Form Follows Function

Through training and working out hard myself I definitely see all ranges of form and the break downs that happen. Seeing a wide range of exercises and workout sessions, and the comments that are made about them, it’s obvious that some people do not understand that form or technique follows the purpose of that specific moment in time, in other words your form follows the function.

In college I got my degree in Physical Education, and I am licensed kindergarten through high school. While in school I had an amazing professor, Kristi Mally PhD, she has a ton of responsibilities at University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, but I learned about motor development and how different variables affected that development. Does that make sense? Motor or movement development does not stop when we leave school, especially if you have started exercising and doing movements that you’re not familiar with. This also goes with movements you have done before. We are always learning and adapting and research has shown it takes 10,000 hours to become a master of a movement. So let’s just assume that 99 percent of us are not masters of all our exercises, and that includes me. Let me go back to Dr. Mally, she published an article outlining how form follows function. It was like a light bulb went off, the concept is so simple and makes so much sense, and I wondered how it hadn’t occurred to me earlier.

Her concept of form follows function works like this; the technique of the movement is directly tied to what is being asked of the individual performing the movement. Is the goal to have perfect form? Or to race to the finish? Or to find your 1 rep max deadlift? Or to have perfect form? What is the goal you want to achieve because it will matter and will affect your form. I have worked technique for hours and normally the weight stays in the 35 to 65% of my one repetition maximum range but there are also times that I go and find what I can do for 100%. Does the form look the same? No. Yes, I want my 100% technique to look the same as 35% but it just won’t happen.

The reason this is such a big deal is because people see the 100% technique in photos and in videos and think they are lifting like that all the time or maxing out every day, and that is just not the case. We build the muscles through great form with light to moderate weights so we can make that grand attempt at heavy ones. In my profession I work with a range of clients on fitness and it is just as important to monitor the form as it is to move the weight. If I told you to jog from a to b on your own, concentrate on cues I have given you over the last couple of weeks, your form would look like a world class sprinter in slow motion. Now, imagine I told you to sprint from a to b against me, I hope the techniques carries over but sometimes it breaks down and you know what it’s not good but it’s OK.

Remember that your form follows your function. What is your goal? Think about it and I’ll talk to you soon.

Jason Through training and working out hard myself I definitely see all ranges of form and the break downs that happen. Seeing a wide range of exercises and workout sessions, and the comments that are made about them, it’s obvious that some people do not understand that form or technique follows the purpose of that specific moment in time, in other words your form follows the function.

In college I got my degree in Physical Education, and I am licensed kindergarten through high school. While in school I had an amazing professor, Kristi Mally PhD, she has a ton of responsibilities at University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, but I learned about motor development and how different variables affected that development. Does that make sense? Motor or movement development does not stop when we leave school, especially if you have started exercising and doing movements that you’re not familiar with. This also goes with movements you have done before. We are always learning and adapting and research has shown it takes 10,000 hours to become a master of a movement. So let’s just assume that 99 percent of us are not masters of all our exercises, and that includes me. Let me go back to Dr. Mally, she published an article outlining how form follows function. It was like a light bulb went off, the concept is so simple and makes so much sense, and I wondered how it hadn’t occurred to me earlier.

Her concept of form follows function works like this; the technique of the movement is directly tied to what is being asked of the individual performing the movement. Is the goal to have perfect form? Or to race to the finish? Or to find your 1 rep max deadlift? Or to have perfect form? What is the goal you want to achieve because it will matter and will affect your form. I have worked technique for hours and normally the weight stays in the 35 to 65% of my one repetition maximum range but there are also times that I go and find what I can do for 100%. Does the form look the same? No. Yes, I want my 100% technique to look the same as 35% but it just won’t happen.

The reason this is such a big deal is because people see the 100% technique in photos and in videos and think they are lifting like that all the time or maxing out every day, and that is just not the case. We build the muscles through great form with light to moderate weights so we can make that grand attempt at heavy ones. In my profession I work with a range of clients on fitness and it is just as important to monitor the form as it is to move the weight. If I told you to jog from a to b on your own, concentrate on cues I have given you over the last couple of weeks, your form would look like a world class sprinter in slow motion. Now, imagine I told you to sprint from a to b against me, I hope the techniques carries over but sometimes it breaks down and you know what it’s not good but it’s OK.

Remember that your form follows your function. What is your goal? Think about it and I’ll talk to you soon.

Jason