few reasons why dumbbell and barbell exercises became so widely accepted:

• Unfortunately, that is all that most of the gyms and sports clubs currently offer
• Cost of ownership – anyone can pickup a pair of dumbbells in almost any sports section of any store for cheap
• Ease of integration – such workouts are very easy to integrate into your workout routine for the rest of the body
• Everyone is doing it – peer pressure causes the lack of interest in research of other alternatives
• “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” – the false conservative assumption of the “old school” workout theories carried out to nowadays

Nowadays, with the development advances in technology, kinesiology, and biomechanics we learned much more about the motor abilities of our forearms, as well as muscle development. This is a new age of muscle training, – more specific, focused, and functional; this revolution is changing the whole world of workout equipment. Although barbells and dumbbells are not going away, athletes are starting to ask questions, – Why are there only three general workouts for over 20 muscles of forearms? Are we underestimating the true forearm strength? What can we do to take the strength, mass, and definition forearm building training to the next level? When I play baseball or golf, seems like the muscles engaged are completely different from what I work on at the gym…why? Here is some truth about the dumbbell and barbell, or even machine, forearm workouts:

• The workout motion is restricted to two dimensions: up and down, left and right
• Such exercises only engage the major muscles, not even whole muscle groups, leaving some neglected
• For each up motion, there is always a down motion, which does not work the muscles needed, and is simply a waste of energy. Think of this, 50% of the workout is wasted to pointless returning motions!
• The forearm training with machines, or barbells and dumbbells, does not require engagement of secondary and deeper muscles in order to balance the forearm and wrist, as there is no need with dumbbells (due to the  same weight on both ends and simplistic bidirectional movement) , and there is almost always a restriction of the amplitude of a workout motion by a machine
• It is very hard, or often impossible to implement exercises in uncomfortable and unusual positions, as behind the back, or in multiple dimensions. Exercising in unusual multidimensional positions engages the deeper and secondary muscles that not only enhance the forearm and wrist control, but allow for much further general forearm muscle group development

It is possible to train some of the deeper and secondary forearm muscles with dumbbells and barbells, like wrist and forearm rotations, forearm curls behind the back, moving the wrist to the right or left, while doing curls. However, the number of such exercises is very minimal and restricted by the muscle imbalance in the upper body. Forearms usually have much higher endurance and tendon strength levels than other arm muscles, therefore, will cause the arm muscles to give up before a full forearm workout.

In order to train your forearms with a functional strength training approach, you must exercise them from different angles, along the full length of the muscle, you must flex it, use isometric training, as well as stretch it. Only when all these functions are included in a forearm workout, it can be sufficient for true functional strength training.  The facts remain facts, dumbbell and barbell forearm, or any muscle workouts where the motion is restricted to bidirectional amplitude are very insufficient for functional strength training.

Gaining Forearm and Wrist Control

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, arthritis, muscle imbalance, pains and injuries in forearms are, in almost all cases, results of improper forearm and wrist “training” whether it is typing, driving, or workouts at the gym. Here are the causes of most of all problems related to wrists and forearms: muscle imbalance in flexors and extensors of the forearm muscles, weak and neglected deeper and secondary muscles, weak tendons, and inflexible muscles. Have you ever played that game of trying to bend the middle finger in the knuckle joint without bending the ring and index ones? Why is it so hard to do?

Gaining better control of our forearms improves reaction and may save lives.

On daily basis, our fingers, wrists, and forearms got used to only a very limited set of simple motions, resulting in the unhealthy muscle imbalance, causing other issues discussed above. Homan forearms include over 20 different muscles, and are intended for a much wider variety of motions; therefore, such variety is also needed in order to keep a better control of the forearms and wrists, which in turn will increase their resistance to injuries.

So what exercises are we talking about here? We are now looking for workouts for deeper and secondary muscles of flexors, extensors, and brachioradialis:

• Isometric exercises
• Wrist and forearm rotating workouts
• Exercises in different starting positions (forearm curls in front, above head, by the hips, and behind the back)

Remember, the more uncomfortable is the exercise (forearm curls with arms behind the back) – the more it works the neglected muscles, while also stretching the overworked groups. The reason the exercises will seem awkward is simply because of the underworked deeper muscles; as they start to develop, such exercises will become much easier and feel more natural. After a few weeks of working on the deeper muscles, you will feel a very noticeable increase in the control of your hands and forearms while driving, handshaking, picking up, carrying, and putting things down. You will be surprised how big of a difference developed deeper muscles make. The strength gained is very frequently referred to as functional strength.

In the next article of the Targeted Forearm Muscle Training series, we will look at the alternatives to barbells and dumbbells in forearm training.

We must understand that even with our busy schedules, our health is most important, and strength training, even in moderate amounts, is very important for our happiness, good health, and overall well being.

Physical strength is very important for humans as physical beings; especially important is our upper-body strength, as it is mostly used in our daily functions as typing on a computer, driving, proper posture support…etc. Upper-body strength also guards your whole body from injuries like muscle pulls, strains, and dislocations, as well as prevents diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, heart diseases, and even cancer. A strong healthy body is always less prone to pains and takes less time to recover from injuries.

Human bodies are made with an intent of undergoing at least a moderate level of physical work daily. We have never had this problem until the last few years with the technological development. Now, with all the automated machinery, our jobs became more stationary, where most jobs requiring physical activity have been replaced by robots; computers are doing calculations of thousands of engineers with a single push of a button. Many office workers are finding themselves leaving their desk only for breaks and lunches, on a non-busy day. Men’s Fitness, back in April 2002 states “Most denizens of corporate America could classify their forearms as vestigial muscles–tasks such as typing and surfing the Web pose serious injury risks to grossly underdeveloped flexors and extensors.”

The situation at home is usually not much different. Many of us are returning home from work depressed, unhappy, annoyed, irritated, and what do we do to relax? – Watch TV, get on Facebook, lay or sit on the couch while reading a magazine, newspaper, or a book; whatever the case may be, we are still remaining inactive after work. Unfortunately, that is a best-case scenario; some of us do not have time to “relax” even after work.

Here is some food for thought:

1. Stronger body helps with weight loss; muscle tissues burn 15 times more calories than fat.
2. Strength training develops your cardiovascular system, muscles learn to consume much less oxygen, therefore, your heart does not have to work as hard to keep up with the body’s demand.
3. Strong body prevents joint injuries, muscle strains and pulls, during even basic daily activities starting with getting off of your bed to playing with children.
4. Strong muscles seem to fight free radicals. Strength training and weight lifting are under less damage from free radicals, tests show.
5. Having a strong body usually causes better moods and enhances general well-being.
6. Strong muscles, using muscle memory, learn how and when to relax, providing for better rests and good night sleep.
7. People that strength train generally have more energy than the ones that do not exercise at all.
8. Stronger bodies look better and promote self-confidence.

As you can see, strength training is very important even when done moderately and in short periods of time. In fact, the American Heart Association now recommends that all adults strength train their major muscle groups at least twice a week, – that’s it! Remember, you do not have to commit to hour to two-hour workouts, all it takes is a couple of sets of pushups, sit-ups, and squads, amounting to 10-15 minutes a day to be in a much better physical shape. The best thing is that results are noticed almost immediately. So stop blaming your busy schedule, take care of yourself, as 10-15 minutes a day can turn into years of healthy living and happiness!