Whether it’s doing your back in by sitting at a desk, or popping a hamstring just by bending down, minor quibbles are a part of daily life. Functional training is the universal solution though, which doesn’t involve overhauling your entire fitness plan to prevent little injuries like these from getting worse as we get older.
What is functional training, then?
Functional training is all about exercises that mimic the movements you perform in daily life. “Think along the lines of squatting down to pick up your shopping bags, reaching up to grab something from a top shelf, or twisting to look behind you,” explains Rowan Clift, coach at AI-based fitness app Freeletics.
With functional training, the goal is to enhance your ability to perform everyday activities with ease, while reducing the risk of injury. “If you’re somebody who runs frequently then functional training could be improving your running mechanics,” Harry Cox, founder of Club Q Health. “Or, if you play tennis on a regular basis then some shoulder stability exercises could be considered functional.”
By mimicking real life movements in the gym, we’re able to increase our work capacity, so when we perform these tasks in day to day life they will feel effortless. “If you practice picking up a 15kg dumbbell with one hand at the gym, then it’s unlikely you’ll struggle with a 5kg shopping bag,” adds Cox.
Why this form of training is helpful
Functional training allows us to improve our bodies in a way that will benefit us beyond aesthetics. And if TikTok fitness influencers have taught us anything, it’s that how we move, feel, and perform are more important than just getting ‘likes’ for shirtless pics.
“One of the benefits of functional training is its ability to improve your work capacity, which simply means the total amount of physical work your body can handle,” says Clift.
Clift’s talking about improving your endurance and strength here. So again, if you’re a runner, functional training might include sprints to boost your cardio capacity, or lunges to build up your knees. If you lift weights, functional training might be focusing on your rotator cuff to help with your clean and squat, for example.
The science backs it, too. A systematic review in the European Review of Aging and Physical Activity found that incorporating functional training helps safeguard muscle strength and the ability to move freely in older adults. Best get started now to shield yourself for the future.
Another study, in the journal Frontiers In Physiology, found that “Existing evidence concludes that functional training significantly impacts speed, muscular strength, power, balance, and agility.” Translation: short of quitting your job and moving to Hawaii, it’s just about the best thing you can do for yourself.
When and how to do functional training
Incorporating functional training into your workout depends on your fitness goals. It’s not just about adding in a few squats or lunges to your workout, but more about re-thinking your general approach so that your workouts build strength, endurance, and mobility in a way that translates directly to real-life activities.
“The best way to integrate functional training into your programme is by structuring your workouts with intention,” says Clift.
Clift adds that if you’re already pretty happy with your workout routine, functional exercises can be woven in by adding specific sets of movements. “Instead of isolating muscles (like bicep curls or leg presses), functional sets focus on multi-joint movements that engage your core, balance, and coordination,” he says.
For example, love squats? Add a functional variation. Rather than just doing a barbell squat, incorporating a goblet squat with a pause at the bottom forces you to stabilise through your core, mirroring movements like picking up a child. If you’re bench pressing, pairing it with a TRX push-up adds a balance and stability element that makes upper body strength more transferable to daily movements.
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