Functional Fitness training is different than typical resistance training because you are focusing on training “movements” rather than isolated muscles.
If you think about it, most exercises performed in a gym are done either seated, or lying down on a bench or machine. However, most actions in daily life or sport, whether loaded or unloaded, are done standing up on either one or two legs. Even just walking, something all able-bodied people do on a daily basis, is done upright with one leg at a time.
Certainly there are times when more isolated exercise movements are necessary, such as in a rehab situation when one is trying to activate and build up atrophied muscles.
Also if one is specifically trying to increase their muscle mass (hypertrophy), it often requires sitting or lying on a bench in order to push or pull heavy loads to stimulate a specific adaptation.
However, it also makes sense to exercise in a way that will increase your ability to function optimally in a “real world” sense, using those types of movements you will likely encounter.
The body is meant to function in three planes of motion, front to back (called the sagittal plane), side to side (called the frontal plane) and with rotation (called the transverse plane).
By moving the body in those various planes of motion using various forms of resistance (i.e. medicine balls, cables, free weights etc.) you can train the body to function in a more integrated, synergistic manner. The muscles of the body work together as a unit in order to move, stabilize and balance at the same time.
In this way, functional fitness training enhances all the activities one performs in their daily lives, from picking up a child to carrying the groceries, from gardening to golfing. In fact, any physical activity that involves lifting, lowering, bending, twisting, throwing, swinging or reaching (etc.) will benefit from this approach.
Not only will you generate movement more effectively and efficiently, but you will be less vulnerable to injury. This is because over time, you have systematically worked through movements that you are most likely to encounter in most any situation.
An extra benefit of incorporating whole-body, functional exercise is the increased metabolic cost involved. This is because more overall muscle mass is utilized compared to more typical isolated methods of resistance training (compare a "squat-push-press" or "Woodchop" which both utilize the whole body from the feet up thru the torso and arms, with a seated "leg extension", "leg curl", or "seated shoulder press"). Therefore, functional fitness training will help transform your physical appearance along with all the other benefits it provides.
Lastly, due to the infinite variety of exercise, functional fitness is always interesting and fun.
2009 Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness
Please visit my website at http://www.time4youfitness.com/
If you think about it, most exercises performed in a gym are done either seated, or lying down on a bench or machine. However, most actions in daily life or sport, whether loaded or unloaded, are done standing up on either one or two legs. Even just walking, something all able-bodied people do on a daily basis, is done upright with one leg at a time.
Certainly there are times when more isolated exercise movements are necessary, such as in a rehab situation when one is trying to activate and build up atrophied muscles.
Also if one is specifically trying to increase their muscle mass (hypertrophy), it often requires sitting or lying on a bench in order to push or pull heavy loads to stimulate a specific adaptation.
However, it also makes sense to exercise in a way that will increase your ability to function optimally in a “real world” sense, using those types of movements you will likely encounter.
The body is meant to function in three planes of motion, front to back (called the sagittal plane), side to side (called the frontal plane) and with rotation (called the transverse plane).
By moving the body in those various planes of motion using various forms of resistance (i.e. medicine balls, cables, free weights etc.) you can train the body to function in a more integrated, synergistic manner. The muscles of the body work together as a unit in order to move, stabilize and balance at the same time.
In this way, functional fitness training enhances all the activities one performs in their daily lives, from picking up a child to carrying the groceries, from gardening to golfing. In fact, any physical activity that involves lifting, lowering, bending, twisting, throwing, swinging or reaching (etc.) will benefit from this approach.
Not only will you generate movement more effectively and efficiently, but you will be less vulnerable to injury. This is because over time, you have systematically worked through movements that you are most likely to encounter in most any situation.
An extra benefit of incorporating whole-body, functional exercise is the increased metabolic cost involved. This is because more overall muscle mass is utilized compared to more typical isolated methods of resistance training (compare a "squat-push-press" or "Woodchop" which both utilize the whole body from the feet up thru the torso and arms, with a seated "leg extension", "leg curl", or "seated shoulder press"). Therefore, functional fitness training will help transform your physical appearance along with all the other benefits it provides.
Lastly, due to the infinite variety of exercise, functional fitness is always interesting and fun.
2009 Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness
Please visit my website at http://www.time4youfitness.com/
