When “functional training” stops being a slogan

Functional training is probably one of the most used - and least understood - terms in modern training.
In recent years it has become an undefined container: spectacular exercises, unstable surfaces, high-intensity circuits, often without any real logic of progression.

It is precisely from this ambiguity that Tiago Proença's speech at the StrongFirst Summit of Strength 2026 in Cesena started.

His aim was not to propose yet another “functional” variant, but to address a much more concrete issue:
how to transform a vague idea of training into a structured, teachable and progressive system.

From functional training as a label to functional training as a system

The heart of the intervention is encapsulated in one clear sentence:

“The BASE System was created to take our students from beginner to advanced level in a simple, practical, and organised way.”

The point is not to invent new exercises.
The point is to build a grammar of training, capable of guiding the learner over time.

In this perspective, “functional” ceases to be an aesthetic or a fashion and becomes an educational system.

It is a vision perfectly in line with the StrongFirst culture and the SIDEA philosophy:
less randomness, more structure;
less variety for its own sake, more progression.

BASIS: four principles, one clear structure

The model proposed by Proença is based on four fundamental principles:

• B - Base of training outside machines
  Force building starts from free contexts, not constrained by machines.
• A - Analysis of functional movement based on multi-joint exercises
  Movement is analysed through multi-joint exercises.
• S - Strength synergy focused on multi-joint exercises
  Strength is a synergy between segments, not the sum of isolated muscles.
• E - Evolution through movement patterns
  Progression occurs through pattern evolution, not just by increasing the load.

This last point is probably the most relevant:
the quality of movement becomes the real driver of progression.

From beginner to advanced learner: STDs

The system organises the pathway through the Stages of Training Development (STD) :

• Stage 1 - Strength School
  Educational phase, oriented towards pattern learning
• Stage 2 - Transition
  Consolidation of fundamentals and introduction of intermediate tests (8-15 RM)
• Stage 3 - Advanced
  Specific strength work (1-6 RM) and advanced programming

The classification is not only based on strength, but also on:

• experience
• preferences
• degree of commitment

This is a key aspect:
not all learners evolve in the same way, and not all are ready for the same kind of load or complexity.

Warm-up as a system, not a ritual

One of the most interesting passages concerns heating.

In the BASE System, the warm-up is not a generic phase, but a structure organised around specific joint functions:

• glenohumeral mobility
• scapular stability
• thoracic mobility
• lumbar stability (front and rear)
• hip mobility
• knee stability
• ankle mobility
• integrated exercises

The result is a real decision-making grid:

it is no longer a question of “warming up”,
but to prepare the body for the session.

This approach makes the warm-up:

• replicable
• modular
• consistent with the main work

Movement patterns: the true unity of training

The system is based on a classification of 16 movement patterns, plus 3 anti-movement patterns for the core. .

These include:

• push and pull (horizontal and vertical)
• knee and hip dominance (symmetrical, asymmetrical, unilateral)
• column movements
• core stabilisations (anti-extension, anti-rotation, anti-lateral flexion)

This approach radically changes the way of programming.

We no longer reason by exercises, but by families of movement.

The advantage is twofold:

1. avoids random programming
2. allows more precise and consistent progressions

From simple to complex: the logic of progression

A very clear example presented during the intervention is the deadlift progression:

• kettlebell deadlift
• trap bar deadlift
• conventional deadlift

The principle is simple, but fundamental:

complexity is not anticipated, it is constructed.

Moving from more accessible and self-organising exercises
to variants requiring greater control and load tolerance.

It is not just an increase in intensity.
It is an increase in competence.

Critical analysis: what makes the BASE System interesting

The main value of the model is not absolute originality.

Many of its elements - patterns, progressions, multi-joint work - are already present in other training systems.

The point is another:

the BASE System organises what is often applied in a haphazard manner.

In this sense:

• does not invent exercises
• does not introduce completely new concepts
• but provides a clear operational structure

And this, in daily practice, makes all the difference.

Practical implications for technicians and coaches

Some concrete indications emerge from the intervention:

• functional training is only useful if it becomes a progression, not a label
• the warm-up can be a technical tool, not an automatic routine
• multi-joint patterns represent a true school of movement
• access to advanced work must be constructed, not anticipated

In summary:
without a structure, even the best exercise loses its meaning.

Conclusion

Tiago Proença's intervention brought functional training back onto more concrete ground: that of structure.

The BASE System does not propose an alternative version of force,
but a more orderly way of teaching it.

For those working in the gym, the message is clear:

it is not the choice of exercise that makes the difference,
but the ability to fit it into a coherent progression.

And it is precisely here that many systems fail -
not for lack of ideas, but for lack of structure.

The goal is to bring order to the chaos!