Exercise is not all about dumbbells, toe touching, and running. 
Jeremy Dancy ACSM cPT 2/24/09

Exercise is still in its infancy and things change all the time. More and more evidence
show that training to be more athletic within your lifestyle is key to avoiding injuries, increasing lean muscle mass, burning more fat, and maximizing human performance.

The rabbit hole is deeper than we thought.

Now as trainers we design programs to enhance joint stability, and neural integration in order to combat the effects of everyday living. Think about it if we are more athletic we can train harder, building more muscle and even burning more fat.

When I started training 10 years ago, training was all about the big three resistance training, flexibility, and cardio. I refer to these as the meat and potatoes of training. There was little reference to exercise that promotes balance, core strength, muscle recruitment, and function. Now enhancing joint mobility improves flexibility without stretching.  Improving muscle recruitment improves power and dexterity without building muscle. Enhanced proprioception makes us more athletic. Recent discoveries over the last few years have taken exercise in a completely new direction.

Most people do not realize that you have to be properly conditioned to maximize results. It sounds strange but from a scientific standpoint it makes perfect sense. If muscle cannot track properly then force production is limited hindering strength gains. Poor mobility limits individuals from the type and mode of exercise that can maximize weight loss.   I have compiled some food for thought to educate you on how scientific training has become.  Everyone from the guy with high blood pressure to the competitive athlete can benefit from adding these training concepts to their workout. 

 
Mobility Exercises: Mobility is important to training because poor joint mobility lead to muscle imbalance issues and reciprocal inhibition.  Reciprocal inhibition is a fancy term for tightness promotes weakness: example if the chest and front of the shoulder are tight they will stretch out the back of the shoulder (rotator cuff) forcing the muscle to not flex properly and work harder than it has to. These issues in any major joint; hips, ankles, thoracic part of the spine, or shoulders can disrupt kinetic chain and promote joint dysfunction causing micro stress, pain, and injury. Improved mobility increases force production, strength, flexibility, and joint integrity.

Synchronization Exercises: As we age or after injury, muscles shut down. This is self protect feature of the body to protect joints that have gotten weak, lost mobility, or joints that have been injured. It happens because the body is trying to limit mobility in order to protect or heal. Example; when an athlete jumps you will see them transfer energy through their shoulders and hips and into their knees and ankles. The athlete transfers kinetic energy through the body more effectively that a de-conditioned individual.  Synchronized exercises re-instill muscle control, improve coordination, and dexterity.

Balance and Proprioception Exercises: Our body during any type of movement is constantly sensing pressure and giving the brain and muscles signal to maintain joint integrity during motion. When we are de-conditioned or injured muscles and joints do not sense pressure properly. Enhance balance and proprioception makes you more athletic and less prone to injury during activity.  Example; when elderly individuals trip they are more likely to fall because of the delay of feedback to the brain, and poor proprioception of muscles and joints.

Functional Training: There really is not much of a scientific definition for functional training but it has been the latest craze in training for the last few years. Functional exercise is multi joint movements designed to improve daily function. Functional movements typically involve balance, strengthening the core and improving overall function of the body. Great for becoming more athletic within you own lifestyle.

Hopefully I have made you think. It is important to remember that exercise needs to be specific to your lifestyle. Training to perform daily tasks with less effort means you are in better shape.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask any OFP professional for assistance. We may point out something that an individual is doing incorrect or poses harm, but we will not approach you during your workout.  OFP knows people are sometimes stressed for time and we do not walk around selling training on the floor. We do not assume every person that asks us questions is interested in training, and we have an ethical obligation to distinguish fact from fiction. We love to help!