Personal training can easily be intimidating to members, but for many members personal training is a necessity to build a healthier lifestyle. It would be difficult to find a member who doesn’t possess the desire to do everyday things, such as lift boxes, carry groceries and keep with their children or grandchildren. This is where functional training comes into play.
Functional training prepares someone for the physical demands and activities that one performs daily, explained Todd Durkin, the owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, Calif. “At the root this involves both strength and conditioning, with a myriad of movement patterns under different training stimuli.”
The New Trend
Functional training is becoming a popular term within the industry and members are becoming more familiar with it as well. “Functional training modalities keep a client’s attention and focus, not to mention the ‘fun’ factor,” said Kim Lavender, the director of team training, for GoodLife Fitness in Canada. “The exercises also build empowerment when a client is able to move and use their own body through multiple plains of movement. When trained correctly and in proper progression, clients also reap many benefits that stretch beyond the goals of losing weight or getting stronger.”
For the growing population that is learning how sedentary of a lifestyle they are actually living, functional training can be a great solution. “People are realizing their recreational habits need to become more functional,” said Tom Wiggington, the owner and a trainer of Vitruvian Fitness, a personal training studio in Denver, Colo. Wiggington used to be one of those people, saying that he had become deconditioned and almost 40 pounds overweight after being laid off. He worked his way back to health and realized his true passion of helping people with exercise and opened his own studio.
Incorporating functional training into your club is all about combining the right tools with the right trainers. “The best way to implement functional training in gyms is to employ personal trainers who practice it regularly and who are educated about functional training and its benefits for many populations,” said Jesse Campanaro, the vice president of sales for Total Gym®. “It also helps to provide education to your staff to help them better understand the value of functional training and how to apply it to various types of clients. Gyms also need to dedicate open space for equipment that promotes functional training. Total Gym bodyweight trainers, Bosu, plyo-rebounders, stability and medicine balls, suspension training and heavy ropes are great products to include in a functional training area.”
The Institute of Human Performance has developed various systems of applications for members — from purely functional programs to hybrid programs that mix traditional bodybuilding programs with functional training. “After becoming familiar with our training methods our clients can work out by themselves,” explained JC Santana, the owner of the Institute of Human Performance in Florida. “Plus we have a ton of DVDs and books that can support distant learning and application.”
GoodLife utilizes functional training through one-on-one training and small group training programs. “Personal trainers ensure that lessons learned are practiced regularly from the foundation phase of programming and onward,” said Lavender. “Clients are coached to develop great movement pattern habits that carry on post-training. Many exercises they can carry out on their own, with their trainers or coaches voice in mind.”
An example of their functional training program is their incorporated TRX® TEAM™ Training. “This program has a solid foundation of coach training to ensure both trainers and clients are successful,” said Lavender. “This program reaches beyond the scope of basic exercises and includes a complete training program that is generated from a library of exercises. This paradigm ensures that trainers can consistently and effectively deliver this team-focused progressive program.”
Orange Theory Fitness, a group personal training studio in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, incorporates heart rate monitoring into their functional training. “We use five heart rate zones and Polar monitors to keep track of the participants workouts as they happen so we can hold them accountable to their efforts and intensities,” explained Chan Gannaway, the national fitness director for Orange Theory Fitness.
At Orange Theory Fitness, they use SBT EXTREME to work their clients. “The bonus for our trainers is the versatility the straps provide, alone with the ability to keep our clients’ heart rates about 70 percent while resistance training,” Gannaway said. “We train all levels of fitness, from very deconditioned to the very fit and the suspension straps are suited for this diversity if the trainer is educated and knows how to lead and direct a group.”
“Functional training is only beneficial to clubs if they can implement progressive programs that start clients at their current fitness level and safely progress them towards improved movement that enhances their everyday activities,” explained Campanaro. “Trainers often take a deconditioned person and put them straight in to intense, full bodyweight-based exercises, which can increase their risk of injury . . . and essentially the loss of that client. These advanced forms of functional training are great for the ‘already fit,’ who want to get more out of their workout. But clubs should remember to provide solutions for the other 85 percent of the club population that are not functionally fit. This clientele needs solutions that are safe and functional, so members feel immediate success.”
The Impact
The impact of functional training can be great for business. It keeps members and staff engaged. “Functional training modalities are a ‘stop and stare’ kind of workout,” said Lavender. “Many members stop and watch, and immediately think, ‘Can I do that?’ You can create an incredible amount of excitement and a team environment in your club when executed properly.”
With functional training, there is no need to have the biggest and the best equipment, that’s not the experience members are looking for. Durkin believes the most important thing he can offer his clients is a well-designed comprehensive program that is results-driven and fun — a recess-like experience for members. “The focus needs to be on making members and clients happy through strong customer service, great programming classes and having a clean, positive culture to train in,” Durkin explained. “This provides the best opportunity for success for all.”
The best benefit of all is that functional training can be implemented with little to no new equipment necessary. “Functional training can be completed without equipment, simply using bodyweight,” explained Lavender. “However, to inject more complexity, or resistance, small equipment is optional. The fun factor is also increased when members get to ‘play with toys’ — ropes, hurdles, cones, balls, tires, kettlebells, tubing and rollers are just some of the tools of the trade. Adding equipment can also increase perceived value and programming options.”
When it comes to the clientele, functional training really knows no age. According to Santana, functional training is universal. He has members of all fitness levels participate in functional training. Wiggington’s demographic spans the generations as well, with most of the demographic being between the ages of 30-50 years old.
“Education is key,” said Lavender. “Functional training is truly for all fitness levels and all health, wellness and fitness goals. It is essential that trainers and coaches are equally mindful of progressions as well as regressions.”
While trainers are certified in personal training, education may vary for functional training. “I think the emphasis on continuing education has become a lot more critical for the trainer and performance coach,” said Durkin. “Our field has come so far in the last five years alone that it’s hard to keep up with the changes. I recommend that a trainer attend at least two different, live continuing education programs per year (workshops, conferences, mentorships) and they commit to ongoing learning online (watching DVDs, online CEUs, mastermind- groups). I have lead a Mastermind Group for trainers for four years and it has been one of the best ways to keep my industry peers and colleagues informed of the latest research, trends and programs.”
Trainers must have adequate knowledge in primal movement patterns first, added Lavender, as these are the foundations to all other progressions with clients.
Where functional training can go in the future is up to you and your staff. Use it to create excitement in your club and allow staff and members to not only get back in shape together but have fun as well. “The people I associate myself with in this industry, we are like minded,” said Wiggington. “I look at what we do, and some others, and I’m pretty excited where [the industry ] is going. I’m excited about the potential we have.” -CS
By Ali Cicerchi
