Book SummaryFunctional Training Anatomy, by Kevin Carr and Mary Kate Feit

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Functional Training Anatomy

The Importance of Comprehensive Functional Training

Carr and Feit emphasize that this kind of training is not a specialized genre but rather a thoughtful and deliberate approach to training that prioritizes rebuilding the quality of movement, enhancing performance, and minimizing injury risk. This kind of exercise works because of its comprehensive nature, addressing all facets of physical capacity as a unified system.

Functional Training Improves Well-Being and Capabilities by Training the Body As a System

This section delves into the core principle of functional training: treating the body as an interconnected unit rather than a collection of isolated muscles. Carr and Feit advocate for approaches that mirror real-life movement and athletic demands, instead of traditional methods that often prioritize muscle isolation and aesthetics.

The Body Functions as a Unified System

Carr and Feit strongly argue against the traditional approach of isolating muscles and training them in isolation, as this fails to recognize the body's interconnectedness. They emphasize that the body operates as a single, integrated unit, with all its parts working together to achieve a specific outcome. For example, when running, the hamstrings, traditionally considered knee flexors, actually play multiple roles: assisting the gluteal muscles in hip extension, supporting the pelvis with the oblique muscles, and decelerating knee extension. This interconnectedness underscores the importance of selecting activities that train multiple muscle areas simultaneously, promoting coordination and practical strength.

Context

• When the body functions as an integrated unit, it uses energy more efficiently. This efficiency is crucial for endurance and performance, as it minimizes unnecessary energy expenditure and maximizes output.
• Muscles generate heat as a byproduct of contraction, playing a role in maintaining body temperature. This thermogenic effect is particularly important in cold environments to prevent hypothermia.
• Training multiple muscle areas simultaneously often involves exercises that mimic real-life movements, such as squatting, lifting, pushing, and pulling, which can improve overall functional fitness and daily performance.
• Practical strength is the ability to apply force effectively in everyday activities or sports. It involves not just raw power but also the skill to use that power in a coordinated and efficient manner, often requiring balance, agility, and endurance.

Functional Exercise Must Develop Movement, Strength, Power, and Fitness

According to the authors, a comprehensive regimen for training functional fitness should focus on concurrently developing every aspect of bodily capacity. This includes joint flexibility, efficiency of movement, muscular capability, explosiveness, and aerobic fitness. Neglecting any one component can lead to imbalances and elevate the risk of injury. For instance, an athlete with great strength but limited mobility will be more prone to muscle strains. Carr and Feit stress that each component contributes to a more robust and adaptable athlete, capable of meeting the diverse demands of their chosen sport.

Other Perspectives

• The definition of "fitness" is broad and can encompass more than just movement, strength, and power, including factors like mental well-being and social aspects of exercise that are not addressed by focusing solely on these physical components.
• The relationship between imbalances and injury risk is complex, and not all imbalances directly lead to injuries; some athletes with imbalances may never experience injury, while others with seemingly optimal balance may still get injured.
• Muscle strains are not solely dependent on the balance between strength and mobility; they can also be influenced by factors such as technique, fatigue, overuse, and inadequate warm-up or recovery practices.

Training Focus on Machines Overlooks Real-Life Movement

The authors critique the traditional focus on bilateral, machine-based exercises, arguing that such methods fail to replicate real-life activities' dynamic qualities. While beneficial for targeted muscle growth, machine workouts typically restrict movement to a single plane and don't adequately challenge stability. This can lead to imbalances and deficiencies in the muscles that stabilize the body, which are crucial for injury prevention and optimal performance. Carr and Feit recommend prioritizing unilateral exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and challenge stability in multiple planes, mirroring the body's movements in daily activities and athletic competition.

Practical Tips

• Incorporate play-based workouts into your routine to mimic natural movements. Children's games like tag or hopscotch involve complex movements that engage multiple muscle groups in a dynamic way, similar to real-life activities. Start by playing tag with family or friends at a local park, which requires quick changes in speed and direction, enhancing your agility and coordination.
• Transform household chores into unilateral exercise opportunities. For instance, when vacuuming, switch hands every few minutes to work both sides of your body equally, or when carrying groceries, distribute the weight unevenly and switch sides halfway to your destination...

