Functional Training
Not all of us live and breathe fitness, but we do it so we can be stronger, healthier and improve our quality of life. Exercise supports us to continue doing the things we love, and functional training is an effective way to train for this.
What is functional training?
Functional training is exercise which helps you with everyday activities. It focuses on muscles to work together which simulate movements that you do at home or work. Some examples may be:
Carrying heavy objects such as groceries
Getting up and down from the floor/chairs
Reaching items on high or low shelves
Walking up and down stairs
Why is it good for you?
Functional fitness is great way to stay active. It can reduce restlessness and improve overall quality of life. Because functional training simulates activities in our daily lives, it strengthens the muscles we use on a regular basis, making everyday activities easier.
Because we have strengthened these muscles, our risk of injury is reduced. Functional training improves balance and agility which reduces your chances of trips or falls. It also combats ordinary sprains and strains which many of us have experienced from everyday activities.
How do I get started?
Would you be surprised that the founder of Full Function Fitness is an advocate for functional training? Tailoring training programs for functional fitness is our specialty and I would be happy to customise one for you.
However there are some simple exercises you can do at home without professional equipment. Using your body weight exercises is a great place to start. Once you build up your strength, you can move to increase the resistance with weights or resistance bands.
Here are three simple exercises you can try at home:
Wall Squat
Squats emulate sitting on a chair and can help to reduce lower back pain.
Place your back again a wall with your feet one step apart
Bend your knees and begin to squat down, pressing your back against the wall
Lower yourself by sliding down the wall until you are in a seated position
Push through your heels and extend your legs to return to a standing position
Plank
Core strength is vital in functional fitness. Plank improves your mobility and balance, and emulates getting up off the floor.
Start on the floor on all fours
Lower yourself onto your elbows, placing them directly under your shoulders with your hands on the floor in front
Extend your legs and rest on your toes. Your body should be in a straight line from head to toe
Engage your core and hold for as long as you can
Stationary Lunge
Lunges imitate getting up from the ground or an exaggerated walking pattern and can strengthen your quadriceps which helps to stabilise your knee and hip joints.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and split your stance by taking a large step backward. Your legs should form a triangle
Keeping your feet still, lunge forward onto your front leg
When your front leg is at a 90o angle, extend your legs to return to a standing position
