Do you want body Fitness to perform the best in everyday life? Functional Fitness training is your answer, for it is a lifestyle that transforms your mind & body to reach excellent heights of endurance, agility, resilience, and spirituality.
New U is a leading Functional Fitness Training company in South Africa. Its founder is Ryno Herselman, who has a natural talent for functional training and aims to help you discover the everyday benefits of Functional Fitness training.
So, take a seat, bring your coffee, and read this blog post to find all the essentials of Functional Fitness training in one place.
What is Functional Fitness?
Functional-Fitness is the exercise or workout combination that makes you fit for daily life tasks. Involving daily life mimicking movements like Squatting, Lifting, Pulling, Pushing, and Twisting, this workout combination trains your body to perform everyday tasks with an epitome of grace and easiness.
The exercise improves overall health and well-being by increasing your body’s strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination. These workouts benefit everyone – from athletes & fitness enthusiasts to older adults.
Unlike traditional gym workouts, Functional Fitness training engages multiple muscle groups at once, leading to a healthy body for everyday life by reducing the risk of injury. You can also check out the details about these workouts on our Instagram.
How Functional Fitness differs from Traditional Gym Training?
What are the Key Components of Functional Fitness Training?
Many components of Functional training are crucial for improving your body’s strength and well-being. Some of them are the following:
Functional Movements
Functional movements are the ground for this type of exercise or workout training. These functional movements mimic daily life activities and are essential for improving your overall body health and agility.
These movements focus on multiple joints and muscles & get designed to improve endurance, strength, balance, and coordination of your body parts. In addition, some examples of functional movements include bending, twisting, reaching, and lifting.
Full-body Workouts
Full-body Workouts are a significant part of Functional Fitness training. These workouts incorporate exercises that engage diverse muscle groups simultaneously, enhancing overall body strength and endurance. Some examples of these exercises include squats, lunges, push-ups, rows, deadlifts, and vice versa.
Additionally, full-body workouts are one of the essential features behind the adaptivity of Functional Fitness Training. These workouts can get customized according to your needs, goals, age, and health. For example, people new to this training can start with lighter weights & fewer repetitions and gradually increase the weight and intensity.
Functional Equipment
The right workout equipment is a fundamental component of Functional Fitness training because it allows individuals to perform exercises that mimic real-world activities and improve overall body fitness. There is a variety of equipment used in Functional Fitness training, and some of them are as follows:
- Resistance bands
- Kettlebells
- TRX Suspension trainers
- Medicine balls
- Plyometric boxes
All of this equipment can get used in a variety of Functional exercises. For example, use Resistance Bands for Squats, Lunges, and Rows, all involving multiple muscle groups simultaneously. In addition, use Kettlebells for workouts like Kettlebell Swings and Turkish get-ups, exercises engaging the entire body and improving your functional movement.
Core Training
Core Training is vital in Functional Fitness Training as it improves overall physical performance and body health. The core muscles include the muscles of the back, abdomen, hips, and pelvis and are responsible for supporting the body weight & daily life activities.
Core training involves exercises like planks and bridges. In addition, the benefits of core training include the maintenance of body posture, balance, and core strength and decreasing the risk of injuries. Additionally, core training is necessary for improving athletic performance in other exercises like lifting, twisting, and reaching.
Movement Patterns
Movement Patterns are crucial in Functional Fitness training because they incorporate exercises that mimic daily life activities and improve the overall functional movement of your body. Some movement patterns used in this training include squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, rotating, and hinging.
There are many benefits of following these typical movement patterns – the improvement of physical performance, adaptivity to intense daily life activities, and decreasing the risk of injury.
Neuromuscular Control
Neuromuscular Control is a critical element in Functional Fitness workouts because it involves the coordination of the body with the mind to perform controlled and multi-planar movements. It is the ability of your Nervous system that allows your body to adapt to functional exercises.
Some crucial examples of Neuromuscular Control in Functional Fitness training are as follows:
- Single-leg balance
- Lateral Lunges
- Diagonal Chops
- Rotational Movements
So, by improving neuromuscular control during functional training, you can improve your general adaptive sense in real-life activities. With this enhancement, you can avoid risky situations, reduce the risk of injuries, and achieve optimal health & wellness in your life.
6 Essential Equipment for Functional Fitness Training
What are some typical Functional Fitness Exercises?