Functional Training Anatomy Summary Movement Preparation and Prepping for Functional Workouts

Carr and Feit highlight the crucial role mobility plays, which they define as active, neurologically directed movement, for fitness exercises. They differentiate it from flexibility, which refers to a passive range of movement, stressing that both are crucial for performance in sports. The authors emphasize the importance of addressing mobility limitations to prevent compensatory movements and mitigate injury risk.

Mobility Involves Active, Neurologically Controlled Motion; Flexibility Is Passive Motion

This section clearly differentiates between mobility, defined as movement range that is actively and neurologically controlled, and flexibility, which denotes passive range of motion. The authors explain that while flexibility is important, it is insufficient for optimal movement. Mobility, on the other hand, requires muscular power and coordination to lengthen muscles under load, crucial for deceleration and athletic stability. For instance, a baseball player needs both flexibility to reach overhead and the neurological control to prevent shoulder injury when catching a ball. Carr and Feit emphasize that mobility training targets both tissue extensibility and neuromuscular...

Functional Training Anatomy Summary Power Development: Plyometrics, Medicine Balls, and Weighty Implements

Carr and Feit emphasize that power training, focused on enhancing how quickly force is generated, is crucial for performing in athletics. They introduce various tools for building power—plyometrics, medicine balls, and weighted equipment—emphasizing their benefits for both acceleration and deceleration.

Force Rate Key to Developing Power

This section focuses on the concept of rate of force development, explaining how it underpins power generation in sports motions. The authors emphasize that it's crucial to select exercises and loads that optimize the balance between force and velocity, ultimately leading to greater power output.

Power: Product of Force and Speed

Carr and Feit remind the reader of the basic physics formula for power: It's equal to force multiplied by distance, divided by time. They highlight the interplay between force and velocity when developing power, explaining that while maximal force is achieved with heavy loads moved slowly, and maximal velocity is attained with light loads moved rapidly, peak power occurs at the intersection of the two. This concept, visualized in the force-velocity graph, guides exercise selection and load management for...

Functional Training Anatomy Summary Integrated Strength Training for Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core

Carr and Feit advocate for a strength training method that focuses on developing the whole body in a balanced and integrated manner. They emphasize the importance of addressing the shoulder area, lower body, and core musculature for optimal athletic output and injury prevention.

Upper-Body Strength Training Should Develop Shoulder Complex Muscles

This section emphasizes the importance of building balanced muscular strength throughout the shoulder muscles to improve athletic capabilities and avoid injuries. Carr and Feit highlight the crucial role of the muscles that stabilize the scapula and rotator cuff in supporting shoulder health, particularly for athletes involved in throwing, striking, and contact sports.

Rotator Cuff & Scapular Stabilizers Crucial for Shoulder Health

The authors discuss the muscles that make up the rotator cuff—subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and teres minor—and the muscles that stabilize the scapulothoracic joint, emphasizing their vital role in maintaining shoulder stability and health. They explain that these muscles work together to manage how the humerus (upper arm bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) move during dynamic...

Functional Training Anatomy Summary Applying Functional Training Principles to Designing Programs

This section provides practical guidelines for constructing functional resistance training regimens. Carr and Feit offer a clear progression for exercise sequencing, advocating for thoughtful exercise pairing and well-balanced programming that addresses every significant movement pattern.

Functional Training Programs Should Follow a Specific Progression

This section outlines the recommended progression for structuring functional exercise regimens, emphasizing the importance of using mobility drills to warm up and gradually increasing the intensity and complexity of exercises. The authors emphasize the importance of prioritizing exercises that require high neurological demands, such as plyometrics and power drills with heavy implements, before moving into more intense strength exercises.

Mobility Drills

Carr and Feit advocate for starting with drills to increase flexibility, such as articular rotations and active stretching, emphasizing their role in preparing the body for the more demanding activities to follow. Such drills enhance tissue extensibility, promote joint lubrication, and activate the nervous system, ensuring optimal movement quality and reducing the...