What is Functional Training?

For ‘functional training’ and ‘functional exercise’ to have a practical and useful meaning for personal trainers they must have a client centric element and be oriented on meeting the needs and wants of every individual client. This means that ‘functional’ will change from client to client.
Functional Training involves performing work against resistance in such a manner that the improvements in strength directly enhance the performance of movements so that an individual’s activities of daily living are easier to perform. Simply stated, the primary goal of functional training is to transfer the improvements in strength achieved in one movement to enhancing the performance of another movement by affecting the entire neuromuscular system.

Functional Training Exercises

TRX Suspension Training: If you’re tired of circuiting 20 different machines just to get in your total-body workout, try TRX suspension training—an all-in-one motion that combines strength and flexibility. Truth is, you don’t have to use stacks of weights to build muscle. Suspension training uses your own body weight from different angles to engage more muscle groups at the same time.

Medicine ball squat with overhead lift: A medicine ball (also known as an exercise ball, med ball, or fitness ball) is a weighted ball roughly the diameter of the shoulders (approx. 14 inches). Medicine balls come in a variety of weights from 2lbs. to 30lbs. and can be made of hard plastic, dense rubber or synthetic leather material.
This exercise strengthens your legs, glutes, lower back, arms and shoulders.

Lunges:Lunges are a functional weight training exercise that can improve your posture by strengthening the back, shoulders and arms along with improving lower body strength and flexibility. Lunges have several variations and can be weighted with a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell.

Benefits of Functional Training

Better muscular balance and joint stability

Decrease the number of injuries sustained in an individual’s performance in a sport

Improves the body’s natural ability to move in six degrees of freedom.