Functional strength training has become a keyword in the fitness world, but if you are a personal trainer or an athlete, you may not be familiar with what it actually means. The ironic aspect of functional fitness is that you do not have to be an athlete, trainer or even an enthusiastic practitioner where you can use a functional fitness or benefit from you, since it is about movements and activities that you probably carry out every day.

What is functional strength training?

Forget to isolate muscle groups or to raise weights for aesthetics. Although it is technically a kind of fitness training, the functional strength training focuses on building strength that focuses on real movements such as wearing food, rising stairs or playing with your children or grandchildren.

While traditional strength training muscle groups are common, functional strength training explains the body by movement patterns, explains Jordan Duncan, DC. With functional exercises, you also work several muscle groups and replicate how your body moves naturally.

“You would like to think about how your body naturally moves every day-symptoms such as squats, lungs, chops and elevators, patterns that contain and wear hip characters,” he says. “These movements contain global movement patterns as well as balance, proprioceptive training and diaphragm.”

The ultimate goal of functional strength training is to use or train time in the gym to improve your own life outside of it.

Advantages of functional strength training

Functional training exercises at the same time target several muscle groups and suspect these everyday movements. This approach builds up strength, improves balance and coordination and improves flexibility – everything significantly for the easy navigation of everyday life. Here you will find a breakdown of some important advantages of functional strength training.

Makes the daily activities easier

The activities with which you are commissioned daily or weekly how to wear food, bend to bend your shoes, to raise your children or grandchildren, to take out the garbage, to wear your laundry, etc. . Functional strength training focuses on the muscles with which you move with more trust, control and lightness during these activities.

Increases nuclear power

Your core is your body’s power package and offers stability and support for all your movements. It includes your pelvis, your lower back, your hips and your stomach (ABS) and is involved with almost everything you do on a functional basis. Functional exercises often involve your core muscles in a natural way, strengthen and improve your attitude, explains the health and wellness trainer Marvin Nixon, MS, NBC-HWC, CPT. “This leads to better support, reduced back pain and a more stable basis for all your movements, from bending to playing with your children,” he says.

Gives you a metabolic substance

Through functional strength training, you build muscles, which of course burn more calories in peace compared to adipose tissue. The more muscles you have, the higher (albeit slightly) your resting metabolism rate (RMR), which means that you burn more calories in the idle state. Since functional strength training exercises are often quite intense and include many muscle groups, increase the demand for your body’s oxygen system. In other words, long after your training your body continues to fill your oxygen storage and repair the muscle tissue in a process that is called excess oxygen consumption after training (EPOC).

Improves balance and coordination

Nixon notes many dynamic exercises that you could carry out during a functional strength training unit and improve your muscles and improve your flexibility and reactionability. “Over time, this leads to a better balance in everyday life, from self -confident walking on the street to the expression of sport and activities,” he says. A study published in Sports medicine found a direct connection between strong balance and improved motor skills.

Who should do functional strength training?

Dr. Duncan explains that functional strength training can be scaled in order to meet the capacities of a variety of people. “While athletes often need exercises to improve speed, electricity and sport -specific skills, older adults can benefit from exercises that improve their ability to get to bed, get over us and go to the block,” he says.

Anyone who is recovering from a recent injury, especially when it comes to muscles, bones or ligaments, should initially hold the functional strength training and follow your doctor’s recommendations before starting a training program. The last thing you want to do is to emphasize the area, to delay the healing or to cause further injuries.

In addition, people with certain diseases such as serious arthritis, osteoporosis or uncontrolled heart disease may require modifications or alternative exercises. Contact a doctor or a physiotherapist before starting functional strength training routine to ensure that it is safe and suitable for your condition.

Functional strength training exercises

The nice thing about functional training is its versatility – you can do functional strength training exercises almost anywhere with very little or no device. Here are some popular types of strength training exercises.

Push -ups

This classic body-weight exercise strengthens your chest, shoulders and triceps all muscles that you use when you perform daily tasks. Working these muscles by carrying out push -ups leads to better overall strength and functions in everyday movements such as pushing open doors, wearing food or playing with their children. Variations such as push -ups or deposits of pushups can be aimed at different muscle groups.

Squat

Kniebugen work their legs, core and gluts muscles. While you are painful during training, you actually make you a bin in your daily life (remember to choose things from the ground or get out of a chair). Nixon notes that squats can help build muscles, improve their core and even increase the bone density. You can add variations such as jumping squats or pistol gags to get an additional challenge.

Rash

Lung exercises imitate everyday activities such as climbing stairs or getting out of your car and practicing pages. There are many variations, such as going from lungs, backwards of lungs and Bulgarian split squats.

boards

Boards can be difficult to keep, but this isometric exercise strengthens its core, your back and shoulders, which you all use on a functional basis. Since your deep abdominal muscles (transverse abdominis), rectus abdominis (“six-pack”) and obliques (muscles on the sides of your upper body) include isometrically, you can help with everything from better posture and reduced back pain to improved stability.

Ranks

Rows that imitate the movement of the rowing of a boat work with your back muscles, especially your LATS (the widest muscles in your upper back) and rhomboids (the muscles between your shoulder blades). A strong back is crucial for a good posture, supports your spine and prevent the slouch. In addition, strong back muscles improve the goat performance, which benefits various activities and sports, Nixon.

Dumbbell exercises

With dumbbell exercises you can train each side of your body independently and imitate bilateral movements that are used in everyday activities. They engage several muscle groups at the same time and can help improve their balance, stability and area of ​​movement. During home training, adjustable dumbbells are an intelligent way to gradually increase the resistance in building muscles and strength.

Barbell exercises

Langbar exercises include movements that simultaneously incorporate several muscle groups, such as cross lifting, pressing, ranks and squats that imitate all movements in everyday life. You can save time by carrying out barbell exercises as part of your functional strength training routine, as you aim at several muscle groups at the same time.

First steps with functional strength training

Here you will find experts tips that help you go on your functional strength training trip.

• Rate your fitness level and your goals: Before a fitness regime begins, it is a good idea to be realistic where you are on your fitness trip. Are you a complete beginner or do you have experience with movement? In this way you can determine the intensity and complexity of exercises that you can use to start.
• Consult a specialist: Consider to set professional help to get you on the way and to design a personalized program that is tailored to your goals. This can help to follow the correct shape and ultimately avoid injuries.
• Concentrate on shape over weight: You want to make sure that you have the movement patterns well under control to make the necessary corrections, Dr. Duncan. “You should make sure you breathe properly throughout the movement and you can do exercises without pain,” he says. “This can require coaching or feedback, but a careful eye can usually select errors in the technology.” Wearing the right fitness shoes can help promote better performance and reduce the risk of injuries.
• Gradually increase intensity: As soon as you feel comfortable with different body weight exercises such as squats, lungs, push-ups, boards and rows, you can increase the difficulty-but it is wise to do this gradually. You can do this by adding variations, increasing repetitions or sentences or adding lightweights such as dumbbells. You can also consider entering a vibration plate in the mixture to improve muscle growth and to improve strength in a shorter time.
• Stay consistent. Nixon recommends reaching 2-3 strength training units per week that enable the workouts to rest and restore. One way to promote consistency is to divide your workouts – a training buddy and add the music to do the mood right.