Starting from the assumption that every athletic gesture and sport in general should always create and seek positive and lasting effects in the daily life of each of us, through new and unique highly performing and rewarding work schemes, we have tried to develop a program training aimed at improving the multiple abilities and qualities of the organism. By stimulating the body to react positively to all those inputs that affect reactivity, performance, strength, endurance, musculoskeletal conditioning and motor coordination, the he is obliged again to operate and cooperate in complete synergy and in a global way with himself.
The strategies adopted have in fact made it possible to create a work model without application limits, ideal for muscle and heart conditioning, very effective for improving the psycho-physical well-being of all those who practice it. Thanks to the "use of an innovative teaching method - also enhanced by one's own imagination and by many specific tools introduced on the market by some companies specialized in the sector (figure a) -" functional training "took shape, which established the body as the" to be a "single great entity, restoring complete functionality to the kinetic chains during the performance of each daily movement.
With functional training we operate by means of principles that range from:
-from the awareness and constant control of posture, joints and all bone segments during each movement, in search of maximum muscle synergy,
- from the involvement of the body on all planes of movement in space therefore; the frontal, sagittal, transverse one, to the stimulation of the proprioceptive receptors during all the destabilization exercises of the body created with reduced or unstable support bases.
Among the fundamental characteristics of this specific physical activity is the research, protection and enhancement by any means of strengthening the abdominal belt and paravertebral muscles (figure b), which take on great importance in the functional path, participating in improving overall physical efficiency. during workouts.
The abdominal muscles are in fact arranged as a four-sided corset also identified as "Core", which covers the front of the torso, from the sternum and ribs to the pubic bone, and extends around the pelvic girdle.
Specifically, we can identify:
- The rectus abdominis: a long and flat muscle located on the front of the abdomen, from the sternum to the pubis, on the sides of an imaginary midline; it has the task of flexing the spine as when bending or bending forward; moreover, it protects and supports the organs contained in the abdomen.
- The external oblique: a muscle instead with oblique fibers that goes from the lower part of the rib cage to the iliac crests. Its task is to flex the trunk to the side and make it rotate as in twisting.
- L "internal oblique: a muscle that is in the same position as the external oblique but has fibers directed in the opposite direction. Together, these muscles work synergistically, jointly operating in identical actions.
- The transversus of the abdomen: a muscle that is located under the two muscles previously listed; it has its fibers arranged transversely, participates in the assistance of the oblique abdominal muscles and contains the bowels.
-the square of the loins: composed of two muscles that are located on the sides of the spine and that go from the last rib to the iliac crests, on the front, it helps all the other muscles to perform their functions.
By significantly improving the muscle tone of the corset, it will improve the stability of the "Core", which by being stronger and toned will help increase sensitivity, awareness and connection between the extremities of the body (torso, pelvis, legs), decreasing and reducing the useless dispersion of forces and daily energies.
The functional system par excellence - in any context it will be practiced, that is, inside a modern, particularly equipped structure (figure c), or simply in any "open" place (figure d) - must contain all those possible actions that allow a excellent management of kinetic chains and good physical conditioning to train the body to perform all that daily life requires.
Therefore, by inserting dynamic, safe, short, intense exercises and small circuits with variable intensities, the workouts can be organized for multiple objectives and must be designed according to multi-joint and multi-directional movements, by means of alternating actions of speed, resistance, plyometrics , agility and sprint, including destabilization, balance and motor coordination exercises (figures e - f).
For a sportsman looking for new performances, new functional adaptations or simply to get back in shape in a short time, this may be the best physical activity to open the mind again to training methods and didactic methods from the new concept of fitness, leading to great personal satisfaction and results never hoped for before, even in other competitive sports. Due to its specific characteristics and its effectiveness, functional training will have no limits of application (always remembering that there is no perfect program and that every exercise or method of training must always be adapted and personalized to each individual) and can be revised, modified, resized and corrected, whenever desired, with the aim of truly becoming an irreplaceable and useful "training" workout over time. requests of all those competitive and amateur sports disciplines that require a continuous ada ctacting new and performance stimuli.
To plan a functional training, it will be necessary to evaluate the level of athletic preparation of the subject, which can be divided into:
- beginner,
- intermediate,
- advanced,
and the variables, which will be:
- the type of work (time or repetitions)
- the working time (not exceeding 20 - 30 minutes in total)
- the recovery time
- the speed of execution
- the progression of the load
- the choice of exercises
- the combination of exercises
- the planes of movement (frontal - sagittal - transverse).
Always bearing in mind that the main objective will remain the specific request of the customer, it must not be lacking in practice the search for the improvement of all those structural deficiencies highlighted by the subject in the course of each individual work out. "Even a highly trained athlete who will work to improve his specific discipline with advanced methods and exercises, may have certain deficiencies that will force him to train (depending on an increase in psycho-physical conditioning), with beginner level exercises. or intermediate ". The final result, to be satisfactory, will have to produce multiple improvements, which will have to be reflected in everyday life, helping individuals to better distribute their energies, giving a different shape to all activities, making them more active, dynamic, tireless and quick whenever necessary.
