I just
returned to my hotel room after spending the past two days learning the
Functional Range Conditioning method of mobility and joint training. If you are unsure of what that is, below is
the website where you can find more information:
Below I will provide a brief review about the course. In the first part, my review will be directed
towards instructors in the fitness industry thinking about taking this
course. The second part of the review
will be directed to the client that may be thinking of going to a Functional
Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms) for coaching.
For the Coach:
First of
all, I purposefully traveled up to Woburn, MA for this course for 1 reason. Dr.
Andreo Spina (the creator of the method) was teaching this course and I believe
it’s extremely valuable to learn from a primary source. Dr. Spina surely did not disappoint. It is very powerful stuff when you hear a
person talk about something they themselves created. It is a system he believes in, practices
daily, and knows like the back of his hand.
His assistants were great and I do not want to take anything away from
them but I believe once things get passed down, personal interpretation can
change the way the message is delivered.
As for the
course and content of it, the information provided is so valuable that I would
recommend that this be the next course any fitness instructor or coach
takes. If it is your job to produce a
better functioning human being, take this course!
Pros:
1.
It teaches you a system of how to create a
healthier and more mobile joint rather than a bunch of exercises given to you
to try with your clients.
2.
It can be modified for any demographic because
it is a system and NOT just a bunch of exercises
3.
It is based upon the two most important
principles of human exercise physiology: SPECIFICITY & PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
4.
It will get you outside of your comfort zone on
how to think about movement or what you think you know about the human body.
5.
You get access to all the online material (live
lectures of the seminar) on the website so you can continuously review after
the 2 day seminar. *This may be one of my favorite parts because
its so ridiculous to think that a student could remember everything that they
learn in 2 day seminar and try to put it into practice*
Cons:
(kind of)
1.
You need to be an intelligent trainer/coach to
use this stuff. You are not going to
learn how to program this stuff into an existing routine. You know why?
Because that’s your job as a trainer or coach to decide what, and how
much of this your clients need.
2.
Some of the information is going to conflict
what you think you know. This is only a
con if you’re a person who is closed-minded, stubborn, and unwilling to
learn. However, if you enjoy making
decisions based off various information from multiple sources this will surely
not be a con.
3.
This shit is hard and it will make you feel like
all the training you’ve done has been a waste of your time.
For The Client:
This
section will be directed toward clients who are thinking of going to an FRCms
provider. (Please note, I have not
worked with any clients using these principles yet but I do have 10 years
experience as a trainer doing a bunch of different modalities and systems and
think I have a clear understanding of how clients will respond.)
Pros:
1.
If your goal is to increase your usable ranges
of motion in your joints and for your joints to remain healthy (or get
healthy), I believe this is the most scientific backed way to do it.
2.
It feels amazing. Seriously, most of you don’t move your joints
in all the ways they can move and when you do, you will be like “WOW!”
3.
Its focused on specific joints, which can yield
results, you want relatively quickly!
4.
You can decide how far you want to go down the
rabbit hole. It is a system and if you
tell your provider that I want this amount of motion and that’s all, the system
can be made to fit your specific mobility goals.
5.
You don’t need any equipment and you can do it
anywhere, in any clothing….even at work!
Cons (kind of):
1.
Parts of it are hard. Strength training itself is hard, but now
when you focus on end range strength training, its really hard.
2.
It’s not sexy.
No one on Instagram is going to like pictures of you doing joint work.
3.
It’s very focused. A lot of people like to workout so they don’t
have to focus (in my opinion this is a terrible idea) on their life for an
hour. They like full body, task
oriented, high intensity movements that crush their souls for 1 hour. This will surely crush your soul but in a
different manner.
I literally just got back to my
hotel and wrote this so it is not a long thought out review. It’s an immediate after thought. I’m sure I’m missing some stuff and
forgetting some stuff. I plan on running
a 12 week program in which I use the concepts I learned this weekend to
increase my active range of motion in a few joints (tbd) which will be the
subject of a later blog. I’m Sure this
will give me greater insight on how I feel about the system and can update you
then.
What
I do know, is this: the seminar is easily worth the price of admission and if
you are a client who has achy joints or who wants increased range of motion in
any of your joints or an athlete looking to perform better, YOU NEED TO AT
LEAST TRY THIS STUFF OUT!
