Even if you work out in a gym every day, you can still sprain your back loading groceries into your car, lifting a heavy suitcase or taking out the trash. That’s because a lot of exercises are designed to strengthen individual muscle groups. In real life, multiple muscle groups need to work together to get things done. It’s a team sport, not an individual event.
Why functional fitness workouts are different.
Functional fitness workouts are designed to prepare you for real-life activities. Exercises strengthen the groups of muscle groups involved in routine tasks. They’re all about integration, not isolation.
What these workouts involve.
You need to build your mobility and flexibility before you can start building muscle strength. So in the beginning, you’ll do squats, multidirectional lunges, step-ups, push-ups and other exercises that use only your own body weight for resistance. Later, when you’re ready, you’ll add the extra challenge of weights.
Equipment-wise, with functional fitness training, less is more. Instead of high-tech equipment, you’ll use simple low-tech tools like exercise balls, resistance bands, foam rollers, steppers/stairs, dumbells, kettlebells and a suspension training system.
Simpler doesn’t mean easy or less effective
No matter how many pounds you can press on your gym’s leg-press machine, you probably can’t do a one-legged squat without falling over because that requires exceptional stability and control over multiple muscle groups at once. Functional fitness training can give you that. Isolation exercises can’t.
So if you sometimes hurt your back doing ordinary things, try a tough, low-tech workout that mimics doing those things.
Functional Fitness at Healthletica
You don’t have to be a Healthletica member to take advantage of our private functional fitness sessions and learn how to prevent future injuries that can arise from everyday activities.
Call or email us at info@healthletica.ca to request a personal consultation and arrange for private 1:1 training tailored to your specific needs.
