When people think of fitness, the image that comes to mind is usually that of crash diets and grueling exercises at the gym. We imagine bikini bodies and ripped bodybuilders. The truth is not everyone who looks great has the ability to perform even daily activities with ease. That’s where the term “functional fitness” comes in.
Put simply, functional fitness refers to exercises that improve your strength, balance, coordination, and range of motion. It includes simple, full-body movements that mimic actions you perform in daily life — like pulling, pushing, twisting, squatting, and lifting. This is the foundation of functional fitness.
Here are some important fundamentals.
View this post on Instagram
Functional Fitness is Tailored to Fit Your Goals
If you’re a soccer player and want to increase your endurance and lower body strength, functional fitness is for you.
If you’re pregnant and want to stay healthy while your baby grows strong, functional fitness is for you.
If you’re a senior citizen and want to more easily get up and down the stairs, functional fitness is for you.
Whether you want more energy, a stronger frame, to combat joint and muscle pain, or something else entirely, you stand to benefit from functional fitness. It can be tailored and scaled for literally anyone.
It’s Training for Life
While some people work out so they can rock that amazing dress at the next party or turn heads at the beach (which is A-OK), functional fitness is about training for life in general. Functional fitness workouts are great for those who want to get fit for health reasons — although you’ll still get the added benefit of looking pretty darn good.
Simple goals, such as being able to walk up flights of stairs without having to catch your breath, are possible with functional fitness.
View this post on Instagram
Functional fitness forces you to go back to the basics and build strength from a foundational level. For instance, while the added weight of barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells, is sometimes needed, many of the movements involved are often bodyweight exercises.
It Helps With Coordination, Balance, and Power
As mentioned earlier, functional fitness can also help with your coordination and balance, since it teaches your different muscle groups how to work together. There are many daily activities that could use some help in this department. Plus, you can increase your flexibility and your range of motion through functional fitness exercises.
View this post on Instagram
Power is also something that is important in daily life. This can be developed with exercises that involve quick, explosive movements. Increased power can help you prevent yourself from falling, reach to catch something that has been dropped before it crashes on the ground, and run up a flight of stairs during emergencies.
Functional fitness has the power to change lives, and it’s already helped millions of people. Find a gym you like and a coach you trust, and enjoy the many benefits it offers.
