This was the question that Neil Parsley and myself asked each other when we were putting together our presentation for the Smart Fitness Functional Training Summit. It is a term that get used a lot, but stop and ask yourself what does it actually mean.
OK, I'll tell you what it isn't - it is not wobbling around on a stability ball performing bicep curls with kettlebells whilst whistling a happy tune - that is a second rate circus act!
Neil and I came up with the main factors that contribute to an exercises being considered "functional". In our opinion your exercise is "functional" if it satisfies one or more of the following criteria;
1.Biomechanics (movement) -the movement patterns should have a transfer of training effect to the actual sporting movements.
2.Metabolic - the correct energy systems should be conditioned during the drill
3.Force velocity -appropriate loads are used to train the correct part of the force velocity curve
4.Combination – sport!
When putting together your training programmes and selecting exercises take some time to consider if they meet the criteria, or if you are simply putting together a 'hollywood' session/drill that looks fancy but doesn't really have any impact on performance or results.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
48 Hours
We are just 48 hours from the Smart Fitness Functional Training Summit. Coach Robert Dos Remedios is mid Atlantic and will be touching down in Newcastle in the morning ready to deliver his unique brand of training advice.It is still not too late to secure one of the few remaining places. You can book online at www.smartfitness.org.uk or we will be able to take a limited number of delegates on the day of the event.
For everyone that is coming, safe journeys and we will see you on Saturday...now I have to get on and sort out my presentations!
Monday, 6 April 2009
Lift Strong
It has now been over 1000 days since Alwyn Cosgrove's bone marrow and stem cell transplant - a procedure that saved his life.Lift Strong is a product that Alwyn Cosgrove masterminded with the help of Mike Roussell, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With the the help of some great friends in this profession he turned a little project into an 800 page manual (that was produce on CD to keep costs down). Everyone volunteered their time and their information. No one makes any money from this product - it's all going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The government is currently giving billions of dollars in economic aid to banks that basically messed up - yet cancer research is funded primarily by individual donations - not government help.When you actually stop and think how messed up it is that we have to put up a website to get public donations to help fight cancer treat while the government is bailing out financial institutions left and right it just boggles the mind. I mean, shouldn’t that be one of the first things we as a society are taking care of?
Anyway - rant over. Whilst Alwyn is a cancer survivor, the fight hasn't stopped.
All the proceeds from the sale of this product go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.I urge you to support this cause and purchase this CD. Your purchase WILL make a difference.You are reading this today because Alwyn is alive after facing cancer twice. He is alive today because of advanced medical treatment.Medical treatment discovered by research.Research funded by money.Money sourced from donations.Donations from people like you.Please help.
Friday, 3 April 2009
Playground Conditioning
Revisiting the Playground
I've been spending a lot of time talking to Robert Dos Remedios lately as we prepare for the functional training summit which is taking place this month here in the UK and all of the talk about CHAOS training reminded me of an article I wrote a few years ago about how a trip back to the playground and our childhood can actually provide us with some great training drills that will not only improve speed and agility but more importantly gross athleticism. Here's the article, I hope you enjoy it.
Bored of the same old training drills? Looking for a fun and imaginative way to get the heart racing and blood pumping round your body? Well rather than try to reinvent the wheel why not take a trip down memory lane to see if you can pick up some useful training drills. Exactly how far you go back is up to you but why not stop at your school playground for come inspiration. I’m sure that as a coach or athlete you are continually racking your brains for new training drills, but new is not always better, the games we used to play before the advent of computers now provide us with a wealth of training possibilities for adults. Still not convinced…try some of these in your next workout.
Tag: You can play tag with two people and it involves sprinting, change of direction, decision-making and the ability to adapt to the other players. If you work hard enough you will only be able to play for short intense periods of time making it a fantastic anaerobic activity full of sport specific movements. You will improve your ability to make rapid directional changes, variation of speed and the ability to ‘read’ other players movements.
Dodge Ball: A bit like tag but using balls to try and catch your opponent(s). Using one or more balls throw the ball at your opponent. It’s important to remember that unlike your old PE teacher during a game of STINGER you’re not trying to remove people’s heads from their shoulders! Use soft balls and aim below waist height (but not at your opponents most treasured possessions). Once hit with the ball they are on and your opponents are being chased. Add in some extra people and additional balls and you have a great drill for maintaining body awareness and agility. Remeber to 5 D's of dodgeball, Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and....Dodge!
