Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part II

Functional Training and Bushintai-Do

Functional training is the core method underlying the typical conditioning regimen of the martial arts. To help define functional training, we should differentiate it from traditional fitness training – the latter being the conventional wisdom that grew from the fitness boom of the 1980’s, and is gradually being replaced by more functional methods.

In traditional fitness training, emphasis is placed on isolation of specific muscles or muscle groups. Specific machines are designed to work specific muscles – athletes go from a machine that works quadriceps muscles, to a machine that works gluteus, to a machine that works hamstrings, to one that works calves, etc. This type of isolation, which forces the targeted muscle to do all of the work, is designed to induce hypertrophy, or muscle growth, under heavy work-loads. Under lower load and intensity of work, the muscles grow less, but achieve greater “tone”.

Traditional fitness training emphasizes “open chain” exercises. This means that the hand or foot performing the exercise is free to move. Open chain exercises typically isolate movement to one joint, and thus work load to one muscle. An example is the leg extension. Usually done in a seated position, the foot moves a weight that is placed far from the joint which performs the movement. The movement is performed almost solely by the quadricep muscles. This isolation can lead to rapid hypertrophy.

The horse stance is a compound (functional) movement.

In functional training, the emphasis is on movements not muscles. Muscle hypertrophy, which can be a by-product of functional training methods, is not the primary goal. Instead of isolation, functional training emphasizes compound movements and “closed chain” exercises. Closed chain exercises are those in which the hands or feet performing the exercise are in a constant, fixed position (usually on the ground). They work multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at once. An example is the squat or, in martial arts, the horse stance. Feet on the ground, weight (if any – body weight is often enough) is placed close to the upper body. Hip, knee, and ankle joints are all involved, so gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves are all working with this one exercise. More importantly, they are working in the way they are naturally used when walking, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, etc. In functional training, the various muscle groups, and the nerves which control them, are trained together in a natural, efficient sequence.

In sports and in the activities of daily living (ADLs), multiple joint and muscle movements are required to happen at once, or in rapid succession, with maximal efficiency. Functional training is the way to achieve this efficiency – and with it, maximal power, endurance, speed, and stability, and prevention of injuries.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc. 
Milton, Vermont

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, Part I

The CDC calls for 60 minutes of exercise per day for kids and teens. In one Vermont middle school, students get half of this in their classroom each day. “Exercise boosts brain power,” according to Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules (http://brainrules.net/), and this, along with the CDC recommendation, is the rationale behind the SIM (Spartans in Motion) Program at Winooski Middle School, in Winooski, VT. Each day, 11 classrooms (and part of the hallways) become high-intensity workout spaces for 150 or so middle-school students and their teachers.

Resistance bands are favorite part of circuit training.

The students perform 30 minutes of circuit training routines I developed along with the school’s Physical Education teacher. The exercises are low-tech but high-intensity – and low-cost. Each room was outfitted with a step, medicine ball, jump-ropes, agility rings, resistance bands, and juggling scarves, at a cost of about $70 per classroom (aerobics steps were available through the PE Department and other donors). The circuit format delivers maximum benefit with minimum cost, and in a short period of time and limited space. Most children, teens, and adults don’t need any of the complex fitness machinery found in most gyms. Simple body-weight and low-tech resistance exercises are often more functional, and every bit as challenging, as those utlizing traditional gym equipment.

Functional training is the name given to the relatively new focus that is transforming the fitness industry. The old model for fitness training, developed mostly in the 1970s, was based on body-building and long-distance running concepts. The average person, who was never going to be a competitive body-builder, was taught to do essentially the same workout as a body-builder would do - but with less weight. For cardio-vascular fitness, everyone performed a distance-runner’s workout, but with less distance.

Push the desks aside and make time for exercise.

Functional training, in comparison, has its origins in medical rehabilitation. The goal was to recover functional movement after injury or surgery, and thus recover the ability to perform ADLs – activities of daily living. The emphasis in functional training is on improving the quality of movements, not just on building the size of muscles. Soon, the billion-dollar professional sports industry recognized that more functional movement led not only to increased strength and speed for athletes, but also to fewer injuries. Functional training is now the predominant training concept applied by top-level pro and college athletic programs, and is crossing over into the fitness industry as a whole. Popular programs such as Cross-fit and P90-X employ functional training concepts. Even the look of the state of the art fitness center has changed – fewer treadmills, and more open floor space, fewer weight benches and more kettle-bells. In fact, the modern fitness center resembles the pre-1970’s model more than anything else – a lot of medicine balls, Indian clubs, climbing ropes and chin-up bars. Part II of this series, Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in the Classroom, will connect functional training and the classroom-based martial art of Bushintai-Do.

David Quinlan, Founder and Lead Instructor

Bushintai-Do Programs, Inc.

Milton, Vermont