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free tools Welcome to the Free Tools Articles archive.
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Body articles
3D Training : The essence of functional training. Look
around most gyms and you will see a generally unnatural environment.
A room filled with fixed resistance machines with the promise
of muscle strength and size gains, toning, and with a reduced
risk of injury. So we were led to believe. Yes you can drop dumbbells
on your toes and break them - I even heard of a guy smashing his
face up while doing a 60kg pullover on a Swiss ball that burst,
but that is just being stupid! Standing on Swiss balls may be
fun but it may only be specific to a few sportspeople like surfers. The
essence of ‘TRUE’ functional training is 3 dimensional (3D) and
it does not require balls (however they can be useful) or funny
fancy equipment including those machines that are 1 dimensional.
It is a concept of how to move your body and in the following
article I will show you how to apply this to your exercise program
to increase your ability to perform. What does it mean 3D? Our
body moves in three planes
Diagram http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomical_position Overusing
one plane and forgetting about the others can compromise your
ability to perform – we are not just talking athletically - but
everyday activities! That
is why it is vital to train your body in 3 dimensions. Functional training redefined So
the essence of functional training is the body moving in three
planes here is an expansion of that definition from the National
Academy of Sports Medicine: “All
functional movement patterns involve deceleration, stabilisation
and acceleration, which occur at every joint in the kinetic chain
and in all three planes of motion.” (1) Confused?
Let’s
break this definition down, as I believe it is important to know
what is at the heart of functional training – as it is not just
a case of doing exercises on balls or on one leg, for the sake
of it. Since
most of us drive I will use driving as an analogy for functional
movement. There
are muscles that are the brakes, while others are the accelerators,
and both are supported by the clutch that helps dictate how fast
or slow we will go. The core muscles often take on the role of
the clutch as they are where the movement begins. As you know
when you are driving a “real” car: to get it moving you need to
first push the clutch to put it in first or reverse. (That’s why
I don’t enjoy driving automatics like using machine weights –
boring and it requires no skill or control). The clutch often
sits in the background as it supports the movement, but your effectiveness
with it is a big factor in how good a driver you are. The
kinetic chain is merely the link between all the parts if one
of the links is broken (e.g. the battery), then you are in trouble
and not going anywhere fast. Three
planes of motion is the steering wheel. We can drive backwards
and forwards (sagital plane), swerve side to side (frontal plane)
and make those circles round the roundabout (transverse plane).
To
help you differentiate better, below is a list of terms Gary Gray
has designed that describes whether our efforts are functional
or non-functional. (1) Non-Functional
Functional
Isolated
Integrated Rigid
Flexible Limited
Unlimited Artificial
Physiological Fake
Real Link
action
Chain reaction Gravity
confused
Gravity user Lab-like
Life-like Mechanical
Biomechanical Deceptive
Proprioceptive 1
Dimensional
3 Dimensional
Here
are two of these terms explained: Isolated
vs. Integrated
The
body only knows movements as it relates to function. Isolation
training gets results in terms of increasing muscle mass and strength
because it allows you to fatigue individual muscles, but this
often comes at the expense of physical freedom. Have you seen
how some body builders walk around stiff and rigid – this is often
the result of a lot of isolated exercises based on training individual
muscle groups like a bicep curl. Athletes on the other hand may
use isolated training, but will then use integrated training to
achieve more effective movement patterns. Real
vs. Fake
Let’s
look at that machine in the gym that you lie on and then bring
your feet to your bum – the hamstring curl. Where in the real
world do you see this movement? However everyday we use some form
or a lunge or squat to pick things up. Now
to specific functional vs. non functional exercises: Non-Functional
3D Functional Bench press
Cable push
Lat pull down Cable
pull
Leg extension
Lunge matrix
Leg press
Squat matrix Description of exercises Cable
push – using the cable machine or bands. Standing in a fighting
position with one foot forward one back. The action is like punching
and requires the body to move 3D. You can place the cable or bands
in various positions to be punching more up or down – variation
of the movement pattern is important. Cable
pull – again using a cable machine or bands. The action is like
starting a lawnmower which again is 3D. Use varying starting
positions pulling from high or low. Lunge
matrix – Lunge forward, lunge to the side and lunge to the back
45 degrees to emphasize rotation. You can do this while holding
dumbbells or hand weights (though keep them light) and reaching
to various positions like the ground or pressing up. Squat
matrix – this is a variation from the standard feet shoulder width
facing forward squat. Here you put the feet in various positions
and at various widths. E.g. Feet together, feet wide apart, toes
in, toes out, one foot forward one back- you can complete these
while holding hand weights and pressing them up above you. Each
of these variations promotes freedom through the 3 dimensions. So
I hope this article has brought you awareness in two ways:
Your
3d Coach Craig
Burton
Reference http://www.3dpts.com/ArchiveArticles/BodyArticle/2007-03-Bodyarticle.htm
Your 3d Coach
Craig Burton
References
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