Gray Cook: Toe Touch Segment from Key Functional Exercises DVD

[@otpbooks]

I can use Dave. He had back surgery a few years ago and either waited too long for the surgery, or perhaps the surgeon nicked a nerve...not sure, but the muscles in the backs of his legs have atrophied and no longer activate well. His low back is extremely stiff now -- it's helping hold him upright.

[@CarlMarquis]

I don't understand how stiffness can be functional. Perhaps there is more to the story?

[@tomggabin5838]

Stiffness is functional because it's protective. Your body stiffens as a response to an overload. It's a red flag to let you know that you are not ready for this load. I'd say that has a functional characteristic. Functional in the sense that your body is warning you to decrease that load in order for you to continue functioning in an optimal zone. Your body wants to continue working and there are signs and signals that it generates when a threshold has been reached.