Why Functional Fitness Should Be Part of Your Workout Routine
Functional fitness is a popular form of training for its ability to enhance everyday task performance with ease and efficiency. Functional training decreases the chance of injury, increases muscle strength, and improves flexibility by emphasising movements that closely resemble everyday activities, whether it’s playing with your children, carrying groceries, or climbing stairs.
Keep reading to find out the benefits of training functionally and explore the different types of functional exercise that you can incorporate into your own exercise regime!
Functional Fitness Explained
Functional fitness is determined to be any form of physical activity that prepares the body to handle real-world activities. This is because training functionally takes care of our intrinsic need to move and be able. The idea behind functional fitness is to train your body in such a way that your muscles can more efficiently cooperate in producing complicated movements while keeping you safe, at any age.
By performing what are known as multi-joint exercises in functional fitness workouts, such as squats, deadlifts and lunges, you engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. These functional movements not only boost stability and balance but also strengthen your core through progressive overload. Your enhanced core strength helps you stay coordinated in dynamic situations – like when you need to avoid tripping over little Johnny’s LEGO bricks on the floor! Lifting, bending, reaching and twisting actions become easier and more efficient. Not to mention that strengthening your core will also promote better posture and alignment, which in the long-run can alleviate discomfort and prevent long-term spinal issues.
Functional training also promotes muscle growth by countering muscle atrophy – the loss of muscle mass – and helps older adults maintain muscle mass. This is important for preventing physical impairments later in life, according to the European Review on Ageing and Physical Activity.
Now that you know all the benefits to functional fitness, why not take the plunge, and get stuck into some of the exercises outlined below?
Getting Started
Creating a functional fitness workout programme involves selecting exercises that mimic real-life activities. A well rounded functional fitness programme should include a combination of weighted exercises, cardiovascular training and flexibility routines.
If, however, you are new to functional fit workouts, bodyweight exercises are a great choice to begin with. These types of exercises build the foundation for overall strength and have a lower risk of injury compared to traditional weight training, according to Spartan Training.
Bodyweight Functional Exercises:
– Planks
– Push-ups
– Squats
– Lunges
– Single Deadlifts
– Supermans
– Burpees
Once you have mastered the above exercises with proper form, it is safe to progress to adding in weights into your functional fitness routine. You may consider exercises like:
– Weighted lunges
– Standing shoulder presses
– Single Rows
– Weighted Squats
– Traditional deadlifts
– Weighted sit-ups
Our Recommended Functional Fitness Workout Programme:
Monday – HIIT
Tuesday – Bodyweight Exercises
Wednesday – Rest or Yoga
Thursday – Kettlebell Training
Friday – Cardio and Core
Saturday – Functional Strength Classes (e.g.,MyPT The Studio)
Sunday – Rest
Having proper warm-up and cool-down sessions are important for injury prevention. Warm-ups can include dynamic stretching or light cardio, while your cool-downs may focus on static stretching.
It’s also essential to included cardiovascular exercises for a well-rounded functional training regimen. Options like swimming, waling, cycling, climbing, or running can be excellent choices.
In fact, many classes blend strength training with cardiovascular exercises to provide a comprehensive workout that addresses all aspects if fitness, combining both strength, and the gym health benefits.
Finding a Functional Fitness Gym Near You
Attending functional fitness classes will make it easier to maintain consistency in your fitness journey as they offer structured guidance and motivation.
If you’re looking for a nearby functional fitness gym there are plenty of resources to help you. Start by searching ‘gyms nearby’ on Google Maps to find locations in your area. For more specific results, try searching for “functional fitness near me” on Google, which will show gyms that offer functional training equipment and classes. Before signing up, we recommend visiting the gym or contacting the staff to check what functional fitness equipment they have and whether they offer group classes or trainers who specialise in functional fitness.
Functional Fitness in Croydon
At MyPT The Gym in Croydon, our functional fitness facilities are designed for everyone – from beginners to seasoned athletes – looking to build full-body strength and conditioning. Our open space floor is perfect for performing a variety of functional movements, and we offer a wide range of free weights to support your training, In addition, we provide specialised cardio machines and equipment, along with expert guidance from our personal trainers. Plus, you’ll be part of our supportive community, all working together to crush our goals!
At MyPT The Studio, we offer a class known as the ‘Hybrid Class’– the perfect marriage between bodyweight exercises, strength drills and cardiovascular motions. This class is a form of circuit training with the goals of functional fitness in mind. Think: barbell deadlifts, pull-ups, weighted chest presses, core work and then ending with a sprint or two. We always start with a thorough warm-up and finish with a cool-down, and make sure that all movements are performed correctly by participants throughout the entire workout. Majority of our strength-based classes focus on exercises that mimic common body movements and improve muscle coordination for day-to-day activities.
Contact us today to sign up for our Hybrid classes, or to find out more about our functional fitness facilities.
