Functional Strength Training

What is Functional Strength Training?

Functional strength training aims to enhance the body's ability to perform in daily life, sports, and physical activities. Instead of focusing on lifting heavy weights or using machines, it focuses on exercises that train your body to work as a whole, just like it does in real-life movements.

Why Is It Important?

• It improves how you push, pull, squat, jump, and carry things, which are movements you use every day.

• It strengthens your core and stabilizing muscles, helping you avoid injuries and stay balanced.

• It makes you better at sports and physical activities by building strength, coordination, and endurance.

• It’s not about getting bulky; it’s about being strong, fast, and capable in any situation.

How Does It Work?

Functional strength training focuses on movement patterns rather than just individual muscles. For example:

• Squats mimic sitting and standing.

• Push-ups help you build the strength to push objects.

• Lunges improve balance and stability for walking, running, or climbing stairs.

It’s fun, challenging, and uses both bodyweight exercises and equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands. You'll learn to move better, feel stronger, and develop skills that transfer to sports and life!

Unit Standards for Daily In-Class Grades

Fitness Activities 1.3. L1. Demonstrates competency in one or more fitness activities.

Fitness Planning 3.1. L1. Explains how each of the skill- and health-related fitness components are improved through the application of basic training principles. 

Self-awareness and management 4.1. L1. Applies positive character traits in physical activity settings. 

Challenge 5.2. L1. Selects and participates in physical activities that provide an appropriate level of challenge. 

Functional Strength Training Movement Patterns and Basic Exercises

1. Squat (Knee Dominant) Pattern 

1. • Bodyweight Squat
     Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower hips down and back, keeping chest up and weight on heels, then return to standing.

   • External Cue: "Imagine you're  on a surf board, sitting back and tap a chair—keep your chest up and your weight on your heels." 

2. Hinge Pattern

1. • Glute Bridge
     Lie on your back, bend your knees, feet flat on the floor, and lift your hips by squeezing your glutes, then lower back down.

   • External Cue: "Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes like you're trying to lift your hips to the ceiling."

3. Push Pattern

1. • Push-Up
     Start in a plank position, lower your chest to the floor while keeping elbows close to your body, then push back up.

   • External Cue: "Think about pushing the ground away from you while keeping your body straight like a plank."

4. Pull Pattern

1. • Exercise: Superman Pull

Lie face down with arms extended on the floor in line with your head. Lift limbs and squeeze shoulder blades together.

1. • External Cue: "Lift your chest and thighs off the ground, then pull your elbows back like you're squeezing a pencil between your shoulder blades."

5. Lunge Pattern

1. • Reverse Lunge
     Step one foot back, lowering into a lunge with the front knee over the ankle, then return to standing.

   • External Cue: "Step back and lower your hips like you're kneeling toward the ground—keep your front knee steady."

6. Carry Pattern

1. • Bear Crawl
     Crawl on hands and feet with knees slightly off the ground, maintaining a neutral spine and core tension.

   • External Cue: "Move opposite hand and foot together, keeping your back flat like a tabletop."

7. Rotation (or Anti-Rotation)

1. • Side Plank with Reach Under
     Hold a side plank, then rotate your top arm under your torso and back up, engaging obliques.

   • External Cue: "Rotate and reach as if you're threading a needle under your body, then return tall."

8. Core Stability

1. • Plank with Shoulder Taps
     Hold a plank position and alternately tap one shoulder with the opposite hand, keeping hips stable.

   • External Cue: "Keep your hips steady—imagine balancing a glass of water on your back."

9. Locomotion (Gait)

1. • Skater Bounds
     Jump laterally from one foot to the other, landing softly and balancing momentarily on each foot.

   • External Cue: "Push off explosively and land softly, like you're leaping over a puddle."

10. Speed/Power *(not patterns, but need to be part of your focus)

• Sprint Intervals
  Perform a 20-yard sprint at maximum effort, focusing on explosive starts and maintaining speed. Rest until fully recovered (1–3 minutes) before repeating for desired reps.

• External Cue: "Explode forward like you're being pulled by a rope—stay light on your feet and drive your arms."

Table 1.A offers grade specific exercise recommendations.  Use the following tables to find external verbal cues to teach or learn how to safely and effectively do each movement.

Source: "Functional Strength Training for Physical Education" by Nate VanKouwenberg

1. Frequency (F): How often you exercise.

   • Cardio: 3-5 times per week.

   • Strength: 2-4 times per week for each major muscle group.

   • Mobility: 2-4 times per week.

2. Intensity (I): How hard you exercise.

   • Cardio: Moderate to vigorous intensity (measured by heart rate, exertion, or talk test).

   • Strength: 60-70% of one-rep max for beginners, 70-85% for advanced.

   • Mobility: Stretch to slight discomfort, not pain.

3. Time (T): How long you exercise per session.

   • Cardio: 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week (e.g., 30 minutes, 5 times a week).

   • Strength: 30-60 minutes per session.

   • Mobility: Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds, 2-4 repetitions.

4. Type (T): The kind of exercise you do.

   • Cardio: Activities like running, cycling, swimming.

   • Strength: Free weights, machines, bodyweight exercises, resistance bands.

   • Mobility: Static and dynamic stretching, yoga, Pilates.

Applying the FITT Principle

• Cardio Example: 4 times a week (Frequency) at a moderate pace (Intensity) for 30 minutes each session (Time), complete a run/cardio workout (Type) . 

• Strength Example: Lift weights 3 times a week (Frequency) at 70% of your max (Intensity) for 45 minutes per session (Time), using free weights (Type).

• Mobility Example: Stretch major muscle groups 3 times a week (Frequency) to slight discomfort (Intensity), holding each stretch for 20 seconds (Time) using static stretching (Type).

What makes up our Physical fintess?

Fitness Categories

• • Strength: Improving the ability of muscles to exert force.

  • Endurance: Enhancing the ability of muscles to sustain effort over an extended period.

  • Range of Motion (Mobility): Increasing the flexibility and movement capability of joints.

Health Related Physical Fitness Components

• • Cardiorespiratory Endurance: The heart and lungs' ability to supply oxygen during extended exercise.

  • Muscular Strength: The maximum force muscles can exert.

  • Muscular Endurance: The ability of muscles to sustain repeated contractions over time.

  • Flexibility: The range of motion at joints.

  • Body Composition: The ratio of fat to lean mass in the body.

Strength Exercise Types

• • Isometric: These exercises involve static muscle contractions without any joint movement. An example is a plank where you hold a position without moving.

  • Concentric: Involves muscle contractions while the muscle is shortening. For instance, during a bicep curl, the upward phase is concentric.

  • Eccentric: Involves muscle contractions while the muscle is lengthening. Using the bicep curl example, the downward phase is eccentric.

Stretching Exercise Types

• • Static: Involves holding a stretch for a certain period without movement. An example is a standing hamstring stretch.

  • Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF): This is an advanced stretching technique that involves a combination of stretching and contracting of the muscle. It often requires a partner and is more effective in improving flexibility.

  • Dynamic: Involves controlled, gradual movements to increase the range of motion. Examples include leg swings or arm circles.