Wall Ball: Throw a tennis ball against a wall and then try to catch it using one hand only. Sound simple…OK…. add some players into the mix to work on your positioning and agility. If your attempt to catch the ball is unsuccessful sprint to the wall and back before the next player picks the ball and throws it. Hand eye coordination, sprint speed and agility are just a few of the skills that can be developed with this game.
King of the Mountain: The mountain in this case is a wobble board or stability ball. The object of the game is to ‘attack’ the person on the ball and try to dislodge them by pushing them at different angles. Now you are not literally trying to knock them flying, you are simply teaching them to adjust their position and resist the attack. A great workout to improve your balance and core stability.
Pirates: Now I think that this game is no longer practiced in schools for fears of safety…what a shame I say. Who remembers the lessons where you arrived at the gym to find every single piece of kit laid out before you, wall bars, vaulting horses, ropes…. you name it they had it. Now what ensued was 30 minutes of running over, jumping off, and balancing on things in an attempt not to touch the ground (water) and be eaten by sharks!! Well this piece of nostalgia can be recreated using just about anything you have at hand and will challenge your body like no other activity. Sure you need to keep safety in mind but what a workout…and more importantly what fun.
Hopefully you can see from these examples that there are many good ideas for training sessions that as children we simply took for granted. I’m sure with a little imagination your training sessions will once again become a fun activity that you look forward to rather than the same old boring interval session.
Got any more ideas? Let me know.
Strength and Conditioning Journal
Vol 23 (4) 50
I've been spending a lot of time talking to Robert Dos Remedios lately as we prepare for the functional training summit which is taking place this month here in the UK and all of the talk about CHAOS training reminded me of an article I wrote a few years ago about how a trip back to the playground and our childhood can actually provide us with some great training drills that will not only improve speed and agility but more importantly gross athleticism. Here's the article, I hope you enjoy it.
Bored of the same old training drills? Looking for a fun and imaginative way to get the heart racing and blood pumping round your body? Well rather than try to reinvent the wheel why not take a trip down memory lane to see if you can pick up some useful training drills. Exactly how far you go back is up to you but why not stop at your school playground for come inspiration. I’m sure that as a coach or athlete you are continually racking your brains for new training drills, but new is not always better, the games we used to play before the advent of computers now provide us with a wealth of training possibilities for adults. Still not convinced…try some of these in your next workout.
Tag: You can play tag with two people and it involves sprinting, change of direction, decision-making and the ability to adapt to the other players. If you work hard enough you will only be able to play for short intense periods of time making it a fantastic anaerobic activity full of sport specific movements. You will improve your ability to make rapid directional changes, variation of speed and the ability to ‘read’ other players movements.
Dodge Ball: A bit like tag but using balls to try and catch your opponent(s). Using one or more balls throw the ball at your opponent. It’s important to remember that unlike your old PE teacher during a game of STINGER you’re not trying to remove people’s heads from their shoulders! Use soft balls and aim below waist height (but not at your opponents most treasured possessions). Once hit with the ball they are on and your opponents are being chased. Add in some extra people and additional balls and you have a great drill for maintaining body awareness and agility. Remeber to 5 D's of dodgeball, Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and....Dodge!
Wall Ball: Throw a tennis ball against a wall and then try to catch it using one hand only. Sound simple…OK…. add some players into the mix to work on your positioning and agility. If your attempt to catch the ball is unsuccessful sprint to the wall and back before the next player picks the ball and throws it. Hand eye coordination, sprint speed and agility are just a few of the skills that can be developed with this game.
King of the Mountain: The mountain in this case is a wobble board or stability ball. The object of the game is to ‘attack’ the person on the ball and try to dislodge them by pushing them at different angles. Now you are not literally trying to knock them flying, you are simply teaching them to adjust their position and resist the attack. A great workout to improve your balance and core stability.
Pirates: Now I think that this game is no longer practiced in schools for fears of safety…what a shame I say. Who remembers the lessons where you arrived at the gym to find every single piece of kit laid out before you, wall bars, vaulting horses, ropes…. you name it they had it. Now what ensued was 30 minutes of running over, jumping off, and balancing on things in an attempt not to touch the ground (water) and be eaten by sharks!! Well this piece of nostalgia can be recreated using just about anything you have at hand and will challenge your body like no other activity. Sure you need to keep safety in mind but what a workout…and more importantly what fun.
Hopefully you can see from these examples that there are many good ideas for training sessions that as children we simply took for granted. I’m sure with a little imagination your training sessions will once again become a fun activity that you look forward to rather than the same old boring interval session.
