What The Heck Happened To Functional Fitness? By James FitzGerald

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Randolf Spencer
6 years ago
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1 What The Heck Happened To Functional Fitness? By James FitzGerald

I once taught a group of fitness instructors for 4 hours on spinal stability in functional fitness. It was 2001, a cold Calgary night in the Talisman Centre.

Just 3 years earlier I was spit out of a kinesiology degree knowing everything, or so I thought, about the strength and conditioning game.

What I found on that search were healers, doctors, coaches, and experts in their respective fields. And, do you know what I did? I listened and followed every one of them.

2 I once taught a group of fitness instructors for 4 hours on spinal stability in functional fitness. It was 2001, a cold Calgary night in the Talisman Centre. All i had in my "show" was a swiss ball, a mat, and a blood pressure cuff. Just 3 years earlier I was spit out of a kinesiology degree knowing everything, or so I thought, about the strength and conditioning game. Then I was punched in the face with reality of working with REAL people! I began my search that day. What I found on that search were healers, doctors, coaches, and experts in their respective fields. And, do you know what I did? I listened and followed every one of them. I ended up doing a LOT of coach to coach and coach to client instruction on this new movement that was hitting the air waves in fitness. And, yes, I meant airwaves. There were no such thing as podcasts at the time! This new movement was termed Functional Fitness. I attended every known conference - ACSM, NSCA, Can Fit Pro, CSEP, Perform Better, IHRSA, ISSA etc and worked with ALL the best - Poliquin Chek Staley Tate Muscle media 2000 was going down and T-Nation was rising - If you don t what that means no worries, read on.

3 At this point in history you could NOT just google Methods of improvement in strength training and get ANY results. Dial up speed crusssshed souls back then but that is beside the point. I was struggling on finding answers to this new IDEA on fitness for FUNCTION! It TOTALLY made sense to me though. I mean why get on those machines when it does not resemble preparation for LIFE! Man, it was so fun to listen to Paul Chek go off for 20 min straight (i mean without stop - kind of like a Woody Allen extended uncut scene) and talk about training to be a crane operator for the rest of our life or a prostitute by doing machines and sit ups I still smile now. Anyhow, the point was taken and well received. It actually aligned the market well. Coaches got to coach athletes as needed for specificity and intensity. Trainers got to coach folks as needed for the 3 main things they all do fitness for: Look good naked Decrease pain Increase energy It was all good and it all made sense. Then the internet came HARD! Accessibility went wild. People could see more, connect faster, learn a new language online, find music when they wanted and it was ALL at a MUCH faster rate. Can you imagine the perspective people now had on attaining information about FITNESS. The race to who could become the loudest, the most popular, and the most outspoken was on in a HUGE way. The electronic material allowed people to hide behind a computer, dropping the human element of contact and connection out of the coach/client reality that had existed for so long.

With this new awareness and accessibility what happened? PEOPLE GOT BORED with fitness. The marketing leaders in fitness said "The possibilities are endless now.

Out with the weights and cardio; in with the 4 hour work week, 6 weeks to a million viewers, 10 min to 6-pack abs, tabata to win marathons. IT WAS ON. Clients responded - this shit is intense.

BUT, remember that two years earlier - TWO YEARS earlier!

4 With this new awareness and accessibility what happened? PEOPLE GOT BORED with fitness. The marketing leaders in fitness said "The possibilities are endless now. Just like the internet movement, we can FAST TRACK people's approach to the physical culture. And, BAM, it was born. Out with the weights and cardio; in with the 4 hour work week, 6 weeks to a million viewers, 10 min to 6-pack abs, tabata to win marathons. IT WAS ON. Clients responded - this shit is intense." Coaches said - ummm I m not sure about this ahhh...what the heck they want it, we ll give it to them." Owners liked it - everyone loves this shit - market it! - we can do that as well! BUT, remember that two years earlier - TWO YEARS earlier! there was a resounding acceptance of the new idea called functional fitness which, back then, was: "functional fitness - fitness you do that will enhance your function for life." NOW it was this: "functional fitness - do anything and everything as fast as possible to adapt quicker and live long and prosper." WOW! Now its There are sports that claim to have functional fitness athletes in them. The marketing to over fat and unhealthy folks now is; You can wear this useless piece of shit device and our clothes and jump up and down and you can be an athlete too!

Are you awaiting another Virgin Mary situation? Are you planning on exercising, climbing, swimming, and lifting in 2046?

5 What are your goals? Is your goals to live long and prosper? What does that mean exactly? What age are you thinking? Do you believe medicine will advance fast enough to allow new hips and shoulders for everyone in 25 years? Are you relying on magic soil changes to occur within 15 years? Are you awaiting another Virgin Mary situation? Are you planning on exercising, climbing, swimming, and lifting in 2046? Tell me what this MIGHT look like based on what you are doing in your life RIGHT NOW? Seriously, tell me! Shouldn t your FUNCTIONAL FITNESS PRESCRIPTION be moving you TOWARDS those goals at this current time then? Shouldn't you be doing things that are KNOWN to increase opportunity for longevity - low inflammation on organs AND joints, adequate daily water and sunshine, resistance against your muscles and bones daily, blood flow and sweaty sustained work, low personal inflammatory foods - does your functional fitness program look like this now? Is your goals to perform as an athlete? What does this mean exactly? Are you getting paid for what you do that can support this athleticism? - not for 6 months. For 15 years? Are you ALSO relying on speed of medicine and newly found berries from the Amazon Rain Forrest to help pre-workout bolstering to give you "the edge?" Shouldn t your FUNCTIONAL FITNESS PRESCRIPTION be moving you towards the athleticism goals? One can easily see that the fitness prescription is largely based on the goal of the person.

Functional fitness for an entire lifetime for someone who just wants to use fitness as a medium for discovering themselves and as a base of support to help them live a long life might look like this

it being lost is this PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES!

gym in a fun mixed modal environment would go far for them and their identification and pecking order in society.

6 Functional fitness for an entire lifetime for someone who just wants to use fitness as a medium for discovering themselves and as a base of support to help them live a long life might look like this at different iterations: Child - gymnastics, dance, and track and field as play a heightened effort to increase importance in ONE area we can corral everyone right now that no one seems to care about it being lost is this PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES!!!!!! Teen - gymnastics, 3-4 different sports as play, introduction to resistance training and variations in "work-hardening efforts sports play with small hits on games along with their INTRO to the gym in a fun mixed modal environment would go far for them and their identification and pecking order in society. Young adult - consistency in resistance and easy cardiovascular work Life is REAL at this point. Starting with a base support for all things ahead is key; the education has to occur here on the sway towards the desire to do FAST fitness - as sexy matters Middle aged adult - consistency in resistance and sustainable cardiovascular work You can see longer ahead now and you know that this whole death thing is real - so time is a ticking Older adult - consistency in resistance and sustainable cardiovascular work You want to keep standing up and tall; enjoy the time that is left without sickness or disease getting in the way Again, this is the program (SEXY and all as it is) that would SUFFICE for someone based on current methods that delivers on LONG TERM GENERAL HEALTH support. That is functional fitness for health. That is the ONLY thing in my mind that can be called functional for longevity.

7 Again, this is the program (SEXY and all as it is) that would SUFFICE for someone based on current methods that delivers on LONG TERM GENERAL HEALTH support. That is functional fitness for health. That is the ONLY thing in my mind that can be called functional for longevity. Fitness is an experience. It is a journey and a medium to get to the end. THROUGH it we can create awareness and inspiration. The body can lead the mind. Your function should dictate your fitness! Fitness should NOT dictate your function! Onwards, James FitzGerald

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