Table of Contents
Introduction
If you look up the word functional in the dictionary, youll find definitions like practical and useful. Thats exactly how Id describe functional training. Its a new approach to fitness that offers practical, real-life benefits. Heres how it works: functional exercises mimic the way you move in real life so you can move better in your everyday activities, alleviate aches and pains, and perform better when participating in your favorite sports and hobbies.
Unlike most training programs that offer a cookie-cutter approach to exercise, functional training offers a completely customizable program so you can get exactly what you want out of it. Whether youre new to fitness or youve been playing sports your entire life, you can adapt the exercises in this book to help you achieve your fitness goals.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into five parts that introduce you to the basics of functional training and lead you from beginner to advanced exercises.
Part 1, Functional Training 1-2-3, introduces you to the ABCs of functional training, including what makes it different from every other fitness program and how it can benefit you regardless of your current fitness level. It also gives you a peek at the inner workings of your amazing body, offers an overview of a host of training tools you can use, and provides you with everything you need to know to start a functional training program.
Part 2, Preparing for Your Workout, takes you through some simple steps to loosen up your muscles before your functional training session. It also shows you the best way to warm up your body so you can get the most out of your workout.
Part 3, Beginner Functional Exercises, is the starting point for your functional training. For each beginner exercise, youll find step-by-step instructions along with photos, tips, and precautions. Each chapter presents exercises using a different type of training tool. The exercises in these chapters give you the foundation necessary to perform the more complex exercises to come in later parts.
Part 4, Intermediate Functional Exercises, introduces you to more challenging exercises that improve your strength, balance, and coordination. Here, youll find chapters dedicated to each type of training aid as well as exercises that dont require any equipment at all. Detailed instructions and photos make it easy to follow along.
Part 5, Advanced Functional Exercises, builds on everything you learned in the beginner and intermediate Parts 3 and 4 and takes your functional training to the next level. With chapters dedicated to each individual training tool, Part 5 is where youll find the most demanding functional exercises. These powerful moves also provide the biggest payoff in your everyday life, in recreational activities, and in sports.
In the back of the book youll find a couple appendixes to supplement what youve learned in the preceding chapters. Included are a glossary and sample workout plans to carry you further along your functional training path.
Extras
Throughout this book, youll notice a number of sidebar boxes that include quick and helpful need-to-know information. These boxes include
Definition
Read these boxes for definitions of terms you need to know.
Malfunction
Check these boxes for special cautions intended to help keep you injury-free.
Fit Fact
In these boxes, youll find intriguing tidbits of information as well as tips to make the most of functional training.
Acknowledgments
From Justin: I would first like to thank Frances Sharpe for her amazing efforts in helping write this book. Without her wonderful skill of simplifying complex information, this book would not have been possible. Frances also went out of her way on many occasions to make trips to San Diego to ensure the photo shoots were a success.
I would also like to thank all my peers in the fitness industry who have helped me gain a better understanding of function and the wonderful capabilities of the human form.
Many of the exercises for this book were created over the past 3 to 5 years each morning before work when I took my dog Tui to the park to do my own functional workout. Tuis patience while I crawled, climbed, squatted, lunged, skipped, hopped, pulled, pushed, and reached have undoubtedly earned her a few extra treats.
Most of all, I would like to thank my wonderful wife and business partner, Mary Bratcher. She is my functional fitness idol. Mary has never had a structured exercise routine, but she is always active and participates in everything. As a result, during our past 18 years together, she has participated with me in some of the most extreme functional workouts imaginable. From scaling cliffs in New Zealand, to being dragged under a boat in a crocodile-infested river in Africa, to being stuck in the bush in the Dominican Republic, Mary is always ready and willing to try anything. Its her ready for action attitude that truly defines functional fitness, and I can only hope Ill continue to keep up with her as we grow old together.
From Frances: I would like to thank my coauthor, Justin, for his invaluable expertise on the exciting new field of functional training. To fitness models Chris and Jamie Renfro, I offer my appreciation for your tireless efforts and patience. A big thanks goes to Justins wife, Mary, for all her assistance with the photo shoots.
I appreciate all the editorial direction from Mike Sanders, Christy Wagner, and the entire team at Alpha Books. As always, I am grateful to my agent, Bob Diforio.
I am indebted to all my fitness trainers and tennis instructors who help keep me functionally fit, especially Suzie Dimpfl, Diane Ekker, Stephanie Grimes, Sondi Kroeger Foley, Karen Voight, and Scott Wilson. My biggest thanks go to the most functionally fit person I know, my husband, Wil. I dedicates this book to the memory of my favorite outdoor workout buddy, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Itsa.
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Part 1
Functional Training 1-2-3
What if I told you that you could pump up your fitness and improve the way your body moves without ever picking up another barbell or doing another crunch? Dont believe me? Its true! Functional training is a new kind of workout that promises huge payoffs in your everyday life. Yes, like other workout programs, it will increase your strength, improve your balance, and stretch your flexibility. What makes functional training unique is that instead of training your body to perform movements youll probably only ever use in a gym, it focuses on helping you do the things you already do in the real world.