Functional Fitness training comprises many exercises. Some of them are as follows:
Squats
Squats are a fundamental Functional Fitness Workout. It is a compound exercise targeting the muscles of the lower body, core, and back muscles. There are variations in this type of exercise to use in Functional Fitness training, for example, bodyweight squats, front squats, goblet squats, and back squats. Some types can get done without equipment, but others need it, for example, a kettlebell, barbell, or dumbbell.
Squats are the foundational exercise of Functional training. Their benefits are – improved lower body structure, enhanced mobility, and better functional movement patterns. Additionally, squats mimic your daily life activities, for example, bending down to pick up an object and standing up from a seat.
Lunges
Lunges are a unilateral exercise focusing on the lower body muscles, for example, the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Moreover, they also have variations that can get utilized in different types of Functional Workouts. For example, bodyweight lunges, reverse lunges, lateral lunges, and vice versa.
Lunges resemble real-world movements, such as stepping up or down from a surface. Overall, this workout improves body stability and strengthens the lower body.
Planks
This Functional Training exercise is popular and targets the core muscles of your body. It is a static exercise and requires the individual to stand still at a fixed position. Likewise, to Squats and Lunges, Planks also have variations to employ in the gym functional workouts. Some of them include side planks and reverse planks.
Planks lead to posture improvement & enhanced body core strength. Additionally, you can increase your body’s endurance through this exercise.
Miscellaneous Exercises
As mentioned in the blog post, Functional Fitness training is adaptive to everyone. So, you can do many exercises simultaneously according to your own pace and preferences. Some other workouts that are typical for Functional training are the following:
Push-ups
Push-ups target the muscles of the chest, shoulders, triceps, & core, mimicking everyday activities like pushing a heavy object. Explore our Youtube to find the best push-up techniques for your Functional Fitness workout.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups target the muscles of the back, shoulders, and arms. This exercise can get compared to daily life activities, for example, pulling yourself up onto a ledge,
Deadlifts
Deadlifts target the backside muscles of the body that support the hips and spine. These exercises resemble the activities like lifting heavy objects off the ground. Find more about how to do deadlifts on our Tiktok profile.
Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell Swings target the lower body muscles and mimic the movement patterns like lifting and swinging heavy objects. Follow us on Pinterest and find out more about Kettlebell Swings.
Other exercises
Some other functional training exercises include battle ropes, Medicine ball slams, Farmer’s walks, Box jumps, Sled Pushes, and Agility drills.
What is the role of Nutrition in Functional Fitness Training?
Benefits of Functional Fitness Training
Functional Fitness training is a workout lifestyle with several benefits for your body. Here are some of them:
Improved Body Flexibility and Strength
Functional body training targets multiple body muscles simultaneously. It makes your entire body becomes much stronger & flexible than before, easing daily life tasks and your body’s endurance.
Better Balance and Coordination
A Functional Fitness workout involves the complex coordination of your muscles and mind (neuromuscular control). When you consistently do these exercises, your body parts get better coordination, keeping you agile and active throughout the day.
Improved Posture and Bone Density
Functional Fitness exercises focus on all body muscles ranging from the core to the backside and lower body muscles. Therefore, these weight-bearing or simple workouts improve all overall bone density and body posture, keeping you free of back & body pain.
Improved Sleep and Mental Health
Stress and anxiety are a part of daily life. These problems become the cause of irregular sleep patterns that disturbs the overall performance of your body. If you involve yourself in Functional Fitness training, your body feels more energized, plus you get rid of the buzzing stress levels resulting in a peaceful sleep pattern.
Improved Energy and Agility
Functional Fitness exercises can help you avoid laziness because they engage your every body muscle in the workouts. It results in the benefit that your body becomes super active in daily life chores, such as going to groceries and stepping up on a ladder to go up to another floor of your home.
Improved Metabolism and Immunity
Because these workouts keep your body active in the exercises, your metabolism becomes much more efficient. This way, you can avoid gastrointestinal issues and become immune to diseases because of a healthy lifestyle.
Improved Self-Confidence and Social Connections
The Functional Fitness workouts keep your body in a composed form. Therefore, when you look good in the mirror, you feel proud and confident, resulting in many benefits, for example, improved social connections and a better quality of life.
Improved Life Quality
All of the benefits of Functional Fitness workouts lead to a better quality of life, an ultimate goal every human wants to achieve. So, focus on your health, stay consistent, and see your transformation.
How to Get Started with the Functional Fitness Exercises?
Here are some steps that can help you get started with the Functional Fitness Workouts:
➨ Determine the goals that you want to achieve through Functional Fitness workouts. It could be to improve the body’s endurance or strengthen your muscles.
