Testimonial on Functional Range Conditioning

From FRCms Scott Tribby…

“The first exposure I had to FRC and Dr. Spina was a short video clip of him performing some weird lateral lunge/crawl-like movement while holding a kettlebell. My first thought was “holy sh*t that’s awesome”, and the second was “I want to know what that guy knows!” Like many of you, as a strength coach I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to train that will yield greater results, both for myself and my clients. Many of us enjoy pushing our physical limitations to one degree or another, and so are drawn to demonstrations of advanced and difficult movements, feats of strength, acrobatics, etc. While definitely impressive, to the casual observer they are so far beyond attainability that they would never consider employing any of the training techniques those individuals used to get there. They view themselves as lacking the prerequisites and/or abilities to ever be able to perform such feats…and many are not interested in being able to in the first place.

Many people will first encounter FRC through a video similar to the one I saw, with someone performing one of the Flows or other complex movement drill. Mistakenly, this is what they will think FRC “is”…indeed, I have spoken to a number of individuals who’s first impressions were that it was related in some way to MovNat or Animal Flow. I quickly assured them that this is not the case, that FRC is rather a set of principles and techniques designed to be able to prepare your body to perform such movements safely and effectively. FRC is all about MOBILITY (defined as flexibility + stability), and the Flows and similar movements are simply the EXPRESSION of that mobility.

As strength coaches, trainers, and therapists we deal with populations that have a varying degree of abilities, limitations, as well as goals. These clients will both need and want to express mobility in a myriad of different ways…from athletic competitions and recreational activities to just normal every day endeavors. Regardless of their starting points, end goals, training age, biological age, physical limitations, etc, the one thing they need to know is the FRC IS FOR EVERONE! The basic foundation, CARs (as well as PAILs/RAILs), can literally be performed by anyone…they do not need to have mobility and strength levels that are “off the charts”. As long as they can move, they’re in.

At Ranfone Training Systems we’ve been implementing these foundational principles and techniques to vary degrees with clients over the past few months. The feedback we’ve received has been nothing short of outstanding, here just a couple of examples: First, a collegiate hockey player with severe hip FAI syndrome symptoms who was told he needed surgery. Instead, he embarked on an aggressive rehab program followed by strength and conditioning that included FRC methods, and is now pain free and performing better than he ever has. Second, a middle-aged client with a long history of back pain. This client has been training with us for the better part of a year with both successes and failures in terms of his back health and performance. After just a few sessions of nothing but FRC methods and additional movement drills, he reports feeling better than he has in a long time. Needless to say, we are excited about the ways in which FRC can and will be used with our client base.”