Discover the benefits of functional training

By Sophia McDermott, Lifestyle Coach & Fitness Expert. 

Functional training is my choice of training having been a gymnastic and a martial artist virtually my whole life. It helps with performance for your sport because this way of training encompasses so many aspects of strength and fitness.  Today as a trainer this is what I specialize in for both fitness enthusiasts as well as trained professional athletes.

The basic functional movements are focused on natural actions of the human body, such as running, walking, lifting, among other movements, all of this in a crafted way to gain more conditioning and skill in executions. 

One of the main advantages is the fact that it is possible to work several skills in a single exercise and several different aspects. For example, with a specific move you can work on strength, balance, power and speed as well as anaerobic fitness all in the same exercise. A perfect example of this is jump squats. Do a few of these and your cardio will feel it pretty quick, as well as your legs. Lol

Functional training is not only for athletes however, It is for everyone busy it helps with all tasks and activities in daily life. This is because we are replicating our natural movements with more intensity. Lunge walks, for example, can help you develop the strength to take a flight of stairs with ease. Plank holds can help develop a stronger core so that you have better balance for activities such as skiing, for example. So you can see how functional based training is beneficial for everyone. 

Another advantage is how dynamic this way of training is. You can perform functional based body weight workouts pretty much anywhere, because you don’t need a lot of equipment. With the variety of exercises and movements you can also change things up virtually every time you train so that you don’t get bored. This also encourages your body to keep adapting and making positive changes. 

Some great tools to add to your functional based training are: 

-physio balls, 

-jump rope, 

-rubber band 

-medicine balls. 

WIth only a small amount of equipment you can do a vast array of workouts. And the best thing is that you don't need an expensive gym membership and you don’t need to take a trip to the gym to do this. Just grab your yoga mat and a ball or whatever you have and get started. So no excuses to not get your workout in! This way of training allows you to workout anywhere, any time, is inexpensive AND works a whole variety of strength and fitness so that you’ve got it all covered!

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