➨ Start with easy exercises and focus on proper body form and pace before moving on to the complex workouts.
➨ Choose those exercises that resemble your daily life activities.
➨ Use a variety of appropriate equipment for your Functional Fitness workouts.
➨ Stay consistent with your workouts and incorporate them into your routine 2-3 days weekly.
➨ Update your trainer about your progress and ask for help when needed.
Tips on Incorporating Functional Fitness into Daily Life
Functional Fitness workouts yield beneficial results when done at the proper pace and with safe methods. However, here are some general tips on how to incorporate these exercises into your daily life:
✔ Start with simple exercises such as squats and push-ups. Gradually increase the intensity of the duration of these workouts.
✔ Start using those functional workouts in daily life that do not require specific equipment. For example, do bodyweight exercises.
✔ Be regular with your workouts and develop a schedule according to your pace.
✔ Try incorporating functional movement patterns into your daily life. For example, try squatting while picking up groceries.
✔ Be creative and use everyday life items as workout equipment. In addition, mix different sorts of workouts in your routine to keep it interesting.
✔ If you are new to Functional Fitness training, consider getting professional help from a trainer to avoid injuries.
✔ Drink plenty of water before, during, and after workouts to avoid dehydration and other problems.
✔ Be mindful of your nutritional habits and eat energy-rich foods in proper balance.
✔ Do not push yourself beyond the body’s endurance limits. Always pay attention to your body’s adaptivity towards the exercises and take adequate rests between the workout days.
✔ Enjoy and celebrate your little workout achievements. This way, you can turn a boring workout routine into a fun activity.
Be an example for your friends & family. Recommend them Functional Fitness workouts and motivate them to stay healthy.
What are some common Myths and Facts about Functional Fitness Training?
Functional workouts became a trend in previous years, bringing some misconceptions and myths with popularity. Some of those myths and their facts are as follows:
Myth – Only Athletes and highly-fit individuals can do Functional Fitness Training.
Fact – Functional Fitness exercises are suitable for everyone and can get modified according to age, health, and other personal factors.
Myth – Functional Fitness only involves Bodyweight exercises.
Fact – Bodyweight workouts are one of the components of Functional Fitness exercises and can get combined with equipment like kettlebells, medicine balls, and resistance bands.
Myth – Functional Fitness only improves the body’s strength.
Fact – Additionally to body strength, Functional Fitness training enhances body flexibility, balance, endurance, and coordination.
Myth – Functional Training focuses on some specific muscles.
Fact – Functional Fitness training involves full-body movements that challenge multiple muscles simultaneously and improve your overall physical performance.
Myth – Functional Fitness exercises increase the risk of injury.
Fact – Likewise any other exercise or workout, Functional Fitness exercises can get done in a safe and progressive form & manner. And when done safely, Functional Fitness workouts can help improve your body stability and reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.
FAQs
What is meant by functional Fitness Training?
Functional Fitness training is a workout that engages multiple muscle groups at once plus makes you fit for everyday activities with improved body core strength, endurance, and flexibility.
What are the 5 superpowers of Functional Fitness Training?
What are the 7 core principles of Functional Fitness Training?
Functional Fitness exercises work on the following 7 core principles:
- Functional Fitness workout mimicking the real-life movements
- Compound exercises that focus on multiple muscle groups
- Progressive and Gradual body training
- Adaptiveness to the strength training
- Exercises focusing on the Core stability
- Body Balance and Coordination
- High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Is Functional Fitness training the same as CrossFit?
Functional Fitness Training is a broader term and includes all those body workouts that focus on multiple muscle groups and train your body to be fit for daily life. On the other hand, CrossFit is a type of Functional Fitness training that works on weightlifting, Gymnastics, and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
To Conclude – Functional Fitness Training
In conclusion, Functional Fitness is more than a combination of exercises or fitness trends. It is a lifestyle making you super-fit for performing everyday activities with ease, grace, and efficiency. This type of training focuses on multiple muscle groups at once and enhances your overall strength, body balance, and flexibility.
In addition, Functional Fitness is suitable for every age group busting all the myths out there. It is not a workout but a fitness philosophy helping you look and feel good about your body. So, whether you are a fitness enthusiast, an athlete, or someone searching for workouts for daily life – halt your search here because Functional Fitness is the most practical exercise combo for you.
Contact us to begin training with us and reach the heights of body excellence.