Functional Fitness Training

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING?

Functional fitness training can be described as any program that includes exercises designed to mimic and/or help you to perform daily tasks or activities safely and efficiently. Examples of these types of tasks or activities include loading and unloading furniture from a truck, or picking your kid up and carrying them up the stairs.

Functional exercises are generally multi-joint movements that involve using both upper and lower body muscle groups simultaneously while engaging the core.

 For example, while an exercise like a dumbbell curl ONLY works the bicep and is performed in most cases for aesthetic purposes, an exercise like a dumbbell farmer's walk trains the body to lift heavy objects properly off the ground, engaging the core, driving through the heels, then moving those heavy objects from point A to point B. Muscles worked: glutes, quads, hamstrings, upper traps, forearms, and core. In addition, it's not a bad high intensity cardio workout either. In a real world scenario, an exercise such as this is much more likely to transfer over to a common task such as carrying two heavy grocery bags from the store to your car.

SHOULD YOU BE INCORPORATING FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS IN YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM? 

Everyone can benefit from performing functional movements. Don't wait until you slip a disc in your back trying to pick up that 50 pound bag of dog food before you decide it's time to learn how to deadlift properly. Lower back injuries are the most common, nagging, reoccurring injuries in our society today. In fact, 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time.Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the American population will experience a back injury at some point in their lives. Knowing the reasons why people experience these injuries and training your body in ways that will help you to avoid them is something everyone can and should do.

If you're a bodybuilder, does it make sense to perform only functional movements in your routine? No. You'll most likely be going with a split routine of some sort. However, for most everyone else, whether you're a stay at home Mom with two kids, or the owner of a refurbished vintage furniture store (had to throw some of my real life client examples in here), you need to know how to properly squat down and pick up your kids or your furniture, then properly lift them up and carry or load them off somewhere.

The answer for 99% of us is yes, at the very least, the two foundational functional movements, the squat and the deadlift, should be incorporated in your program somewhere.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING?

• Reduced risk of injury.
• Improved ease of daily tasks.
• Safe, efficient and effective performance of common activities.
• Improved balance, agility, and strength.
• Improved quality of life.

EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES

• Squat, deadlift, lunge (all variations)
• Push-up, pull-up, dip
• Kettlebell swing
• Dumbbell carry
• Medicine ball slam
• Box jumps
• Sled push
• Battle rope
• Core rotation exercises
• Cable machine
• Medicine ball
• Resistance bands
• Body weight
• TRX Rip Trainer

Source : Coach Brian Donovan

Speedy And Beneficial Kettlebell Workouts For Women

Excellent news for busy women who would like to keep fit despite their hectic way of life: now you'll be able to accomplish your health ambitions by working out for just some minutes each day making use of kettlebells. These ball-shaped weights have rapidly risen to develop into a fad on the planet of fitness, particularly amongst girls.

 Excellent news for busy women who would like to keep fit despite their hectic way of life: now you'll be able to accomplish your health ambitions by working out for just some minutes each day making use of kettlebells. These ball-shaped weights have rapidly risen to develop into a fad on the planet of fitness, particularly amongst girls.

 

Below are the several kettlebell workouts for girls that you just can try out. By carrying out these trainings, you obtain maximum results with just a very minimal threat of injury, unlike the use of other workout tools. Addressing both strength and cardio training, these workout routines with kettlebells might be accomplished in just 20 minutes to attain fat loss or muscle tone improvement.

Warm-up

For each of those workout routines, position your feet about one foot apart.

1. For the back and abs - Hold the kettlebell with each hands and raise it overhead, maintaining an abs-tight, shoulders-down, and chest-forward position. Then, rotate your hips clockwise 8 occasions. These rotations will need to slightly propel the kettlebell overhead to produce modest circles, too. Repeat this for one more 8 counts, then switch to a counter-clockwise rotation.

2. For shoulders and arms - Secondly, stand with knees slightly bent. Hold your kettlebell together with your correct hand and swing your suitable arm forward. Then, rapidly reach out with your left arm to receive the kettlebell and swing your left arm to your back. Easily reach back with your ideal hand to get the kettlebell and swing the weight forward. Repeat this process for about 20 seconds.

Main Physical exercise

1. For hip, thigh, and butt - Position your feet about half a meter apart. Shift to a squat position and hold kettlebell with each hands. Swing kettlebell back toward the space in between the legs, then swing back up in front of you whilst you stand from squat position. Repeat about 45 times, then do a single-arm swing for one particular minute every arm.

2. For butt, arms, and legs - Hold kettlebell with suitable hand. Step correct foot forward and bend the knee at a correct angle, to make a lunge position with your perfect leg. Although in that position, pass kettlebell under your perfect thigh out of your ideal hand to become received by the left hand. Shift back to standing position. Then, lunge forward with left leg this time (yet again producing a suitable angle using the knee) and pass kettlebell under the left thigh from the left hand to the proper, then back to standing position. Repeat this 18 occasions per leg.

Cool-down

For your cool-down routine, you're able to opt to repeat the warm-up routine and do it slowly but with out the kettlebell involved. Here are some other options for those who favor one thing else. When you favor the regular cool-down routine, you are able to go for the classic shoulder stretch, hip stretch, and hamstring stretch.

According to kettlebell users, this routine burns pounds off the physique inside just weeks of carrying out the workouts religiously. Fat loss and muscle toning can even be ushered in more rapidly by undertaking 20 minutes of cardio exercises (similar to operating, jogging, dancing, swimming) every other day. The kettlebell delivers a great and productive physical exercise expertise for all those women who tend not to have time to go to the gym and lift weights. Fat-burning and body-toning can now be accomplished within just the confines of your property or office.

Source Flavia | AF