Reviewing Functional Patterns 10-week Online Program
- Harmonize Body Works
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
What is your reason for going to gym? Is it to reduce weight, or to be fit or to shape your body to look certain way?
For a long time, I’ve been looking for an exercise that focuses evenly through alignments, strength and balance within our unique upright human body. I’ve tried a few different types of exercises myself in the past 10 or more years, such as ‘The jungle body’, HIIT, Pilates for core, and a lot of gym and functional/mobility exercises.
After trying these exercises and treating different bodies as a remedial massage therapist for 8 years, I’m certain that a good exercise routine should target;
to strengthen our body to prevent injury,
to put our body in the most optimal alignment and maintain it,
and to balance our body symmetrically.
I felt that my routine was getting close from being ‘perfect’ but it just needed little more detail to work the body as a whole, not a separate isolated body parts. Then I came across ‘Functional Patterns’ on the Instagram, “fixing” peoples posture by balancing the biomechanics, and improving by basic yet detailed body movement as a one whole system. At that moment they had my interest, the massage therapist who bring back peoples body to its optimal state, so I had to try their 10-week online program!
What is the end goal of the FP 10-week online program?
On the Functional Patterns' website, they quote:
"At the end of the program, you will;
1. Create balanced tissues: Cover over 25 different tissue plasticity techniques and restore movement to parts of your body that area stuck and aren’t moving enough
2. Improve your posture: After balancing your tissues, we make sure your muscles are firing correctly so you can maintain a more symmetrical posture
3. Strengthen your joints and move pain free: Once you build a foundation with your posture, your body will be prepared to build muscle and move better all across the board. Making your muscles work for you, not against you"
Which I do agree that I feel less discomfort and pain than before, more aware of my daily posture, and targeting certain parts of my body in certain movement became easier.
What is covered in the program?
There are 3 phases in the whole of 10 weeks program. The first phase is broken down into 3 classes, focusing the release of myofascial by using tools such as massage ball, foam roll and massage cane. As it takes almost 1/3 of the program, they cover a lot of muscle groups (25 muscles) that are “usually effected” in common posture such as forward head posture, thoracic kyphosis, hyper lordosis, anteriorly shifted pelvis.
At this point, I knew remedial massage would be the great option to have if you're unsure how to release these muscles and where exactly needs to be pressured. If you're having problem with this phase, book your appointment!
Then the second phase has 1 class, going through those common postures that the body can have and being aware of how the body can shift, rotate, flex, and compensate.
The third phase is the getting into the hands-on exercise after releasing those muscles and being aware of your body. The 6 classes include core, thoracic, back of the body chain, activation of gluts and hip extension, rotation with resistance with rowing and press, then advance row & press. These simple yet complex exercises really get you to think to perfecting each precise movement that you make because these exercises aren’t your regular ‘go hard’ exercise and you need to be aware of your body placement, balance of the weight distribution, activating the correct muscles and also to BREATH! But because it’s so precise in detail and awaken your ‘sleeping’ muscles, after doing just one exercise make a big difference in your body.
How do I feel after 10-week online program?
There are few habits and exercise routine that has been changed.
Firstly, I’ve improved my posture by dropping the fear working out my shoulders and back. I was always afraid of strengthening upper trapezius, deltoids, and erector spinae muscle group because I thought I have ‘tightness’ in those muscles but turns out like most of my client, I had weakness in my upper traps, rhomboids and spinae muscles.
No more guessing! Now I know exactly which muscles to release, or strengthen when I start to feel ‘out’, but this will take time for each person to be aware of small changes to your body
Healthier mental state. I don’t feel like I have to ‘go hard or go home’ at gym, or the need to increase the lift weight every time I go to gym. I go to gym to feel better, feel mobile, feel aligned.
Do I recommend?
YES! If you want to “discover the blue print” of our body and improve, aware of our movement then it is definitely worth trying the 10-week online program!
Just be aware, you can ONLY do one week worth of classes at a time. Which did make me forget the next week but I wasn’t in a rush to finish the program so worked out for me!
At HBW, Seonkyo, our remedial massage therapist, is interested to further the study and provide you this type of exercise in the future integrating with the knowledge based on your massage therapy to “map-out” your body even directly to help and harmonize your body in the most efficient way! So, watch this space!
Written by Seonkyo Kim; Dip.RMT
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