Functional Training Anatomy

Book Preface

Ever since I (Kevin) began my coaching career at Mike Boyle Strength and  Conditioning, I have made it my mission to improve the world’s understanding  of “functional training.” At its most simple, functional training is purposeful  training. It is training that is designed to support the human body in its daily  demands, whether in activities of daily living or in the high-stress environment  of competitive sports.

To understand functional training, you must first understand functional  anatomy. Having a firm grasp of how the anatomy of the human body works  is essential to building a complete functional training program. The way  anatomy functions on a cadaver lying flat on a table is not an accurate representation of how the body functions while people are on their feet, moving  dynamically. The context in which you learn anatomy matters, because it will  directly reflect on practical application.

Many of the traditionalist approaches to strength training are based on  “dead person anatomy,” overly focused on single-joint, machine-centered  exercises influenced by origin-insertion–based anatomy. Training influences  from bodybuilding and powerlifting lead many athletes astray, such that they  train solely for muscle size and strength with no thought of how this may  translate to their sport. Functional training, instead, is based on living, moving  anatomy with a focus on using multiplanar- and unilateral-based exercises  with the goal of improving function and carryover to sport.

The goal in this book is to provide a functional, anatomical guide to efficient  and effective training of the human body. Our hope is that athletes, coaches,  and fitness enthusiasts will read this book and as a result have a better understanding of how to build a functional training program for themselves and  others. The text in each chapter further explains the function of the anatomy  shown in the illustrations. The anatomical illustrations that accompany the  exercises are color coded to indicate the primary and secondary muscles and  the connective tissues featured in each exercise.

Every exercise in chapters 2 through 8 includes three icons that represent  the three planes of movement where an exercise may be performed—frontal,  transverse, or sagittal. An icon or icons will be highlighted if that exercise is  performed in the corresponding plane.

This book covers all aspects of a complete functional training program. We  start by discussing the importance of mobility training and the impact that it  has on movement quality, performance, and injury reduction. Next, we cover  the use of movement preparation drills to improve movement efficiency and  to warm up the body and prepare it for high-intensity activities. In chapter  4, we discuss how to perform and program plyometric and medicine ball  exercises to train athletes to create and absorb force. In chapter 5, we cover
heavy implement power development with the use of exercises like Olympic  lifts and kettlebell swings. In the strength training portion of the book, we  discuss all the movements that make up a complete training program, including  hip-dominant, knee-dominant, pushing, pulling, and core exercises. In the final  chapter, we show you how to put all these parts together to build a complete  functional training program to reduce injuries and improve performance