“The Definition of Functional Exercise is what it produces, NOT what it looks like”

This is an amazing quote by Gray Cook, who is an innovator in the exercise rehabilitation world. We couldn’t agree more with this.

At face value, you can easily fall into the logic trap that your exercise should look like how you want to function. We have to be cautious with this idea and a little more refined with our approach and terms.

There is a big difference between “looks like” vs. “exactly like.” If you design a movement that is a mirror image of what you want, then yes, you will be able to acquire some rudimentary benefit—probably, at best, a neurological efficiency thing. However, if it’s not the exact same movement, but somewhat close, your exercise selection runs the risk of negative transfer, overtraining, time wasting, and overreaching.

However, beyond basic practice, we often want to acquire more strength, stability, &/or power with a particular movement. This is where we often have to strip away pieces of said movement and isolate specific variables to enhance their outcome. This is where our “exercise” might look way less like our particular task, but it imposes a stress that causes an adaptation we desire. From here, the desired adaptation positively transfers to the skill in question.

This is why basic strength training will produce general and functional hypertrophy for your specific sport. Or specific stability training might help improve our functional task in question without looking like the sport you are playing.

In saying all that, if we look at what exercise should really mean…

“Exercise” is a specific activity that stimulates a positive physiological adaptation that serves to enhance fitness and health and does not undermine the latter in the process of enhancing the former. (McGuff, 2009)

Then not all “functional exercise” is really exercise. Some of the adaptations we need for a particular sport or skill may come at the risk of undermining health. Meaning “functional exercise” at the expense of your health shouldn't be called “exercise.” Perhaps we should be calling it “functional training” or skill-specific training.

To summarize, the best functional training isn't defined by how much it looks like your sport, but by how effectively it prepares you to perform it.