Trends in vehicles and functional exercises in the fitness environment

Curated by Domenico Consolazio

A few years ago in Italy, in the wake of the United States, a training called functional is spreading; in gyms and fitness centers we see more and more people jumping, throwing and throwing balls of cast iron, sticking to ropes and trying to balance themselves on unstable plans of all kinds; sometimes all these things do them simultaneously.

Almost all modern guidelines indicate that training should be intense, as free as possible from mechanical constraints and respectful of the mechanics of the human body. In this article I would therefore like to reflect on these "new" methodologies and above all on their practical applications that we find in gyms and mass media, such as the internet, magazines, etc.

First of all: what does functional exercise mean? Why do a functional exercise?

If we ask these questions around gyms or go to specialized sites, we will find different answers: with functional training you become stronger, more resistant, more mobile and faster, improve physical appearance, lose weight, etc. Or more philosophical answers: for thousands of years the man to live had to make complex motor gestures, hunt, fight, climb ... so you have to train in a functional way. Or even more athletic answers: in sports, multidirectional movements are performed, so training must be functional.

All very nice and in principle fair; we live in a three-dimensional world, subject to the force of gravity and its relative rules, so training should also respect these basic principles. In practice, however, things get complicated.

Why do things get complicated?

Often the application of a good theory by the technicians of the sector is distorted for different reasons, for example to prove to be better, for one's own convictions and personal experiences or for the external stimuli of advertising.

Short summary of fitness trends

The trees had bodybuilding and most of the instructors were fixed with muscle mass; anyone who came to the gym was therefore "forced" to perform exercises such as bench press, squats and rowers, in order to increase muscle volumes. Later, fitness training arrived and then everyone was ready to research the latest super-technological machine to train in a "safe" way; via barbells and dumbbells and all to train on isotonic machines and on the last treadmill with LCD screen. Let's not forget the era of postural fitness, where everyone underwent postural analysis in search of the lost curve, and Pilates with his instructors, for which if you are not able to make a complete turn at the head of the humerus, without moving the pelvis even a centimeter, means that there are incredible problems ... or even, if by chance you dare to lift a 2 kg handlebar. your back will be destroyed instantly and you will turn into a Hulk!

Today is the time of Functional Training, so if you are not able to do a monopodalic squat, remain suspended on a rope, do 100 snatches with kettlebells, and remain motionless as a rock on an unstable platform, it means that you are not functional, but above all trouble if you dare to use a car and try to do an analytical exercise!

Unlike a few years ago, in which the media were less fast, today thanks to the internet we find movies of all kinds, and picturesque characters who invent everything to make a huge effort and make it pass for a functional exercise.

Examples of exercises like the one in the photo above we can find dozens of them on the web!

Perhaps before the next functional exercise it is better to stop for a moment, find some more technical explanation and make some considerations.

First you need to find one or more definitions that give at least the guidelines to be able to tell whether an exercise falls into the "functional" category:

"EXECUTING A FUNCTIONAL TRAINING MEANS RESPECTING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF OBJECTIVE AND NATURAL FUNCTIONALITIES OF THE HUMAN BODY, UNDER ALL POINTS OF VIEW"

An exercise can be considered functional when it presents at least three of these four characteristics:

1) FUNCTIONAL KINETIC CHAINS

2) MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MOTOR CONTROL

3) ACTIVITY OF THE ABDOMINAL BELT

4) SIMILITUDE OR EQUALITY TO THE STRUCTURE OF NATURAL MOVEMENT, BOTH IN KINETIC AND KINEMATIC TERMS (ELAV-FIPCF 2009 data)

Although certainly in the scientific literature there will be many other definitions, these seem to me to be simple to understand and a source of useful information for finding one's way in the wonderful world of the functional.

The points listed above can be integrated to express another very important concept for fitness:

"MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PERSON AND ITS LIFE NEEDS AND ITS GOALS"

Giving a practical interpretation: a sedentary who wants to get back in shape will need a different training than a professional wrestler.

Keep it going "