FUNCTIONAL TRAINING:
Functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercise programs which allow individuals to perform the activities 
of daily life more easily, reduce injury risk, and achieve fitness goals. Basically, they are exercises and programs that ‘make sense’ for the individual based on their work and leisurely physical activities.
Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation. Physical therapists often use this approach to retrain patients with movement disorders. Interventions are designed to incorporate task and context specific practice in areas meaningful to each patient, with an overall goal of functional independence. For example, exercises that mimic what patients did at home or work may be included in treatment in order to help them return to their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery. Thus if a patient’s job required repeatedly heavy lifting, rehabilitation would be targeted towards heavy lifting, if the patient were a parent of young children, it would be targeted towards moderate lifting and endurance, and if the patient were a marathon runner, training would be targeted towards re-building endurance. However, treatments are designed after careful consideration of the patient’s condition, what he or she would like to achieve, and ensuring goals of treatment are realistic and achievable.(1)
Functional training and corrective exercises often overlap. Think of ‘corrective exercises’ as the initial steps or building blocks that will allow the individual to perform the more complex, whole-body movements in ‘functional training’. Though we often perform functional training exercises with our patients to demonstrate safety and a minimal level of competency, our office is not a gym. We will 1) educate and demonstrate safe exercise technique 2) develop rehab/training programs to perform at home and 3) recommend trusted personal trainers and strength coaches in the area to continue your quest towards your fitness goals.
As mentioned before, functional training is fitness that ‘makes sense’ for the individual. We will not try to push a particular type of workout on our patients (i.e.- yoga, crossfit, pilates, running, etc). We will discuss the risks and benefits of the different forms of exercise and make recommendations based on your current state of health, current level of conditioning, preferred type of exercise, and your long-term goals.
1.Wikipedia.com