Functional movement

Nick | 02/03/2014 | 3

“Functional movement” gets thrown around alot in the fitness community, especially in CrossFit.  But what does it mean?  I mean, technically, any movement is functional as long as it accomplishes the desired task, right?

To us, functional movements are those that get us moving our bodies or external loads into certain positions or distances as the goal rather than to specifically work one or two muscle groups.  Don’t get me wrong, some movements with engage different parts of us than others, but the goal is not to make our biceps bigger (despite what Lemus’ arms might tell you).  The goal is to teach our body and mind to work together to complete a task.  This is one of the reasons I love sandbag work so much – it’s all about getting the job done.  A sandbag clean will never be as technical as a 1rm barbell clean, but it still does us a world of good.  So while you’re crawling around on the ground dragging a bag with you wondering what the heck your doing down there, remember this: excercising our mind-body communication is one of the most important training stimuli we can seek out, especially if we want our program to have any real longevity.  So enjoy your time dragging it around.  In the end, which item resembles more something you’re more likely to have to move on a daily basis: a barbell or a sandbag?

Skill:

12 minutes ME handstand hold

WOD:

6 rounds
Sandbag TGU
25′ SB carry (on shoulder)
10 SB cleans (over shoulder)
25′ SB drag (athletes choice, front/back)
5 burpees