WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL PHYSICAL TRAINING?
Functional fitness training can be described as any program that includes exercises designed to mimic and/or help you perform daily tasks or activities safely and efficiently. Examples of these types of tasks or activities include loading and unloading furniture from a truck, or picking up your child and carrying him up the stairs.
Functional exercises are generally multi-joint movements that involve using upper and lower body muscle groups simultaneously while engaging the core.
For example, while an exercise like a dumbbell curl ONLY works the biceps and is performed in most cases for aesthetic purposes, an exercise like a dumbbell farmer’s walk trains the body to lift heavy objects off the ground correctly. , engaging the core, driving through the heels, then moving those heavy objects from point A to point B. Muscles worked: glutes, quads, hamstrings, upper traps, forearms, and core. Plus, it’s not a bad high-intensity cardio exercise either. In a real-world scenario, an exercise like this is much more likely to transfer to a common task, like carrying two heavy shopping bags from the store to your car.
SHOULD YOU INCORPORATE FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS INTO YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM?
Everyone can benefit from performing functional movements. Don’t wait until you slip a plate on your back trying to lift that 50-pound bag of dog food before you decide it’s time to learn how to deadlift properly. Lower back injuries are the most common, bothersome and recurring injuries in our society today. In fact, 31 million Americans experience low back pain at any given time. Experts estimate that up to 80% of the American population will experience a back injury at some point in their life. Knowing the reasons why people experience these injuries and training your body in ways that help you avoid them is something everyone can and should do.
If you are a bodybuilder, does it make sense to perform only functional movements in your routine? No. You will most likely opt for a split routine of some sort. However, for most everyone else, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom with two kids or the owner of a restored antique furniture store (I had to include some of my real-life customer examples here) , you need to know how to bend down properly and pick up your kids or your furniture, then pick them up properly and carry or carry them somewhere.
The answer for 99% of us is yes, at a minimum, the two fundamental functional movements, the squat and the deadlift, need to be incorporated somewhere in your program.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FUNCTIONAL PHYSICAL TRAINING?
- Reduced risk of injury.
- Greater ease of daily tasks.
- Safe, efficient and effective performance of common activities.
- Improved balance, agility and strength.
- Better life quality.
EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES
- Squats, deadlifts, lunges (all variations)
- Pushup Pull Up Dip
- swing with kettlebell
- carry dumbbells
- medicine ball strike
- box jumps
- sled push
- battle rope
- Core rotation exercises
- cable-machine
- medicine ball
- resistance bands
- body weight
- TRX Rip Trainer
Sincerely in Health,
Coach Brian Donovan
www.briandonovanfitness.com