Got any more ideas? Let me know.
Strength and Conditioning Journal
Vol 23 (4) 50
Saturday, 21 March 2009
High Intensity Vs. Fat Burning Zone
The popular ‘FAT BURNING ZONE’ is based on a mistake. The mistake is a misinterpretation of the sports science research, and is based on the fact that the body preferentially uses fat as a fuel source during low to moderate exercise intensities.
· While this is true ‘metabolically’ it does not influence the degree of overall weight or fat loss from exercise.
· In terms of weight control, it doesn’t matter which fuel source is used as long as calories are expended.
· It is essential that clients get the most out of each training session. Interval based training is more effective than low intensity steady state exercise as more total calories are used in the same amount of time. Take a look at the figures.
Exercising at a low Intensity (60% MHR) for 30 minutes will burn 200 kcal, with 50% of calories from fat (100 kcal). If you increase the intensity to 80%MHR then you will burn 500 Kcal with 40% of claories from fat (200 kcals). So for the same workout time you are getting more bang for your buck, and that is before we even start to consider how many calories you continue to burn post workout! So to summarise:
· High intensity interval training will maximise weight loss and fitness results.
· High intensity interval training forces the body to become conditioned to more intense exercise.
· Increased levels of fitness will make a given level of exercise feel easier and you will be able to exercise at higher intensities which ‘burns’ more calories.
· High intensity interval training will increase Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), resulting in more calories ‘burnt’ 24 hours a day.
· High intensity interval training strengthens the involved muscles to a greater degree than regular aerobic exercise.
. Slow steady state training is not as effective as high intenisty intervals.
. If you take part in a sport that requires an element of speed and power then intervals are far more effective, not just for fat loss but for increased sport specific fitness…..unless you want to become slow and steady.
· While this is true ‘metabolically’ it does not influence the degree of overall weight or fat loss from exercise.
· In terms of weight control, it doesn’t matter which fuel source is used as long as calories are expended.
· It is essential that clients get the most out of each training session. Interval based training is more effective than low intensity steady state exercise as more total calories are used in the same amount of time. Take a look at the figures.
Exercising at a low Intensity (60% MHR) for 30 minutes will burn 200 kcal, with 50% of calories from fat (100 kcal). If you increase the intensity to 80%MHR then you will burn 500 Kcal with 40% of claories from fat (200 kcals). So for the same workout time you are getting more bang for your buck, and that is before we even start to consider how many calories you continue to burn post workout! So to summarise:
· High intensity interval training will maximise weight loss and fitness results.
· High intensity interval training forces the body to become conditioned to more intense exercise.
· Increased levels of fitness will make a given level of exercise feel easier and you will be able to exercise at higher intensities which ‘burns’ more calories.
· High intensity interval training will increase Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), resulting in more calories ‘burnt’ 24 hours a day.
· High intensity interval training strengthens the involved muscles to a greater degree than regular aerobic exercise.
. Slow steady state training is not as effective as high intenisty intervals.
. If you take part in a sport that requires an element of speed and power then intervals are far more effective, not just for fat loss but for increased sport specific fitness…..unless you want to become slow and steady.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
EXF Visit the Falcons
The Functional Training Summit is only 6 weeks away and EXF came up to Newcastle last week to go and see the facilities first hand. It was a really useful chance to catch up with Charles and Nik from EXF at the Newcastle Falcon’s stadium.I know both Charles and Nik were were very impressed by the stadiums facilities. With plenty of room for both discussion and practical, the venue should help ensure that the Functional Training Summit is a success. If you haven’t yet booked your place there are still a few spaces available, please visit http://www.smartfitness.org.uk/ for more information.
EXF have a fantastic offer for all delegates attending the summit. The team at EXF are offering all delegates a 20% saving on all of their Sports Performance equipment ordered over the weekend of the Summit. That is a fantastic offer, and another reason why this event is a must do for anyone working in the fitness industry.
If you have booked, then we look forward to meeting you there.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
The Smart Fitness Functional Training Summit earlybird discount ends today!Book online now at Smart Fitness and SAVE!
The seminar will be taking place on April 25th and 26th and will be hosted by Smart Fitness, with EXF providing vital support throughout the event. We have a great venue, Kingston Park Stadium (home of the Newcastle Falcons).
This will be the first time Coach Dos has presented in the UK and I know it is going to be a fantastic seminar. In addition to Coach Dos I have managed to line up some great home grown talent. Full details of the event and registration details are on available online at Smart Fitness.
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