Functional training is one of the most beneficial types of fitness programs for people of almost all age groups and gender. This isn’t just a workout class that you go to sweat a little and go home. Functional training is here to make you better at all everyday activities. Functional training completely strengthens your body making you either prepared for everyday challenges or for a particular sport.
Many articles about celebrity facts you don’t know say that functional training has become one of the most popular types of training among celebs which is no wonder considering that functional training targets all muscle groups and joints.
Prepare Yourself First
Functional training is the perfect exercise for the whole body. It will provide you with strength, stability, and mobility which can help you in everyday life and can help you thrive in other sports. Although functional training is often recommended for pregnant women and people who are recovering from an injury, there are still a few things you should have in mind before you start training.
First, if you are recovering from a recent injury in your hands, using a compression wrist sleeve will help you relieve some tension and will provide you with support while lifting weights, doing push-ups and similar activities. The same goes for other parts of the body, compression braces are a fantastic solution to all the people who want to get back into training as soon as possible. lso, check here how to choose?best exercise tights.???????
As for other precautions always make sure you warm up correctly. That is the smartest way you can avoid any kind of injury or worsen one. Also, try to focus on form and not weight. Once you are doing all of the exercises correctly not only will you feel the benefits better but you will also, again, avoid an injury. Remember to always breathe correctly and keep your tempo.
What Are the Benefits of Functional Training?
Functional training is taking the best from each field of fitness, combines it and makes you stronger, expands your lungs and flexibility. Its aim is to boost your overall health and wellbeing. There are plenty of benefits functional training can give you.
Improves Muscle Memory
This is great because the more your body does a particular movement the faster and more responsive your body will become making it easier to repeat each movement in the future easier and faster.
It?s Low Impact
Functional training is low impact and it?s a great starting point for people at any fitness level. Functional training improves all of your physical abilities without causing any pressure to your joints which is especially important for people who recently had an injury or for pregnant women.
Increases Flexibility and Coordination
Functional training demands full range in motion while doing each exercise meaning that despite the common myth functional training actually helps you increase flexibility and coordination.
Improves Balance and Posture
Because exercises used in functional training use multiple muscles to enhance your strength and balance it also help you with improving your posture. These exercises also target specific muscle groups and can prevent pain in hips, lower back and shoulders which again make your posture much much better.
Reduces Joint Pain
The aim of functional training is essentially to make you do daily tasks with ease and to make your body perform better at any sport. People who suffer from regular back pain and joint problems will greatly benefit from functional training because this type of exercise is made to restore your body to its basics meaning that someone who has chronic back pain can?t just bend over and pick something up but functional training can help that person function normally and that?s why we say it?s restoring your body to its basics. Pro Tip: You can?apply therapeutic muscle tapes?while training to support your back and make mobility easier.
What Types of Functional Training Are There?
Although people from all age groups and gender can benefit from functional training there are some differences that can be beneficial for some people and for others not that much. That?s why to get the most out of functional training you should also consider which type of functional training is most suitable for you.
High-Intensity Functional Training
This type of functional training is mostly focused on promoting physical performances through intensive cardio, endurance, and strength training regime. But this type of functional training is mainly done by soldiers so if you are not prepared for this type of intensity it?s better to avoid high-intensity functional training in order to avoid injuries and other potential complications.
Low-Intensity Functional Training
Low-intensity functional training is perfect for people who want to increase their strength, flexibility, balance, mobility and who want to make this training a part of their lifestyle. Also, people who regularly go to functional training sessions have increasingly improved their overall lifestyle and health.
High-intensity functional training (HIFT) might bring some quick results when it comes quick weight loss, but you need to ask yourself are you ready for potential injury risks and health problems that can occur if you go too far with your training. On the other hand, if you are already a regular at the gym a few sessions a week might be beneficial for you. Just remember to never force yourself to go beyond your limits (that can compromise your health)
What Are Some Common Functional Training Exercises?
Here we will name some of the most common functional training exercises that you can include in your work out routine or what you can expect when you head to the gym. Some of the most common equipment used in functional training are:
- Dumbbells
- Kettlebells
- Foam rollers
- Medicine balls
- Benches
So, if you are planning to do some functional training at home you can look into some of this equipment online and maybe even consider investing in some. And the most common exercises in functional training are:
Dumbbell Row
You begin by standing straight with weights in each hand, then you bend forward from your hips as you raise one leg behind with your knee bent. You bring up the weight up towards your chest while you are balancing on one leg.
Pull-Up
Wherever you find a properly mounted bar you can do a pull-up. Start by standing in front of a mounted bar, then grip it tightly with your palms facing away, shoulder wight apart and start pulling yourself up.
Planks
Begin by placing your mat on the floor and then place your forearms on the ground while your elbows are aligned below your shoulders, then lift your body and balance yourself on your forearms and toes. Keep your body level and hold up for up to 60 seconds.