Jess's Take

Functional training has become a term used in the fitness industry for the past 10 years but many people don’t know what this means. It can be confusing because there are a bit of contradictory explanations out there. Functional training is a method of training that works the functionality of the body. What is the human body really meant to do? No NOT sit at a computer all day! The human body was meant to hunt and gather. Remember let’s get back to basics, what was the human body originally designed to do? Pick and gather, walk and run as well as reach and hang.

 

Functional training goes way beyond that. As the individual it is important to think about what you do all day. If you are sitting all day at a desk it is important for you to get the body moving and work on posture and core strength as well as stretching the body from being stiff and still all day. However, if you are an active person and your job requires movement throughout the day you will want to supplement that with training that helps your body function properly so these movements are easy for you and don’t cause injury.

 

Functional training usually involves multi-joint and/or multi-muscles movements. These are great because they burn tons of calories and will make your workouts really efficient. However, functional movements also include stability training and don’t always require big movements but rather small movements that work the stability of a joint or muscle.

 

At the end of the day you want everyday things to be easy such as carrying groceries from the car to the house, cleaning out your closet, moving boxes, lifting suit cases and enjoying play time with the kids. If every time you preform any one of these tasks you tweak your neck or back you will be hesitant to do them and this will really start to impede on your quality of life.

 

When you are embarking on a workout program you will want to integrate functional style movements. They key is to change things up and try new things. Always take one step at a time and don’t over do it, as you don’t want to cause injury. Keep your body guess and challenge yourself in a safe and effective way.