First off, what is functional training?

Functional training is an exercise regime based on your daily activities! It’s the type of physical wellness that matters most and that you’ll get the most out of. Think of just daily living stuff, what kind of activities are involved in your workday or at home? Walking, twisting, bending, squatting, loading, pushing, pulling, even the occasional jog. Functional training focuses on multi-joint movements that involve areas like your knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, etc., making it an ideal program to stretch out and build those muscles for everyday wear and tear. It’s effective, it’s practical, it’s quick; welcome to functional training.

What functional training definitely isn’t.

While all forms of exercise may aid your body’s daily movements, not all forms of exercise are considered functional training. As Anytime Fitness puts it “a bench press is not considered a functional fitness exercise because it’s not an everyday movement for most people…unless you’re Christian Bale in Batman Begins and have to hoist a burning beam to save Wayne Manor, there aren’t many practical applications for a bench press”. It’s more about using your head, rather than brute force, while you’re in the gym. Targeting core areas that you know will see a lot of usage and focusing on great form. 

A helpful example:

A simple squat. Go ahead, try one out right now. Feels familiar doesn’t it? Like you’re getting into your car? Sitting down? Standing up? We do squats so often we hardly realize it anymore, I bet you’ve done more than a dozen just today. Try to up your rep next time you’re at a CINCOfit gym. With or without weight, it’ll be great practice for tomorrow and you can be sure to show off that form. 

Okay, but what’s in it for me?

Increased Balance and Stability: Hey, we know stuff happens. There are always gonna be obstacles to knock you off your balance or affect your stability during the day. Fitness isn’t about how we look, but how we live. Practicing functional training will keep you steady during those rocky moments.

Strength Training: Functional training builds on itself. The more stable your foundation, the stronger you are. Most machine exercises isolate muscle groups in an attempt to build mass. This is effective if you want to bulk up, but if you’re looking for practical everyday strength, a routine that focuses on stability in all muscles will get you better results. 

Decreased Risk of Injury: While increasing strength and stability, functional training simultaneously decreases risk of injury. Think about it, working on everyday movements with your back, core, and joints will necessarily make those areas stronger. Lifting boxes, picking up kids, taking those stairs instead of the elevator: all of it just became a whole lot safer. 

Finally… how to?

We’ve included one of our favorite functional workouts below. Follow these steps for an exercise routine guaranteed to improve your daily routine! Don’t hesitate to tell us about your results!